The Night Club (Silent)

Playboy Bob White always said he would never marry - to the extent that he was a charter member of "The Night Club", a society of confirmed bachelors - but that was before he met sweet little Alice. But when Alice changes her mind and jilts him at the altar for another man, Bob swings back in the other direction. He becomes an avowed woman-hater who shoots down every opportunity for romance. A spanner is thrown into the works of this rampant misogyny when he learns that he has inherited his uncle's vast fortune - provided he marries the old man's young ward, Grace. Still wanting nothing to do with women, Bob goes out of his way to avoid Grace - until he meets her by chance and (not knowing who she is) of course falls in love with her. Grace is also smitten, until she finds out Bob is her deceased guardian's nephew, and assumes he wants her only for the money. Once again, Bob finds himself waiting at the altar, with Grace nowhere to be found…has history repeated itself?

Written by legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, The Night Club stars Raymond Griffith, a formerly obscure silent comedian whose works are being re-evaluated today. Griffith, whose regular "costume" consisted of an elegant mustache, top hat, white tie and tails, is in the unfortunate position of having most of his work lost, with Hands Up! (1926) probably his most well-known extant silent feature. The advent of sound brought an early end to his career, though he did have a memorable role as a French soldier killed by a regretful Lew Ayres in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Originally a Sennett Bathing Beauty, leading lady Vera Reynolds starred in a number of short films before making it big in Prodigal Daughters (1923), directed by Sam Wood, as well as DeMille's own Feet of Clay (1924). Wallace Beery starred in some of the greatest films of the silent era, including The Last of the Mohicans (1920), The Lost World (1925), and Beggars of Life (1928). His fame would only grow after sound was introduced, with unforgettable roles in Min and Bill (1930), The Champ (1931), and Treasure Island (1934). Comedienne Louise Fazenda has a small role playing a send-up of Geraldine Farrar in DeMille's earlier Carmen (1915).