That Royle Girl
Encyclopedia
That Royle Girl is a silent film
directed by D. W. Griffith
and released by Paramount Pictures
. A lost
film.
. A poor young woman (Carol Dempster
) from the slums of Chicago singlehandedly saves a jazz
bandleader (Harrison Ford
) after he is improperly convicted and sentenced to death for murder.
This film along with Sally of the Sawdust marked Griffith's return to working for an important Hollywood studio, (Paramount
), something he hadn't experienced since leaving Biograph
in 1914. He also had to work with a tight shooting script as Paramount executives Adolph Zukor
and Jesse L. Lasky
insisted the film be brought on schedule and on budget.
Griffith had been a founding partner in Triangle Studios
in 1915 and United Artists
in 1919, and these ventures allowed him leeway in the way he made films. However, now the leisurely approach to filmmaking Griffith had enjoyed at his own Mamaroneck, New York
was gone. Griffith had been for all intents and purposes an independent producer since leaving Biograph. Griffith shot That Royle Girl on locations across Chicago. The film’s climactic sequence, a devastating tornado
, was filmed on a football field at Paramount’s Astoria Studio
in Queens, New York, where Griffith created a fully built village. Griffith used the power of 24 airplane propellers to recreate the wreckage and ruin of the tornado’s fury.
While the production was underway, Griffith added W. C. Fields
to the cast for a comedy relief supporting role as the heroine’s inebriated stepfather.
No print of That Royle Girl is known to exist in any archive or private collection. In 1980, the American Film Institute
included this title among its list of the “Ten Most Wanted” lost films of all time.
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...
directed by D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
and released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. 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.
Production
The film was based on the novel of the same name by Edwin BalmerEdwin Balmer
Edwin Balmer was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was born in Chicago to Helen Clark and Thomas Balmer. In 1909, he married Katharine MacHarg, sister of the writer William MacHarg. After her death, he married Grace A. Kee in 1927.He began as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune...
. A poor young woman (Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...
) from the slums of Chicago singlehandedly saves a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bandleader (Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (silent film actor)
Harrison Ford was an American stage and film actor. He was a leading Broadway theatre performer and a star of the silent film era.-Career:...
) after he is improperly convicted and sentenced to death for murder.
This film along with Sally of the Sawdust marked Griffith's return to working for an important Hollywood studio, (Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
), something he hadn't experienced since leaving Biograph
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1928. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, and for two decades was one of the most prolific, releasing over three thousand short...
in 1914. He also had to work with a tight shooting script as Paramount executives Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
and Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse Louis Lasky, Sr. was a pioneer Hollywood film producer. He was a key founder of Paramount Pictures with Adolph Zukor, and father of screenwriter Jesse L...
insisted the film be brought on schedule and on budget.
Griffith had been a founding partner in Triangle Studios
Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in the summer of 1915 in Culver City, California, and envisioned as a prestige studio based on the producing abilities of filmmakers D. W. Griffith, Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett...
in 1915 and United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in 1919, and these ventures allowed him leeway in the way he made films. However, now the leisurely approach to filmmaking Griffith had enjoyed at his own Mamaroneck, New York
Mamaroneck (village), New York
Mamaroneck is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 18,929 at the 2010 census. It is located partially within the town of Mamaroneck and partially within the town of Rye. The portion in Rye is unofficially called "Rye Neck"...
was gone. Griffith had been for all intents and purposes an independent producer since leaving Biograph. Griffith shot That Royle Girl on locations across Chicago. The film’s climactic sequence, a devastating tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
, was filmed on a football field at Paramount’s Astoria Studio
Kaufman Astoria Studios
The Kaufman Astoria Studios is an historic movie studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens.-History:It was originally built by Famous Players-Lasky in 1920 to provide the company with a facility close to the Broadway theater district. Many features and short...
in Queens, New York, where Griffith created a fully built village. Griffith used the power of 24 airplane propellers to recreate the wreckage and ruin of the tornado’s fury.
While the production was underway, Griffith added W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
to the cast for a comedy relief supporting role as the heroine’s inebriated stepfather.
No print of That Royle Girl is known to exist in any archive or private collection. In 1980, the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
included this title among its list of the “Ten Most Wanted” lost films of all time.
Cast
- Carol DempsterCarol DempsterCarol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...
as Joan Daisy Royle - W. C. FieldsW. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
as Her Father - James KirkwoodJames Kirkwood, Sr.James Kirkwood, Sr. was an American actor and director....
as Calvin Clarke - Harrison FordHarrison Ford (silent film actor)Harrison Ford was an American stage and film actor. He was a leading Broadway theatre performer and a star of the silent film era.-Career:...
as Fred Ketlar - Paul Everton as George Baretta
- Kathleen Chambers as Adele Ketlar
- George RegasGeorge RegasGeorge Regas was a Greek actor.Born in Sparta, Greece, he was the brother of actor Pedro Regas. He was a stage actor in Athens before coming to the U.S. In New York he played Romeo in a Grecian version of Romeo and Juliet.In 1921 Regas acted in his first motion picture: The Love Light with Mary...
as His Henchman - Florence AuerFlorence AuerFlorence Auer was an American theater and motion picture actress whose career spanned more than five decades.-Life and career:...
as Baretta's Girl - Ida WatermanIda WatermanIda Waterman born Ida Shaw, was a stage and screen actress....
as Mrs. Clarke - Alice Laidley as Clarke's Fiancee
- Dorothy Love as Lola Nelson
- Dore Davidson as Elman
- Frank Allworth as Oliver
- Bobby Watson as Hofer