The Penalty (1920)

A deformed criminal mastermind plans to loot the city of San Francisco as well as revenge himself on the doctor who mistakenly amputated his legs.

Director:

Wallace Worsley

Writers:

Gouverneur Morris (by), Gouverneur Morris (adapted from his famous novel),

Stars:

Charles Clary, Doris Pawn, Jim Mason

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Clary	...	Dr. Ferris
Doris Pawn	...	Barbary Nell
Jim Mason	...	Frisco Pete (as James Mason)
Lon Chaney	...	Blizzard
Milton Ross	...	Lichtenstein
Ethel Grey Terry	...	Rose
Kenneth Harlan	...	Dr. Wilmot Allen
Claire Adams	...	Barbara Ferris

Storyline

Blizzard, deranged from a childhood operation in which both his legs were perhaps needlessly amputated after an accident, becomes a vicious criminal, and eventually mob leader of the San Francisco underworld. Out for revenge against the surgeon who performed his operation, he undergoes brain surgery which has a chance of altering his anti-social behavior.

---

Plot Keywords:

leg | revenge | operation | underworld | gang | 

---

Taglines:

What was the secret of the tremendous power exerted by Blizzard over everybody he met? Why did Rose, the secret service operative detailed to spy on Blizzard and ferret out his secret, end by falling in love with him? Why did every crook in San Francisco tremble at his frown? Why did he hold thousands in peril of their lives? Come and see!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1920 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bűntetés

Filming Locations:

Goldwyn Studios, Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$89,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eminent Authors Pictures Inc., Goldwyn Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 90 min (2004 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lichtenstein can clearly be seen mouthing the word "Damn!"

---

Quotes

Blizzard: Don't grieve, dear - death interests me.

---

Crazy Credits

There is no cast list, but the 8 main actors and their character names are credited in the inter-titles as each appear in the film.

---

Connections

Featured in Birth of Hollywood: Episode #1.3 (2011)

User Reviews

Lon Chaney - one of his best performances...great plot.

I saw this film on the big screen. From the beginning, one may get the impression that this could be one of the "been there...seen this" plots. Not true. The storyline is full of twists and turns throughout. Even the title has a twist at the end of the movie. While watching the plot unfold, I thought that it referred to the penalty the doctor and his family had to pay for the operation performed on Blizzard as a boy (Lon Chaney's character), making him handicaped...not so! Another twist is the female detective's turning from her investigation to admiration of Blizzard; the twist in the operation procedure performed on Blizzard to restore his legs; and then, the final twist at the end of the movie. Not what you would have expected...however, the final "penalty" is paid.

To sum it up...great actor and great story. Worth a repeat viewing. Rating: 9/10