''Potash and Perlmutter'' is a 1923 American silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Clarence G. Badger Clarence G. Badger (June 9, 1880 – June 17, 1964) was an American film director of feature films in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. His films include '' It'' and ''Red Hair'', more than a dozen features and shorts starring Will Rogers, and two feat ...

. The film is based on an ethnic

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish comedy with characters created by Montague Glass and

Charles Klein Charles Klein (January 7, 1867 – May 7, 1915) was an English-born playwright and actor who emigrated to America in 1883. Among his works was the libretto of John Philip Sousa's operetta, ''El Capitan''. Klein's talented siblings includ ...

for a 1913 Broadway play of the same name which ran for 441 performances. The play is based on the 1909 book of the same name by

Montague Glass Montague Marsden Glass (July 23, 1877 – February 3, 1934) was a British-American Jewish lawyer and writer of short stories, plays and film scripts. His greatest success came with the creation of his fictional duo Abe Potash and Morris ("Mawrus ...

. This film is notable as the first release of

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor a ...

's independent production company. Stage stars

Alexander Carr Alexander Carr (1878–1946) was a Russian born stage and screen actor, writer, vaudevillian, burlesque and circus performer. Biography He made his first stage appearance on stage at a music hall in St. Paul, Minnesota. He appeared later in the ...

and

Barney Bernard Barney Bernard (1877–1924) was an American stage and screen actor. Bernard always looked older than he was which allowed him to play aging ethnic Jewish characters. He established an onstage partnership with Alexander Carr (actor), Alexander Car ...

reprise their famous roles from the play in this film. The film's success would inspire two Goldwyn sequels, ''

In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter ''In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, released through Associated First National Pictures, and directed by Alfred E. Green. A sequel of sorts, the Jewish ethnic comedy ...

'' (1924) and '' Partners Again'' (1926). In 1927, the UK division of

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, ...

produced a short film with Augustus Yorke (1860-1939) and Nicholas Adams playing Potash and Perlmutter.

Cast

as Morris Perlmutter *

as Abe Potash *

Vera Gordon Vera Pogorelsky Gordon (June 11, 1886 – May 8, 1948) was a Russian-born American stage and screen actress. Early life Vera Pogorelsky was born in Ekaterinoslav, Russia, on June 11, 1886, the daughter of Boris Pogorelsky and Teigan Nemirovsky ...

as Rosie Potash *

Martha Mansfield Martha Mansfield (born Martha Ehrlich; July 14, 1899 – November 30, 1923) was an American actress in silent films and vaudeville stage plays. Early life She was born in New York City to Maurice and Harriett Gibson Ehrlich. She had a younger sis ...

as The Head Model *

Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine ...

as Boris Andrieff * Edouard Durand as Feldman * Hope Sutherland as Irma Potash *

De Sacia Mooers De Sacia Mooers (November 19, 1888 – January 11, 1960) was a film actress, disputably from Los Angeles, California. She appeared in over one hundred movies in the silent film era. She was perhaps best known as the "Blonde Vamp" for her role ...

as Ruth Goldman * Jerry Devine as The Office Boy *

Lee Kohlmar Lee Kohlmar (27 February 1873 – 14 May 1946) was a German film actor and director. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1916 and 1941. He also directed nine films between 1916 and 1921. He was born in Forth and died in Hollywood, Cal ...

as Pasinsky * Leo Donnelly as The Wide-Awake Salesman

References

External links

* * * 1923 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Samuel Goldwyn Productions films Films directed by Clarence G. Badger 1923 comedy films Silent American comedy films First National Pictures films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub