The Cinema Murder (1919)
Drama | 14 December 1919
Director:
George D. BakerWriter:
Frances MarionProduction Companies:
Cosmopolitan Productions, International Film Service Co.The scenario was based on the 1916 novel The Cinema Murder by E. Phillips Oppenheim, which was serialized in Hearst’s Magazine from Dec 1916 through Jul 1917.
George D. Baker’s recent contract with International Film Service Co. was announced in the 20 Jun 1919 Variety. Baker was signed to direct a series for Cosmopolitan Productions starring Marion Davies, for which he would receive $10,000 per film. The 25 Jun 1919 New York Clipper reported that principal photography was scheduled to begin sometime that week. As stated in the 19 Jul 1919 Motion Picture News, the film marked actor Reginald Barlow’s return to the screen following his stint in the armed services during World War I.
Articles in the 2 Aug 1919 and 27 Dec 1919 issues of Motion Picture News noted that the production included a stage play within the film. An elaborate theater set was constructed at Biograph Studios in Bronx, NY, featuring a stage, box seats, an orchestra pit, and a “velvet drop curtain.” Eulalie Jensen was listed as a cast member. According to the 19 Jul 1919 [El Paso, TX] El Paso Herald, props and furnishings for the picture cost an estimated $500,000, and included a valuable nineteenth-century tapestry. The close of production was reported in the 2 Aug 1919 Wid’s Daily.
The Cinema Murder was released on 14 Dec 1919, followed by openings on 15 Dec 1919 at the Prince Theatre in Houston, TX; on 7 Jan 1920 at the Orpheum Theatre in Chicago, IL; during the week of 18 ...
The scenario was based on the 1916 novel The Cinema Murder by E. Phillips Oppenheim, which was serialized in Hearst’s Magazine from Dec 1916 through Jul 1917.
George D. Baker’s recent contract with International Film Service Co. was announced in the 20 Jun 1919 Variety. Baker was signed to direct a series for Cosmopolitan Productions starring Marion Davies, for which he would receive $10,000 per film. The 25 Jun 1919 New York Clipper reported that principal photography was scheduled to begin sometime that week. As stated in the 19 Jul 1919 Motion Picture News, the film marked actor Reginald Barlow’s return to the screen following his stint in the armed services during World War I.
Articles in the 2 Aug 1919 and 27 Dec 1919 issues of Motion Picture News noted that the production included a stage play within the film. An elaborate theater set was constructed at Biograph Studios in Bronx, NY, featuring a stage, box seats, an orchestra pit, and a “velvet drop curtain.” Eulalie Jensen was listed as a cast member. According to the 19 Jul 1919 [El Paso, TX] El Paso Herald, props and furnishings for the picture cost an estimated $500,000, and included a valuable nineteenth-century tapestry. The close of production was reported in the 2 Aug 1919 Wid’s Daily.
The Cinema Murder was released on 14 Dec 1919, followed by openings on 15 Dec 1919 at the Prince Theatre in Houston, TX; on 7 Jan 1920 at the Orpheum Theatre in Chicago, IL; during the week of 18 Jan 1920 at the Rialto Theatre in New York City; and on 25 Feb 1919 at the Apollo Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.
According to the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Treasures from the Film Archives database, there is no known extant print of this film, as of 2 Dec 2020.
Aspiring actress Elizabeth Dalston, after rehearsing a murder scene for a movie, is fired by her director at the request of the company's Wall Street backer, Sylvanus Power. Although married, Power plans to make Elizabeth his mistress and offers the unsuspecting girl a dramatic education in England, to be followed by his building a theater for her. Traveling across England after school, Elizabeth witnesses a fight between two brothers, Philip and Douglas Romilly, which ends in Douglas' supposed death. On the steamer to America, Philip, disguised as Douglas, confides in Elizabeth that he was fighting to persuade Douglas not to leave his pregnant lover. Elizabeth believes him and in New York they fall in love. After she convinces Power to produce Philip's play, both the play and her acting are hits. When Power propositions Elizabeth and discovers her passion for Philip, he summons Scotland Yard detectives, but Douglas reappears and clears Philip. Power then graciously admits his ...
Aspiring actress Elizabeth Dalston, after rehearsing a murder scene for a movie, is fired by her director at the request of the company's Wall Street backer, Sylvanus Power. Although married, Power plans to make Elizabeth his mistress and offers the unsuspecting girl a dramatic education in England, to be followed by his building a theater for her. Traveling across England after school, Elizabeth witnesses a fight between two brothers, Philip and Douglas Romilly, which ends in Douglas' supposed death. On the steamer to America, Philip, disguised as Douglas, confides in Elizabeth that he was fighting to persuade Douglas not to leave his pregnant lover. Elizabeth believes him and in New York they fall in love. After she convinces Power to produce Philip's play, both the play and her acting are hits. When Power propositions Elizabeth and discovers her passion for Philip, he summons Scotland Yard detectives, but Douglas reappears and clears Philip. Power then graciously admits his defeat.
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