Behind the Front is a 1926 American silent war comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.[1][2] The film was based on the novel The Spoils of War by Hugh Wiley.[3]
| Behind the Front | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | A. Edward Sutherland |
| Written by | Monte Brice (adaptation) Ethel Doherty (screenplay) |
| Based on | The Spoils of War by Hugh Wiley |
| Produced by | Adolph Zukor Jesse Lasky |
| Starring | Wallace Beery Raymond Hatton |
| Cinematography | Charles P. Boyle |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Plot
editAs described in a film magazine review,[4] two men, enemies in civil life, enlist in the army during World War I at the behest of a young woman who tells each of them that she loves him. They become buddies and share a medley of mishaps behind the lines in France. They return to America and go to the young woman’s house. There they find her the central figure in a wedding. They maul her husband-to-be and leave. A small incident recreates their enmity towards each other and their private war begins again.
Cast
edit- Wallace Beery as Riff Swanson
- Raymond Hatton as Shorty McKee
- Mary Brian as Betty Bartlett-Cooper
- Richard Arlen as Percy Brown
- Hayden Stevenson as Capt. Bartlett-Cooper
- Chester Conklin as Scottie
- Tom Kennedy as Sergeant
- Frances Raymond as Mrs. Bartlett-Cooper
- Melbourne MacDowell as Mr. Bartlett-Cooper
- Jerry Mandy as Limburger Soldier
- Charles Sullivan as Soldier
- Gertrude Astor as French barmaid
Preservation
editA print of Behind the Front is located in the George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection and UCLA Film and Television Archive.[5]
See also
edit- An excerpt from the film appears in the 1931 Paramount promotional film The House That Shadows Built
- Gertrude Astor filmography
References
edit- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Behind the Front
- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: Behind the Front at silentera.com
- ^ "Hugh Wiley Biography".
- ^ "New Pictures: Behind the Front", Exhibitors Herald, 23 (12), Chicago, Illinois: Exhibitors Herald Company: 67, December 12, 1925, retrieved December 1, 2022
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Behind the Front
External links
edit
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