Stephen Steps Out is a 1923 American silent comedy film that is notable as being the first starring role for the still teenaged Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Directed by Joseph Henabery, it was based on a short story by Richard Harding Davis, "The Grand Cross of the Desert."[1]
| Stephen Steps Out | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | Joseph Henabery |
| Written by | Edfrid Bingham (scenario) |
| Based on | "The Grand Cross of the Desert" by Richard Harding Davis |
| Produced by | Jesse Lasky William Elliott |
| Starring | Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Harry Myers |
| Cinematography | Faxon M. Dean |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6 reels; (5,652 feet) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
With this film the young Fairbanks Jr. opted for a screen career despite opposition from his famous actor father, Douglas Fairbanks.
"I was terribly chubby," recalled Fairbanks Jr. "Did it for the money. When my parents separated, it was hardly amicable and mother and I needed to eat. Movie companies were willing to exploit my famous name. I didn't really understand that at the time."[2]
Plot
editAs described in a film magazine review,[3] the young son of a wealthy American fails his class in history at school, so he is sent to Turkey to learn the subject firsthand on the premises. He learns that the instructor who flunked him in his exam at school is to be dismissed for it, and he intervenes and gets the school board to retain the man, having first obtained for him a decoration from the Sultan.
Cast
edit- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as Stephen Harlow Jr.
- Theodore Roberts as Stephen Harlow Sr.
- Noah Beery, Sr. as Muley Pasha
- Harry Myers as Harry Stetson
- Frank Currier as Doctor Lyman Black
- James O. Barrows as Professor Gilman
- Fanny Midgley as Mrs. Gilman (credited as Fannie Midgley)
- Bertram Johns as Virgil Smythe
- George Field as Osman
- Maurice Freeman as Rustem
- Fred Warren as the Sultan
- Pat Moore as the Sultan's Son
- Jack Herbert as Secretary
- Frank Nelson as Hotel Proprietor
Preservation
editWith no prints of Stephen Steps Out located in any film archives,[4] it is a lost film.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: Stephen Steps Out at silentera.com
- ^ Bawden, James; Miller, Ron (March 4, 2016). Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era. University Press of Kentucky. p. 94. ISBN 9780813167121.
- ^ "Tried and Proven Pictures: Stephen Steps Out". Exhibitors Trade Review. New York, NY: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation: 40. May 3, 1924. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Stephen Steps Out
- ^ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Stephen Steps Out
External links
edit
- Stephen Steps Out at IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- Lantern slide at silenthollywood.com
- Long poster daybill
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