| The Johnstown Flood | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Irving Cummings |
| Written by | Edfrid A. Bingham Robert Lord |
| Produced by | William Fox |
| Starring | George O'Brien Florence Gilbert Janet Gaynor |
| Cinematography | George Schneiderman |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
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The Johnstown Flood is a 1926 American silent epic film directed by Irving Cummings, that addresses the Great Flood of 1889 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The film stars George O'Brien, Florence Gilbert, and Janet Gaynor.[1]
Plot
Tom O'Day becomes engaged to Gloria Hamilton, daughter of wealthy logging magnate John Hamilton, and makes plans to marry her while her father is away in Pittsburgh. Anna Burger, a workman's daughter, has unrequited love for Tom. One of the lumber camps owned by John Hamilton sits upriver of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. To satisfy lumber contracts, Hamilton's crews clear as many trees as possible and keep the water level behind the dam at maximum capacity to float them to the mill. When O'Day warns Hamilton that the impounding of water is weakening the dam, Hamilton scoffs and refuses to stop logging until a consortium of townspeople intervenes and convince him to hire a state inspector to look at the issue.
Shortly after the meeting Hamilton receives a message that "Ajax Construction" heard he'd suspended operations and plans to have their lumber contract fulfilled elsewhere, prompting Hamilton to hire men to takeover and hold the dam so that he may continue business. The men hold the dam, even shooting at a concerned mob of townspeople attempting to retake the site.
As Tom and Gloria's wedding begins a cloudburst rips the dam apart, sending a cascade of floodwater and logs towards Johnstown. Anna Burger, who was on her way to see Tom via horse, begins to ride through town as fast as possible to warn all of the inhabitants about the flood.
Anna makes it to the church before the flood hits it, allowing many wedding goers to escape. The train carrying Gloria's father back to Johnstown is impacted by a trestle destroyed by debris and fire, killing many.
Though Tom and Gloria escape the church together, he is driven to find Anna but is too late & discovers her body in the building's wreckage.
The closing title card reads 'Toil overcame desolation and Johnstown was rebuilt anew' just before a few shots showing citizens getting back to their lives.
Cast
- George O'Brien as Tom O'Day
- Florence Gilbert as Gloria Hamilton
- Janet Gaynor as Anna Burger
- Anders Randolf as John Hamilton, lumber camp boss
- Paul Nicholson as Ward Peyton
- Paul Panzer as Joe Burger, Anna’s Father
- George Harris as Young Sidney Mandel
- Max Davidson as David Mandel
- Walter Perry as Pat O'Day
- Sid Jordan as Mullins
- Gary Cooper as Flood Survivor (uncredited)
- Kay Deslys as Dance Hall Queen (uncredited)
- Clark Gable as Extra Standing at Bar in Saloon (uncredited)
- Florence Lawrence as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
- Carole Lombard as One of Gloria's Four Friends/Bridesmaid (uncredited)
- George H. Reed as Camp Cook (uncredited)
Preservation
The Johnstown Flood is a surviving film with a print held in the George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection.[2]
References
- ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
- ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: The Johnstown Flood at silentera.com
External links
- The Johnstown Flood at IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- The Johnstown Flood at the TCM Movie Database
- The Johnstown Flood at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Lantern slide The Johnstown Flood
