''The Scoffer'' is a surviving 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 ...

produced and directed by Allan Dwan and starring

Mary Thurman Mary Thurman (née Christiansen; April 27, 1895 – December 22, 1925) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early life Mary Christiansen was born in Richfield, Utah on April 27, 1895, one of seven children raised in the Church of ...

. It was released through Associated First National 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 ...

, Dr. Stannard Wayne (Kirkwood), a worker for humanity, Dr. Arthur Richards (McCullough), a charlatan, and Carson the Parson (Durning), a missionary worker, are firm friends until a victim of Richards' malpractice dies and Wayne is sentenced to five years imprisonment for the crime. Richards persuades Dr. Wayne's wife to obtain a divorce and marries her. Wayne denounces God and vows never again will he use his ability in the interests of mankind. Released from prison, he finds his way to a northern settlement where Richards and his wife, now a physical wreck, are living. Here he refuses aid to those who are in sickness and misery, and preaches against Divinity. Alice Porn (Mitchell), keeper of the general store, challenges him to prove that man is superior to God by curing a crippled child. After several complications, he begins the operation during a great electrical storm. The elements and his enemies combine to thwart the purpose of the operation, and facing defeat he prays for aid. This aid comes in a form which may or may not be supernatural, as an observer may prefer, and after a time happiness ensues.

Cast

as Margaret Haddon * James Kirkwood as Dr. Stannard Wayne *

Philo McCullough Philo McCullough (June 16, 1893 – June 5, 1981) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1914 and 1969. He was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Burbank, California. McCullough's film debut came in 1 ...

as Dr. Arthur Richards *

Rhea Mitchell Rhea Ginger Mitchell (December 10, 1890 – September 16, 1957) was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in over 100 films, mainly during the silent era. A native of Portland, Oregon, Mitchell began her acting career in lo ...

as Alice Porn *John Burton as Old Dabney *

Noah Beery Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominen ...

as Boorman *

Eugenie Besserer Eugenie Besserer ( – May 29, 1934) was an American actress who starred in silent films and features of the early sound motion-picture era, beginning in 1910. Her most prominent role is that of the title character's mother in the first talkie ...

as Boorman's Wife *Georgie Stone as Boorman's son *

Bernard Durning Bernard Joseph Durning (August 24, 1893 – August 29, 1923) was an American silent film director and actor who worked primarily with Lon Chaney, Dustin Farnum, and Buck Jones. William A. Wellman was his assistant director and protégé. Hi ...

as Carson the Parson * Ward Crane as 'The Albany Kid'

Preservation status

A print of ''The Scoffer'' is preserved by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The Scoffer''
/ref>

References

External links

* * 1920 films American silent feature films Films directed by Allan Dwan American black-and-white films Silent American drama films 1920 drama films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub