Quincy Adams Sawyer
Encyclopedia
Quincy Adams Sawyer is a 1922 silent
comedy/drama film
directed by Clarence G. Badger
. Distributed by Metro Pictures
, the film is based on the 1900 novel Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks written by Charles Felton Pidgin. It is now a lost
film.
, attempts to seduce Sawyer. He shows interest, until he finds out who the girl from the parc is: Alice, Pettengill's niece who has become blind since their first meeting.
Despite her being visionally impaired, Sawyer falls in love with Alice and they romance each other. Meanwhile, Strout attempts to scare away Sawyer and convinces Abner Stiles, who once committed a murder, that Sawyer is in town to investigate him. Lindy, on the other hand, tries to get rid of Alice and, with the help from Strout, Lindy lures her onto a boat, after which the rope is cut. The little boat is sent adrift and she is off to the water falls.
Lindy is initially glad to lose Alice, but soon regrets her decision. She rushes to Quincy and tells him the entire truth. Quincy, fearing Alice's death, runs to the water falls and rescues her from a fatal fall. Overcome by excitement, Alice's vision is restored and she is reunited with Sawyer. Her father is unaware that his daughter has been saved and becomes convinced that Strout has killed her. He grabs a revolver and attempts to shoot Strout, but he appears to have arrived too late. Stiles, who realized he was being lied to, has killed Strout in a rage.
was uninspired by the film's story, but called it an enteratining film. The New York Times
thought the film was 'superficial' and stated that not even Lon Chaney's acting could save it. Variety
praised 'the fearful hokum purveyed in the story' and was especially positive about Chaney and Elmo Lincoln
. Barbara La Marr
received favorable reviews from the critics as well, and the film was a success at the box office.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
comedy/drama film
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
directed by Clarence G. Badger
Clarence G. Badger
Clarence G. Badger was an American film director of feature films in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. His most noteworthy films include It, starring Clara Bow, more than a dozen features and shorts starring Will Rogers, and two features starring Raymond Griffith, Paths to Paradise and Hands...
. Distributed by Metro Pictures
Metro Pictures
Metro Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company founded in late 1915 by Richard A. Rowland . Louis B. Mayer who worked for Metro Pictures Corporation early on. It is not to be confused with MGM which is a much later franchise concerning itself, Goldwyn and Louis B....
, the film is based on the 1900 novel Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks written by Charles Felton Pidgin. It is now a lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
film.
Plot
Quincy Adams Sawyer is a young attorney who one day meets a girl in the park. He is immediately smitten with her, but is summoned to the village of Mason's Corners by his father's friend Deacon Pettengill to investigate a villain lawyer before he can pursue her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Putnam, an old woman, is being swindled by this villain lawyer, Obadiah Strout. Putnam's daughter Lindy, a natural vampVamp
Vamp may refer to:* VaMP, the first autonomous car that drove long distances in traffic* Vamp , a Norwegian folk music band* Vamp, a character in the Metal Gear series of video games* Vamp , in Gobots toyline and cartoon...
, attempts to seduce Sawyer. He shows interest, until he finds out who the girl from the parc is: Alice, Pettengill's niece who has become blind since their first meeting.
Despite her being visionally impaired, Sawyer falls in love with Alice and they romance each other. Meanwhile, Strout attempts to scare away Sawyer and convinces Abner Stiles, who once committed a murder, that Sawyer is in town to investigate him. Lindy, on the other hand, tries to get rid of Alice and, with the help from Strout, Lindy lures her onto a boat, after which the rope is cut. The little boat is sent adrift and she is off to the water falls.
Lindy is initially glad to lose Alice, but soon regrets her decision. She rushes to Quincy and tells him the entire truth. Quincy, fearing Alice's death, runs to the water falls and rescues her from a fatal fall. Overcome by excitement, Alice's vision is restored and she is reunited with Sawyer. Her father is unaware that his daughter has been saved and becomes convinced that Strout has killed her. He grabs a revolver and attempts to shoot Strout, but he appears to have arrived too late. Stiles, who realized he was being lied to, has killed Strout in a rage.
Cast
- John BowersJohn BowersJohn Bowers was an American stage and silent film actor who starred in ninety-four films including short subjects.-Biography:...
as Quincy Adams Sawyer - Blanche Sweet as Alice Pettengill
- Lon Chaney as Obadiah Strout
- Barbara La MarrBarbara La MarrBarbara La Marr was an American stage and film actress, cabaret artist and screenwriter.La Marr was known as "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful", after a Hearst newspaper feature writer, Adela Rogers St...
as Lindy Putnam - Elmo LincolnElmo LincolnElmo Lincoln was an American film actor.Born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt, the barrel-chested actor is best known in his silent movie role as the first Tarzan in 1918's Tarzan of the Apes as an adult --...
as Abner Stiles - Louise FazendaLouise FazendaLouise Fazenda was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films.-Early life:Of Portuguese ancestry, she was born in Lafayette, Indiana. Her father, Joseph Fazenda, was a merchandise broker. After moving west Louise attended Los Angeles High School and St. Mary's Convent...
as Mandy Skinner - Joseph J. Dowling as Nathaniel Sawyer
- Claire McDowellClaire McDowellClaire McDowell was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 360 films between 1908 and 1945. Still somewhat of a youthful beauty when she started in early silent films she appeared in numerous short & early feature films. She graduated to playing character and mother types...
as Mrs. Putnam - Edward ConnellyEdward ConnellyEdward Connelly was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He had a long established Broadway theatre career going back to the Victorian era...
as Deacon Pettengill - June ElvidgeJune ElvidgeJune Elvidge was an early 20th century film actress from St. Paul, Minnesota.Elvidge is noted for playing roles as a vamp in silent movies such as The Lure of Woman and The Poison Pen . She appeared in westerns such as The Law of the Yukon and The Price of Pride...
as Betsy Ann Ross
Reception
Film magazine Moving Picture WorldThe Moving Picture World
The Moving Picture World was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. By 1914, it had a reported circulation of approximately 15,000.The publication was founded by James Petrie Chalmers, Jr...
was uninspired by the film's story, but called it an enteratining film. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
thought the film was 'superficial' and stated that not even Lon Chaney's acting could save it. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
praised 'the fearful hokum purveyed in the story' and was especially positive about Chaney and Elmo Lincoln
Elmo Lincoln
Elmo Lincoln was an American film actor.Born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt, the barrel-chested actor is best known in his silent movie role as the first Tarzan in 1918's Tarzan of the Apes as an adult --...
. Barbara La Marr
Barbara La Marr
Barbara La Marr was an American stage and film actress, cabaret artist and screenwriter.La Marr was known as "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful", after a Hearst newspaper feature writer, Adela Rogers St...
received favorable reviews from the critics as well, and the film was a success at the box office.