Listen Lester (film)
Encyclopedia
Listen Lester is a 1924
black-and-white
silent film
drama
/comedy film
directed by William A. Seiter
, with a screen adaptation by Lewis Milestone
and William A. Seiter, based upon the 1918 stage play of the same name. Released by Universal Pictures
on May 20, 1924, the film stars Louise Fazenda
and Harry Myers
.
Prints of the film exist in the Library of Congress
film archive.
) enjoys being single, but when Arbutus Quilty (Louise Fazenda
), his former sweetheart, threatens to sue him for breach of promise
, he decides its time for he and his daughter Mary (Eva Novak
) to take themselves a little vacation trip to Florida. Angry, Arbutus enlists the aid of lady detective Miss Pink (Dot Farley
) and follows the two to Florida. At his hotel, the Colonel enlists the aid of the hotel detective
Listen Lester (Harry Myers
) to get back the incriminating love letters he had written to Arbutus. The detective accomplishes his task but is himself foiled when Miss Pink recovers the letters. A hotel clerk then gets them back, but in turn loses them back to Arbutus. Mary in the meantime is sparking up a romance with Jack Griffin (George O'Hara
), but Jack believes that the Colonel is her beau instead of her father and declines involvement. In desperation, Arbustus enlists the aid of Lester to fake she and Mary getting kidnapped in the hope that this will bring the men to their senses. One of the fake kidnappers takes himself too seriously and gets a bit rough with Mary. Jack rescues the women and he and Mary reconcile. Out of ideas, Arbustus decides to stop chasing the Colonel. When the Colonel realizes how much he would miss her attentions, he discovers that he does love her after all. Both couples get married.
1924 in film
-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
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...
drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
/comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by William A. Seiter
William A. Seiter
William A. Seiter was an American film director. He was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios, doubling a cowboy...
, with a screen adaptation by Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone was a Russian-American motion picture director. He is known for directing Two Arabian Knights and All Quiet on the Western Front , both of which received Academy Awards for Best Director...
and William A. Seiter, based upon the 1918 stage play of the same name. Released by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
on May 20, 1924, the film stars Louise Fazenda
Louise Fazenda
Louise 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...
and 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...
.
Prints of the film exist 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...
film archive.
Plot
Widower Colonel Dodge (Alec B. FrancisAlec B. Francis
Alec B. Francis was an English actor, largely of the silent era. He appeared in 241 films between 1911 and 1934.He was born in London and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
) enjoys being single, but when Arbutus Quilty (Louise Fazenda
Louise Fazenda
Louise 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...
), his former sweetheart, threatens to sue him for breach of promise
Breach of promise
Breach of promise is a former common law tort.From at least medieval times until the early 20th century, a man's promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract...
, he decides its time for he and his daughter Mary (Eva Novak
Eva Novak
Eva Barbara Novak was an American film actress, being quite popular during the silent film era. She was the younger sister of actress Jane Novak and daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak....
) to take themselves a little vacation trip to Florida. Angry, Arbutus enlists the aid of lady detective Miss Pink (Dot Farley
Dot Farley
Dot Farley was an American film actress. She appeared in 280 films between 1910 and 1950. Mainly known for her roles in short comedies, prolific with Mack Sennett in the silent days;she was later notable as the Mother-in-law of Edgar Kennedy in most of his series of short films at the RKO...
) and follows the two to Florida. At his hotel, the Colonel enlists the aid of the hotel detective
Hotel Detective
A hotel detective is a security guard employed by a hotel. Hotel detectives feature prominently in certain noir fiction, especially in the works of Raymond Chandler, and are sometimes referred to as "House Dicks"...
Listen Lester (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...
) to get back the incriminating love letters he had written to Arbutus. The detective accomplishes his task but is himself foiled when Miss Pink recovers the letters. A hotel clerk then gets them back, but in turn loses them back to Arbutus. Mary in the meantime is sparking up a romance with Jack Griffin (George O'Hara
George O'Hara (actor)
George O'Hara was an American motion picture actor and screenwriter of the silent film era.- Biography :...
), but Jack believes that the Colonel is her beau instead of her father and declines involvement. In desperation, Arbustus enlists the aid of Lester to fake she and Mary getting kidnapped in the hope that this will bring the men to their senses. One of the fake kidnappers takes himself too seriously and gets a bit rough with Mary. Jack rescues the women and he and Mary reconcile. Out of ideas, Arbustus decides to stop chasing the Colonel. When the Colonel realizes how much he would miss her attentions, he discovers that he does love her after all. Both couples get married.
Cast
- 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 Arbutus Quilty - 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...
as Listen Lester - Eva NovakEva NovakEva Barbara Novak was an American film actress, being quite popular during the silent film era. She was the younger sister of actress Jane Novak and daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak....
as Mary Dodge - George O'HaraGeorge O'Hara (actor)George O'Hara was an American motion picture actor and screenwriter of the silent film era.- Biography :...
as Jack Griffin - Lee MoranLee MoranLee Moran was an American actor, director and writer. He transcended the silent era of motion pictures to the talkies. Moran appeared in 462 films, directed 109 and wrote for 92 between 1912 and 1935....
as William Penn - Alec B. FrancisAlec B. FrancisAlec B. Francis was an English actor, largely of the silent era. He appeared in 241 films between 1911 and 1934.He was born in London and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Colonel Dodge - Dot FarleyDot FarleyDot Farley was an American film actress. She appeared in 280 films between 1910 and 1950. Mainly known for her roles in short comedies, prolific with Mack Sennett in the silent days;she was later notable as the Mother-in-law of Edgar Kennedy in most of his series of short films at the RKO...
as Miss Pink
External links
- Listen Lester at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...