''Fools First'' is a 1922 American

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combi ...

directed by

Marshall Neilan Marshall Ambrose "Mickey" Neilan (April 11, 1891 – October 27, 1958) was an American actor. Early life Born in San Bernardino, California, Neilan was known by most as "Mickey." Following the death of his father, the eleven-year-old Mickey N ...

and written by Marion Fairfax and Hugh Wiley. The film stars

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

Claire Windsor Claire Windsor (born Clara Viola Cronk; April 14, 1892 – October 24, 1972) was an American film actress of the silent screen era. Early life Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk (nicknamed "Ola") in 1892 in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas to ...

Claude Gillingwater Claude Benton Gillingwater (August 2, 1870 – November 1, 1939) was an American stage and screen actor. He first appeared on the stage then in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1939, including the Academy Award-nominated ''A Tale of Two ...

Raymond Griffith Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ...

George Siegmann George A. Siegmann (also credited as George Seigmann; February 8, 1882 – June 22, 1928) was an American actor and film director in the silent film era. His work includes roles in notable productions such as ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915), ' ...

, and

Helen Lynch Helen Lynch (April 6, 1900 – March 2, 1965) was an American silent film actress, mainly known for her roles playing gun molls and other morally dubious characters. Biography Lynch was born in 1900 in Billings, Montana, where she was also rai ...

. The film was released on May 27, 1922, by

Associated First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

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 ...

, Tommy Frazer (Dix) is part of a gang of crooks led by Tony the Wop (Griffith) and Kelley's Cafe is their hangout. One night gang member Skinny (Dromgold) is killed by a member of a rival gang, and police officers, hearing the shooting, come to the flat. The police find Skinny sitting at a table, apparently playing cards, so they leave, not noticing that a gang member was behind Spider and holding the cards. To get even, the gang gets 'Blondie' Clark (Lynch) to coax The Kid from the rival gang to their rooms, and Tony stabs him and disposes of the body. Tommy is caught in a forgery and is sent up to prison for three years. Ann Whittaker (Windsor), a fellow worker, nods farewell as he is led away. When Tommy is released he goes to a distant town and, using phony letters of recommendation furnished by Ann, he gets a job at a bank. Soon he is in love with Ann. When a large sum is delivered to the bank, he grows restless and decides to steal it. Having been entrusted with the

time lock A time lock (also timelock) is a part of a locking mechanism commonly found in bank vaults and other high-security containers. The time lock is a timer designed to prevent the opening of the safe or vault until it reaches the preset time, e ...

of the bank, he takes the package of money. The old gang, hearing of the money, comes to town. Tommy changes his mind about the crime, and, while returning the package of money to the vault, he is set upon by the gang and robbed. He goes to bank president Denton Drew (Gillingwater) to confess his part in the transaction, but is relieved to learn that the package did not contain any money, the banker having taken it home. Ann then declares her love for Tommy, providing a happy ending.

Cast

as Tommy Frazer *

as Ann Whittaker *

as Denton Drew *

as Tony *

as Spud Miller *

as 'Blondie' Clark *

Shannon Day Shannon Day (born Sylvia Day; August 5, 1896 – February 24, 1977) was an American silent film actress who appeared in supporting parts in numerous productions. Day was born on August 5, 1896, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her education w ...

as 'Cutie' Williams *

George Dromgold George C. Dromgold (July 14, 1893 – April 9, 1948) was an actor and writer, who wrote a book about his South Seas exploration. Early years George Dromgold was the son of R. W. Dromgold, a Los Angeles businessman, real estate investor, and me ...

as Skinny, the Hick *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1882 – September 20, 1948), Leo Weiss, was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany, White grew up in England where ...

as Geffy, the Dope *Robert Brower as Butler *

Baby Peggy Diana Serra Cary (born Peggy-Jean Montgomery; October 29, 1918 – February 24, 2020), known as Baby Peggy, was an American child film actress, vaudevillian, author and silent film historian. She was the last living person with a substantial car ...

as Little Girl

References

External links

* *
Stills and lobby cards
at clairewindsor.weebly.com {{Marshall Neilan 1922 films 1920s English-language films American crime films 1922 crime films First National Pictures films Films directed by Marshall Neilan American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920s American films