''April Showers'' is a 1923 American silent romantic film directed by Tom Forman starring

Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...

. It is not known whether the film currently survives.

Plot

Danny O'Rourke is the son of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Eager to join the police force, Danny fails his exams. The failure causes him to neglect his sweetheart Maggie, whose father is a police lieutenant. His attentions turn instead towards society girl Miriam Welton. When Danny’s sister, Shannon, is arrested for shoplifting, Danny turns to boxing to save her. He works his way towards the championship but discovers the final bought has been rigged. Danny fights anyhow and he is beaten, but it is discovered that a mistake had been made on his exams and he actually was eligible to join the police force after all.

Cast

as Maggie Muldoon *

Kenneth Harlan Kenneth Daniel Harlan (July 26, 1895 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types. Early life Harlan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George W. Harlan and ac ...

as Danny O'Rourke *

Ruth Clifford Ruth Clifford (February 17, 1900 – November 30, 1998) was an American actress of leading roles in silent films, whose career lasted from that era into the television era. Early years Clifford was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the daughter ...

as Miriam Welton *

Priscilla Bonner Priscilla Bonner (February 17, 1899 – February 21, 1996) was an American silent film actress who specialized in portraying virginal, innocent heroines. Early years Priscilla Bonner was born in Washington, D.C. on February 17, 1899. Her ...

as Shannon O'Rourke * Myrtle Vane as Mrs. O'Rourke *

James Corrigan James Corrigan (17 October 1867 – 28 February 1929), was an American actor. He appeared in 16 films between 1920 and 1927. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and died in Los Angeles, California. Married to actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan w ...

as Matt Gallagher *

Jack Byron Vice Admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at s ...

as Flash Irwin *

Ralph Faulkner Ralph Faulkner (July 20, 1891 – January 28, 1987) was an American fencer and film actor. He competed in the team sabre event at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Post-college career After graduating from college Faulkner became a forest ranger. ...

as Champ Sullivan * Tom McGuire as Lieutenant Muldoon *

Norman Selby Charles "Kid" McCoy (October 13, 1872 – April 18, 1940), born Norman Selby, was an American boxer and early Hollywood actor. He claimed the vacant world middleweight title when he scored an upset victory over Tommy Ryan by 15th round knockou ...

as Ring Manager (as Kid McCoy) *

Danny Goodman Danny Goodman is a computer programmer, technology consultant, and an author of over three dozen books and hundreds of magazine articles on computer-related topics. He is best known as the author of ''The Complete HyperCard Handbook'' (1987, Ban ...

as Ring Manager

Background

Filmed in early 923 ''April Showers'' would bring Colleen to the Mayer-Schulberg Studio (formerly the Selig studio). ''April Showers'' followed ''

The Nth Commandment ''The Nth Commandment'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Colleen Moore. It is based on a story, ''The Nth Commandment'', by Fannie Hurst, a well-known novelist of the day. The film's title jests somew ...

'', and it was an old-fashioned romantic story billed as having “…the ‘all-Irish-all-star’ cast. The January 23 ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' ran a story entitled “She Couldn't Keep Down Her Irish Blood,” which concerned the making of ''April Showers'' and managed to tap into the "Irish" persona she had cultivated: ::“The piquant Colleen plays the role of a rather tomboyish little Irish girl of plain but honest parents.... Miss Moore lives her parts at home as well as before the camera and in practicing before her grandmother, Mm. Mary Kelly, she finally drew fire from that saint of the household. ::“’Colleen me child,’ said Grandmother Kelly, ‘It's all very well to act like a little hoyden and be rough and tomboyish—but there’s too much of that sort on the screen, me dear. Remember, not all the Irish men are policemen and not all the Irish women are washwomen.... You don’t have to be any wilder because you’re supposed to be Irish.’ ::“’All right, grandmother,’ humbly agreed Colleen, ‘but it’s hard for me not to let myself go—being Irish.’" Actor Harlan trained with real boxers to prepare for the role.“Johnny Wilson to Fight in Pictures before Comeback,” ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...

'', January 21, 1923, page 13. shortly after this film was finished, Colleen would go to work for Associated First National where, with the success of the film '' Flaming Youth'', she would achieve a new level of fame.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Jeff Codori (2012), ''Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star''
McFarland Publishing
(Print , EBook ).

External links

* * {{Tom Forman 1923 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American silent feature films Films directed by Tom Forman American black-and-white films 1923 films Preferred Pictures films 1920s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent American drama films