Flaming Youth (film)
Encyclopedia
Flaming Youth
was a 1923 silent film featuring Colleen Moore
that centered on the sotry of a young woman named Patricia Frentiss. The portrayal cemented Colleen's position in the film world as the prototypical flapper (though it was not the first "flapper" film made).
silent
film about youth in 1920s America based on the novel Flaming Youth
by "Warner Fabian" aka Samuel Hopkins Adams
. The film was produced and distributed by Associated First National. John Francis Dillon directed the picture. Colleen Moore
starred in a role that would later become iconic for her. Moore's costar was Milton Sills
. Though a lost film
, one reel survives of this film in the Library of Congress
. Two years later director Dillon and star Colleen Moore reteamed for a followup titled We Moderns
.
There had been several films prior to Flaming Youth to use the flapper as its subject--famously, The Flapper
with Olive Thomas
--but Flaming Youth was the one that best captured the imagination of the American public because it was based on a scandalous book, possibly based on the diaries of a real young woman, and because it featured Colleen Moore, who was already a well-known and respected dramatic actress who had been looking for a break-out role at the time she signed with First National. Marketing of the film played up the racier aspects of the story, and a "skinny-dipping" sequence shot in silhouette (which still largely survives in the Library of Congress) was used in the films advertising extensively. The book contained some very adult subjects which were largely glossed over in the film. To counter potential negative backlash, a good deal of humor was injected into the film, so that many audiences thought the film was actually a burlesque of the whole flapper movement when, in fact, it was intended to be a dramatic film. Following the success of the film, rumors abounded to the effect that Colleen's next film would again re-team her with director Dillon and co-star Sills, but this was not to be and in May 1924 Moore dissmissed the "flapper craze" as an after-war phenomena which had served its purpose.
Flaming Youth
Flaming Youth can refer to:* Flaming Youth , a 1923 film starring Colleen Moore and Milton Sills* Flaming Youth , a 1960s British rock group* Flaming Youth , a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams...
was a 1923 silent film featuring Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
that centered on the sotry of a young woman named Patricia Frentiss. The portrayal cemented Colleen's position in the film world as the prototypical flapper (though it was not the first "flapper" film made).
Story
When Mona Frentiss dies, she has her confidante "Doctor Bobs" watch over her family, especially her youngest daughter Patricia. The family has been raised in a most unconventional manner, with Mona having a much younger lover and the father Ralph keeping his own lover on the side. As Patricia grows older, she attracts the attention of her mother's former lover, the much older (than Patricia, who in the book is in her early to mid teens) Carey Scott. Patricia tempts fate with her wild ways, nearly looses her virtue to a musician aboard an ocean-going boat, and is saved in time by Carey. Realizing that he is the man for her, she settles down into an experimental marriage.Cast
- Colleen MooreColleen MooreColleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
- Patricia Frentiss - Milton SillsMilton SillsMilton Sills was a highly successful American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century....
- Cary Scott - Elliott DexterElliott DexterElliott Dexter was an American film and stage actor. Dexter started his career in vaudeville and didn't move to films until he was 45. He retired from acting in 1925....
- Dr. Bobs - Sylvia BreamerSylvia BreamerSylvia Breamer was an Australian actress who performed in American silent motion pictures beginning in 1917. Her father was Sir James De Courcey Breamer, a commander in the Royal Navy. After his death her mother married Judge A.G. Plunkett, formerly of Sydney, Australia.-Silent Screen...
- Dee Fentriss - Myrtle StedmanMyrtle StedmanMyrtle Stedman was a leading lady and later character actress in motion pictures beginning in silent films in 1910. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and educated at a private finishing school there. Miss Stedman performed in light opera and musical comedies there. Her voice was cultivated in France...
- Mona Fentriss - Betty FranciscoBetty FranciscoBetty Francisco was an American silent-film actress, appearing mainly in dramatic/romantic films...
- Connie Fentriss - Phillips SmalleyPhillips SmalleyWendell Phillips Smalley was a prolific American silent film director and actor.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Smalley began his career in vaudeville and acted in more than 200 films between 1910 until his death in 1939...
- Ralph Fentriss - Walter McGrailWalter McGrailWalter McGrail was an American film actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1916 and 1951.He was born in Brooklyn, New York and died in San Francisco, California, at the age of 81.-Selected filmography:...
- Jamieson James - Ben LyonBen LyonBen Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
- Monty Standish - George Barraud - Fred Browning
- John Patrick - Warren Graves
- Gino CorradoGino CorradoGino Corrado was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 355 films between 1916 and 1954, almost always in small roles as a character actor.-Career:...
- Leno Stenak(billed as Geno Corrado) - Gertrude AstorGertrude AstorGertrude Astor was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone on a riverboat.-Career:...
- Annie - Michael Dark - Sidney Rathbone
Background
Flaming Youth is a 19231923 in film
-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
silent
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...
film about youth in 1920s America based on the novel Flaming Youth
Flaming Youth
Flaming Youth can refer to:* Flaming Youth , a 1923 film starring Colleen Moore and Milton Sills* Flaming Youth , a 1960s British rock group* Flaming Youth , a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams...
by "Warner Fabian" aka Samuel Hopkins Adams
Samuel Hopkins Adams
Samuel Hopkins Adams was an American writer, best known for his investigative journalism.-Biography:Adams was born in Dunkirk, New York...
. The film was produced and distributed by Associated First National. John Francis Dillon directed the picture. Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
starred in a role that would later become iconic for her. Moore's costar was Milton Sills
Milton Sills
Milton Sills was a highly successful American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century....
. Though a lost film
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...
, one reel survives of this film in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. Two years later director Dillon and star Colleen Moore reteamed for a followup titled We Moderns
We Moderns
We Moderns was an American silent comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Colleen Moore, the same team from Flaming Youth . The film was produced by Moore's husband John McCormick , was released through First National Pictures, and was based on the play and novel by Israel Zangwill...
.
There had been several films prior to Flaming Youth to use the flapper as its subject--famously, The Flapper
The Flapper
The Flapper is a 1920 American silent comedy film starring Olive Thomas. It was the first movie in the United States to portray the "flapper" lifestyle which would soon become a 1920's fad.-Plot:...
with Olive Thomas
Olive Thomas
Olive Thomas was an American silent film actress and model. She is best remembered for her marriage to Jack Pickford and her death.-Early life:...
--but Flaming Youth was the one that best captured the imagination of the American public because it was based on a scandalous book, possibly based on the diaries of a real young woman, and because it featured Colleen Moore, who was already a well-known and respected dramatic actress who had been looking for a break-out role at the time she signed with First National. Marketing of the film played up the racier aspects of the story, and a "skinny-dipping" sequence shot in silhouette (which still largely survives in the Library of Congress) was used in the films advertising extensively. The book contained some very adult subjects which were largely glossed over in the film. To counter potential negative backlash, a good deal of humor was injected into the film, so that many audiences thought the film was actually a burlesque of the whole flapper movement when, in fact, it was intended to be a dramatic film. Following the success of the film, rumors abounded to the effect that Colleen's next film would again re-team her with director Dillon and co-star Sills, but this was not to be and in May 1924 Moore dissmissed the "flapper craze" as an after-war phenomena which had served its purpose.
Footnotes
- Jeff Codori (2012), Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star, McFarland Publishing,(Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4969-9, EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8899-5).