A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1921 film)
Encyclopedia
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a 1921 American
silent film
adaptation of Mark Twain
's 1889 novel of the same name
. The film was produced by the Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century Fox
) and directed by Emmet J. Flynn based on a screenplay by Bernard McConville
. It is notable as the first film adaptation of Twain's novel and as the first film about time travel
.
The film stars Harry Myers
as the titular Yankee
Martin Cavendish. After reading Twain's novel, Cavendish dreams that he, like Twain's protagonist Henry Morgan, is transported back to the time of King Arthur
(Charles Clary
), where he must use modern know-how to outwit the king's foes Morgan le Fay
(Rosemary Theby
) and Merlin
(William V. Mong
). The screenplay modernizes the novel with many contemporary references, including mentions of Ford Model T
s, the Volstead Act
, and the Battle of the Argonne Forest
. The film was popular, and its success likely encouraged Fox to produce the later sound film
adaptation of the novel, A Connecticut Yankee
. According to author Barbara Leaming, the film's hanging scene inspired Tom Hepburn, brother of Katharine Hepburn
, to commit suicide in 1921.
According to silentera.com only reel two, four & seven survive of this film making it an incomplete print.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
silent film
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...
adaptation of Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's 1889 novel of the same name
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled A Yankee in King Arthur's Court...
. The film was produced by the Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
) and directed by Emmet J. Flynn based on a screenplay by Bernard McConville
Bernard McConville
Bernard McConville was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 92 films between 1915 and 1946.He was born in Denver, Colorado and died in Los Angeles County, California.-Selected filmography:...
. It is notable as the first film adaptation of Twain's novel and as the first film about time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
.
The film stars Harry Myers
Harry Myers
Harry C. Myers , sometimes credited as Henry Myers, was an American film actor and director. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and died in Hollywood, California from pneumonia...
as the titular Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
Martin Cavendish. After reading Twain's novel, Cavendish dreams that he, like Twain's protagonist Henry Morgan, is transported back to the time of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
(Charles Clary
Charles Clary
Charles Clary was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 206 films between 1910 and 1930.He was born in Charleston, Illinois and died on his 58th birthday in Los Angeles, California...
), where he must use modern know-how to outwit the king's foes Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay , alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician...
(Rosemary Theby
Rosemary Theby
Rosemary Theby was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940.-Early life and career:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Theby studied at Sargent's School in New York...
) and Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
(William V. Mong
William V. Mong
William V. Mong was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. He appeared in 195 films between 1910 and 1939.He was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and died in Studio City, California.-Selected filmography:...
). The screenplay modernizes the novel with many contemporary references, including mentions of Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
s, the Volstead Act
Volstead Act
The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was the enabling legislation for the Eighteenth Amendment which established prohibition in the United States...
, and the Battle of the Argonne Forest
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
. The film was popular, and its success likely encouraged Fox to produce the later sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
adaptation of the novel, A Connecticut Yankee
A Connecticut Yankee (film)
A Connecticut Yankee is a 1931 American film adaptation of Mark Twain's 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It was directed by David Butler to a script by William M. Conselman, Owen Davis, and Jack Moffitt...
. According to author Barbara Leaming, the film's hanging scene inspired Tom Hepburn, brother of Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, to commit suicide in 1921.
According to silentera.com only reel two, four & seven survive of this film making it an incomplete print.
Cast
- Harry MyersHarry MyersHarry C. Myers , sometimes credited as Henry Myers, was an American film actor and director. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and died in Hollywood, California from pneumonia...
- Martin Cavendish (as Harry C. Myers) - Pauline StarkePauline StarkePauline Starke was an American silent-film actress born in Joplin, Missouri.She made her acting debut appearing as a dance extra in D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance...
- Sandy - Rosemary ThebyRosemary ThebyRosemary Theby was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940.-Early life and career:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Theby studied at Sargent's School in New York...
- Queen Morgan le Fay - Charles ClaryCharles ClaryCharles Clary was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 206 films between 1910 and 1930.He was born in Charleston, Illinois and died on his 58th birthday in Los Angeles, California...
- King Arthur - William V. MongWilliam V. MongWilliam V. Mong was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. He appeared in 195 films between 1910 and 1939.He was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and died in Studio City, California.-Selected filmography:...
- Merlin the Magician - George SiegmannGeorge SiegmannGeorge Siegmann was an American actor in the silent film era. His more notable roles include Silas Lynch in Griffith's Birth of A Nation , the guard in the 1927 film The Cat and the Canary, Porthos in The Three Musketeers , Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist , and Dr...
- Sir Sagramore - Charles Gordon - Clarence, the Page
- Karl Formes - Mark Twain
- Herbert FortierHerbert FortierHerbert Fortier was a Canadian actor of the silent era. He appeared in 53 films between 1915 and 1937.He was born in Toronto and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Selected filmography:* The Gulf Between...
- Mr. Cavendish - Adele Farrington - Mrs. Cavendish
- Wilfred McDonald - Sir Lancelot