''April Folly'' is a 1920 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

and written by Adrian Johnson and Cynthia Stockley. The film stars

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

, Madeline Marshall, Hattie Delaro,

Amelia Summerville Amelia Summerville (born Amelia Shaw, 15 October 1862 – 21 January 1934) was an Irish-born American stage and silent film actress. Biography Summerville was born in County Kildare, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is ...

, Conway Tearle, J. Herbert Frank, and

Warren Cook Warren Cook (May 23, 1878 – May 2, 1939) was an American film actor of the silent era. Cook was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1901, he appeared in '' The Shaughraun'' at the Castle Square Theatre in Boston. He was part of the stock ...

. The film was released on March 21, 1920, by Paramount Pictures.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, April Poole (Davies), a young writer in love with publisher Kerry Sarle (Tearle), visits the office of Mr. Sarle and his partner Ronald Kenna (Frank) and reads her latest story to them. She has made Sarle the hero, Kenna the villain, and herself the heroine. In the story, April changes places with Lady Diana Mannister (Marshall), who is being sent to South Africa to separate her from her lover, a young artist. A famous diamond that Lady Diana is to deliver at the end of her journey is given to April. Thieves trail her during her journey. With efforts by Kenna to steal the diamond prevented by the intervention of Sarle, the story comes to a close.

Cast

as April Poole *

Madeline Marshall ''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series a ...

as Lady Diana Mannister * Hattie Delaro as Mrs. Stanislaw *

as Olive Connal * Conway Tearle as Kerry Sarle * J. Herbert Frank as Ronald Kenna *

as Earle of Mannister *

Spencer Charters Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles. Biography Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until ...

as Dobbs *Charles Peyton as Butler * Agnes Neilson

Promotional contest

Cosmopolitan Productions Cosmopolitan Productions, also often referred to as Cosmopolitan Pictures, was an American film company based in New York City from 1918 to 1923 and Hollywood until 1938. History Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst formed Cosmopolitan in co ...

offered a $1,000 prize for the "best short scenario suitable for Miss Davies", similar to the story in ''April Folly''. "Write a clean, wholesome love story with an entertaining series of incidents and a good moral. Tell the story in a straightforward way -no florid writing". The contest was judged by "Marion Davies, Cosmopolitan Productions' star; William LeBaron, the distinguished playwright, and Hay Long, editor-in-chief of the International Magazine Company".

Production

In her eighth film,

starred in this adventure film as a woman in disguise in order to deliver a fabulous diamond to its owner. The unusual narrative format has Davies as a writer named April Poole, telling her editor the story. What we see is the story she tells. The main action is framed by Davies talking with her editor. Production stalled when the original director was replaced by

. Co-star Conway Tearle threatened to leave the project because of the extended filming time. Lorusso, Edward (2017) ''The Silent Films of Marion Davies'', CreateSpace, p. 36.

Status

A limited-edition DVD was released by

Edward Lorusso Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

with a music score by

Ben Model Ben Model (born 1962) is an American musician, historian, publisher, and presenter of silent films. An accompanist, he composes and performs organ or piano music for silent films. He accompanies films live and records scores for home video release ...

in April 2017.

References

External links

* {{Robert Z. Leonard 1920 films 1920s English-language films Silent American drama films 1920 drama films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1920s American films