''Young April'' is a 1926 American silent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film directed by

Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ...

, and starring

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned e ...

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film ''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for ...

, and

Rudolph Schildkraut Rudolph Schildkraut (27 April 1862 – 15 July 1930) was an Austrian film and theatre actor. Life and career Schildkraut was born in Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire to a Jewish family. His parents ran a hotel. He grew up in Brăila, Rom ...

. The film was produced by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cin ...

and distributed by

Producers Distributing Corporation Producers Distributing Corporation was a short-lived Hollywood film distribution company, organized in 1924 and dissolved in March 1927. In its brief heyday, film director Cecil B. DeMille was its primary shareholder and major talent. Corpora ...

. The film has survived and has been released on home video.

Plot

Prince Caryl of Belgravia (Joseph Schildkraut) is to be married to Archduchess Victoria (Love), whom he has never met. He rebels by stealing the royal crown and going to Paris to pawn it and enjoy the money. Victoria, who has been raised an orphan in America, is told of her title and upcoming wedding, and goes to Paris for a final week of freedom and a shopping spree. While in Paris, she buys the royal crown and meets—and falls in love with—Caryl, each not knowing the other's royal identity. Caryl's unethical brother Prince Michael (Washburn) comes to Paris, and prevents Victoria from revealing her identity to Caryl, who renounces his title to be with her. Michael kidnaps Victoria, but Caryl rescues her via an elaborate change involving carriages, cars, and airplanes.

Cast

Release and reception

''Young April'' had its New York premiere at the

Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used ...

. The film, particularly the production, received positive reviews.

References

External links

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Lobby cards

Stills and review
at moviessilently.com 1926 romantic comedy films 1926 films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films American silent feature films Films based on British novels Films directed by Donald Crisp Films set in Paris Films set in Europe Producers Distributing Corporation films Surviving American silent films 1920s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films {{1920s-romantic-comedy-film-stub