''The Old Swimmin' Hole'' is a 1921 American silent

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Joe De Grasse Joseph Louis De Grasse (May 4, 1873 – May 25, 1940) was a Canadian film director. Born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, he was the elder brother of actor Sam De Grasse. Biography Joseph De Grasse had studied and was a first-class graduate of ac ...

based on the poem '' The Old Swimmin' Hole'' by

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

. A reviewer for '' Exhibitors Herald'' summarized, "The theme of the picture is a light one—just the pleasant little love story of a country schoolboy and girl in the era of the youth of

Tom Sawyer Thomas "Tom" Sawyer () is the title character of the Mark Twain novel '' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), '' Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and '' Tom Sawy ...

." The film's lack of

intertitles In films and videos, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (hence, ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred ...

has been described as innovative. "This marks an advance in film making," the same reviewer claimed. "Their absence is not realized for some time after the feature has proceeded, a certain indication that it has been skillfully welded together without them and their place supplied by good acting."

Plot

Cast

* Charles Ray as Ezra Hull *

Laura La Plante Laura La Plante (born Laura Laplante; November 1, 1904 – October 14, 1996) was an American film actress, whose more notable performances were in the silent era. Early life La Plante was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 1, 1904, the daug ...

as Myrtle * James Gordon as Mr. Hull *Blanche Rose as Mrs. Hull *Marjorie Prevost as Esther *

Lincoln Stedman Lincoln Stedman (May 18, 1907 – March 22, 1948) was an American silent film actor. Biography Stedman was born in Denver, Colorado, the only child to Marshall Stedman and silent film beauty Myrtle Stedman. Stedman had a career in films dat ...

as Skinny *

Lon Poff Alonzo M. "Lon" Poff (February 8, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 100 films between 1917 and 1951. Born in Bedford, Indiana, he was the son of Mrs. Mary E. Poff, and he had a sister, Grace Poff. He ...

as Professor Payne

References

External links

* 1921 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1921 comedy films Films based on poems Films directed by Joseph De Grasse First National Pictures films Films based on works by James Whitcomb Riley Silent American comedy films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub