The Johnstown Flood (1926) User Reviews

The Real Johnstown Flood Was Far More Impressive!

[malvernp · 7/10 · 11 May 2021]

This remarkable silent film currently exists in a truncated print of poor quality available for download and viewing on YouTube. It is hardly known today, and probably its principal fame rests with the fact that it stars George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor--who went on to considerable movie celebrity from the latter 1920s through the mid-1930s. O'Brien and Gaynor appeared together one more time in the F. W. Murnau classic Sunrise in 1927. The Johnstown Flood movie also contains very brief extra appearances by future stars Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard. Its secondary importance rests on the film's impressive special effects work--outstanding for the time--in depicting the famous 1889 dam collapse that occurred near Pittsburgh, PA. The flood scenes compare quite favorably with those in the famous early disaster film Deluge (1933)--made some seven years later.

The actual Johnstown Flood was a monumental catastrophe---horribly and unnecessarily killing over 2200 people. The real story of this incident---with all its twists and irony definitely deserves a proper screen treatment today. Many liberties were taken with the pertinent facts in making the 1926 film version. A historically accurate retelling of the actual Johnstown Flood would be far more interesting and compelling to contemporary audiences than the rather dated melodrama that appears here.

Nevertheless, this film is important for what it does show--two (then) young up and coming stars making strong appearances in a significant early Hollywood effort--and exciting special effects that foreshadowed the even greater accomplishments in this area that were soon to amaze us in just a few years.

Great effects, but too few of them

[evening1 · 6/10 · 14 January 2024]

This movie is amazing for its depiction of one of America's worst natural disasters, but too little attention is given to the aftermath of the devastating 1889 flood.

The film squanders precious time on the love dilemma of square-jawed Tom O'Day (George O'Brien) -- does he cast his lot with wealthy beauty Gloria (Florence Gilbert) or plucky homegirl Anna (Janet Gaynor)? Yawn.

Disaster movies never cease to personalize their stories this way, but this production particularly errs in this regard.

We're shown that the movie makers can conjure the flood's aftermath -- see those people coursing through floodwaters toward debris that's on fire -- but it's mere minutes till the film goes happy-ending with an (albeit moving) portrait of Tom, Gloria, and their boy. Worse, the flood's reputed cause is murkified, with blame shifted from weathy Pittsburgh industrialists who wanted a dammed lake to greedy fictional timber barons.

Although the narrative here has its strengths, the plot has holes. Why does Anna go into the night to the home of a corrupt timber executive? And principled Tom -- why the rush to the altar, with storm clouds gathering and dam about to burst? Makes no sense at all.

Homely Johnstown is indeed hallowed ground. In many pass-throughs via Amtrak, I've been humbled to observe a town trapped by mountains and girded by implacable, black stone walls.

TCM aired this film's world TV premier. Amidst a myriad of opportunities for movie viewing, the channel remains my go-to, private movie festival.

Dull story, great pre-CGI

[westerfieldalfred · 6/10 · 4 April 2020]

The Johnstown Flood recently became available on YouTube in a rather poor 16 mm print, with the last few minutes missing. The plot is standard for the period, raised above the usual fare by the A picture quality. I watched it to see Janet Gaynor in what was claimed to be her star making role. Certainly, she looks cute, and emoted appealingly, but third billed, she has much less screen time than Florence Gilbert. Almost all the characters lack depth except she and George O'Brien.. The logging scenes were genuine and interesting. Of course, the special effects of the flood were the reason for watch the film. They were of the same high quality as The Trail of 98 (1928), with persons being mowed under by water and logs. The matted scene of the water flowing through the town was as good as when water roars down Times Square in When Worlds Collide (1951). I was disappointed in the extent of Gaynor's appearance, but I assume that the missing footage showed she was the real love of O'Brien, and sparks flew. If so, this was the reason for their re-teaming in Sunrise (1927)

Force Majeure Ends All Plots

[boblipton · 9/10 · 2 August 2022]

It's Johnstown, a lumbering town where the mighty dam holds back the water and makes it available for transporting the felled trees for Paul Nicholson's mighty enterprise. But engineer George O'Brien warns him that the dam is going to fall with the next heavy rainfall. Nicholson scoffs, so O'Brien quits and with a group of like-minded citizens, takes over the dam.

That might be enough in a B movie, but director Irving Cummings and writers Edfrod Bingham and Robert Lord put a bunch of subplots in. O'Brien is mighty fond of Janet Gaynor -- in her first major role -- and she is desperately in love with him. Meanwhile, Nicholson's niece, Florence Gilbert, and O'Brien are falling in love. Add in Paul Panzer as Miss Gaynor's father, Max Davidson as a shopkeeper, and Gary Cooper, Kay Deslys, Clark Gable, Florence Lawrence, and Carole Lombard as uncredited extras, as well as great set design and an amazingly photographed flood to stop every plotline, and you've got among the goldurnestest spectacles of the silent era. Once again, Irving Cummings demonstrates that he can handle any sort of picture with the best of them.

Janet Gaynor Saves the Day

[drednm · 26 January 2020]

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD is a good silent film with some spectacular flood scenes. The plot has George O'Brien as a young engineer working for a lumber company owned by snarky Anders Randolf. He has a big new lumber contract to fulfill and is going full steam to do so. Although he's warned that the dam (which he owns) is structurally unsound, his lead engineer (Paul Nicholson) tells him it has been repaired. That's a lie, but Randolf is willing to believe it because the dam regulates the river which ensures the logs go downstream. Into this fray come Florence Gilbert, O'Brien's fiancee Gloria (and Randolf's niece). There's also Janet Gaynor as the young Anna, daughter of a logging foreman (Paul Panzer). She loves O'Brien, but he only has eyes for Gloria. Others in the cast include Max Davidson as the local department store owner. His role is meant to be comic relief, but the Jewish stereotype gets to be a bit much. There's also Kay Deslys in a dance number during a local show. Among the bit players are Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, and Gary Cooper! Rumor has it that Florence Lawrence is also recognizable.

Special effects aside, the real star here is Miss Gaynor. I had thought she had a small role early in her career, but she's actually the female co-lead and she's excellent. While Gilbert plays it straight as the lovely niece who eventually lands O'Brien, Gaynor's role allows her to do some comedy as the teenager and she gets the big scene when she saves the day (sort of) by galloping through the town on a horse, warning people the dam is about to blow.

Directed by Irving Cummings and photographed by George Schneiderman, this was one of the big hits of 1926 and helped make Gaynor a major star at the Fox Studio.

Wonderful Restoration of a Gripping Film

[mctaglieri · 9/10 · 26 September 2023]

I saw this film Monday night at New York's Film Forum in a new restoration by the George Eastman Museum. I won't try to summarize the plot, which others here have done, but I will say that the new restoration is magnificent. The film looks as though it was made a few weeks ago (with a single scene left unrestored so we can see the horrible nitrate damage it had originally).

The new restoration also completes the last scene which apparently was unavailable before. This is often billed as a film starring George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor, but that's really not the case. The lovers, happily married by the end of the film, are O'Brien and Florence Gilbert. Gaynor is a teenage girl in Johnstown who's in love with O'Brien, and works to help him save Johnstown from the dam. He cares about her, but he never loves anyone romantically but Gilbert.

So Janet Gaynor, in her first major role, does NOT get the guy. Also, she dies in the flood, after a heroic Paul-Revere-type ride warning everyone in town when the dam bursts (including the people at O'Brien's and Gilbert's wedding). Her career took off from there and she went on to star with O'Brien in Sunrise, but in the Johnstown Flood she was just a supporting actor (though an extraordinary one).

A Disaster Waiting to Happen

[lugonian · 9/10 · 28 January 2024]

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (Fox, 1926), an Irving Cummings Production, directed by Irving Cummings, became the silent screen adaptation to the 1889 disaster known as the Johnstown Flood. Starring George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor, who were most famously paired in SUNRISE (Fox 1927), appear as major attractions to a story of their personal lives along with others involved before its climatic reproduction of the title disaster.

Opening with a view of the town of Johnstown, the story introduces Tom O'Day (George O'Brien), an engineer of Hamilton Lumber Company, who is loved by Anna (Janet Gaynor), daughter of Joe Burger (Paul Panzer), a logging foreman, but Tom's sole interest is on Gloria (Florence Gilbert), niece of the company's owner, John Hamilton (Anders Randolph). Regardless of Tom's warning about the Conemangh Dam's overflow due to the heavy rain that will cause flooding and destruction to Johnstown, he is ignored, with Hamilton putting all his trust on Ward Peyton (Paul Nicholson) instead. O'Day eventually quits his job. On the very day of his wedding to Gloria, Anna's horse ride through town warning of a disaster waiting to happen puts everyone in fear of their lives. Supporting cast includes Max Davidson (Isador Mandel of the Johnston Clothing Emporium); George Harris (Sidney Mandel, his son); Walter Perry (Patrick O'Day) and George Reed.

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD is one of those handful of silent movies that has been forgotten through the passage of time due to its unavailability for viewing. Viewing finally became a reality when it premiered January 8, 2024, on Turner Classic Movies cable channel, restored with new and satisfactory orchestration. Quite short for 66 minutes, regardless of reported inaccuracies and fictional characters, the highlight being the Johnstown flood realistically staged to make up for its shortcomings. Janet Gaynor, early in her career, is attractive enough to obtain enough attention from its viewers. Though it's been said that future stars of Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper appear as extras, it's easier to spot Lombard as one of the bridesmaids, but a bit harder trying to find either Gable or Cooper.

In the wake of disaster movies of the 1930s, namely the 1906 earthquake from SAN FRANCISCO (MGM, 1936), the big wind for THE HURRICANE (United Artists, 1937) and the Chicago fire in IN OLD CHICAGO (20th Century-Fox, 1937), it's amazing someone over at 20th Century-Fox didn't think about remaking THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD, even as a second feature starring either Warner Baxter or Preston Foster, with Simone Simon and Lynn Bari in the O'Brien, Gaynor and Gilbert roles. The studio did do THE RAINS CAME (1939) about heavy rain disaster flick, which is as close to THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD the studio ever did regarding floods.

Due to availability, THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD can be studied as a motion picture and researched for its historical disaster to learn more about the historic event that took many lives and obtaining information about those who had survived to tell of their experience first-hand. (***)

The Titanic (movie) of it's day

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 5/10 · 18 March 2024]

I don't know whether The Johnstown Flood was the summer blockbuster of 1926, as Titanic was in 1997, but it's certainly the same basic plot

Fictionalized telling of the day a couple thousand people died from drowing. But before we get to the action, we gotta have the handsome male star moon over some beautiful dame. In the background we have the Evil Kapitalists ignoring safety warnings in a mad dash for profit under tight deadlines while a lone conscientious voice warns of danger ahead. Meanwhile, the poorz enjoy their brutish entertainments to keep their minds off their miserable lives.

Mercifully, unlike the several hours it takes James Cameron's film to get to the exciting part, it takes this movie just under an hour. The production crew put in a lot of effort creating the miniatures required to recreate the flood. If you can put yourself in the mind of a 1926 movie-goer it's actually quite fun to watch. They even included the inferno portion of the flood (don't believe me, google it). And it's over and done with in about 10 minutes. Again, unlike the 7-1/2 hours it took the Titanic to sink in the film.

As with a lot of silent films, I soon hit the mute button. The soundtrack distracts, rather than adds to the experience.

The 25 Year Old Clark Gable

[Single-Black-Male · 5 November 2003]

This is the last of Gable silent films. He split up with his wife and mentor, Josephine Dillon, because the extra work had dried up. It appeared as though Hollywood had no room for him. He went back to the theatre for five years and returned to Los Angeles to try out for his next film in 1931.

Impressive to watch, it doesn't quite get the real life story correct.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 3 February 2024]

The Johnstown flood was a horrible and preventable tragedy where over 2200 people were killed. How was it preventable? Well, the dam above the town was in disrepair and the rich folks who owned it and used it as a fishing and hunting reserve simply didn't spend the money needed to fix it...even when they were warned it might fail. Oddly, the film doesn't talk about this at all...and makes it seem less the fault of the plutocrats (who, incidentally, were neither punished nor found libel for the tragedy in real life).

The film has a love story between a rich girl (Janet Gaynor) and a common guy (George O'Brien). Because they were mismatched, a lot of the film revolves around that, though to me it was pretty forgettable. What is NOT forgettable is the final portion when the dam bursts. It has some of the most harrowing and realistic footage from the silent era and is most impressive even today.

What is not impressive is not the film's fault. While I read that a restored version was recently released, I saw the one on YouTube which was taken from a 16mm print...which is so faded that in spots I was frustrated, as the film has several soon to be mega-stars in it and it was hard to identify them. Clark Gable (in a saloon scene), Gary Cooper (among the survivors) and Carole Lombard (one of the leading lady's friends who are celebrating her upcoming nuptials with her).

Overall, while the story isn't entirely accurate, it's a truly spectacular film that shouldn't be missed.

A Much Needed Restoration Of A Forgotten Film

[TheCapsuleCritic · 9/10 · 7 May 2024]

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD of 1926 joins the ever growing list of once lost Fox silent films (we're talking pre-20th Century Fox) that have not only recently been found, but have been restored so that they can be enjoyed once more. Most people are unaware of the fact that virtually all of Fox's silent film output was destroyed in a massive warehouse fire in 1937 (there's actual footage of the fire on You Tube). Since serious silent film restoration began around the turn of the century, fewer than two dozen of their movies have been recovered. Most of them are by big name directors like John Ford, Frank Borzage, and F. W. Murnau. Chances are that if Janet Gaynor hadn't been in FLOOD then you wouldn't be seeing this Blu-Ray today

The backdrop for the movie is the famous Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of May 31, 1889 in which 2,208 died making it the worst American flooding disaster of the 19th century. However the flood itself only takes place in the last 15 minutes of the film with a 2 minute epilogue showing the hero and heroine after the town has been rebuilt. Up until then the movie is your basic silent film melodrama. Young Anna Burger (Janet Gaynor in her first major role at the age of 19) is in love with local engineer Tom O'Day (George O'Brien who starred in THE IRON HORSE and SUNRISE and who bears a striking resemblance to Nicholas Cage) but he only has eyes for the daughter (Florence Gilbert) of the local timber baron.

The timber baron (Anders Randolph) and his cohort (Paul Nicholson) know the local dam has structural deficiencies, but they plan to go ahead with a huge lumber contract which calls for filling the river behind the dam with hundreds of logs. This combined with a heavy rainstorm triggers the catastrophic flood. O'Day tries to warn them but they refuse to listen. This doesn't stop him from planning to marry the baron's daughter while he is away. Just as the wedding is about to take place, the dam bursts and Janet Gaynor tries to warn the citizens about the tons of water and debris that are headed their way. She is only partially successful and the town is inundated and many people are killed but, of course, the hero and heroine survive.

Although cast in a supporting role where she does not get the guy, Janet Gaynor gives the film's best performance and is as endearing today as she was back in 1926. George O' Brien once again uses his winning smile and friendly demeanor to capably play the leading man. Most of the other performers acquit themselves admirably with the exception of leading lady Florence Gilbert who is just sort of there but then the script gives her very little to do. Max Davidson as a Jewish storekeeper and George Harris as his son are colorful characters but are ethnic stereotypes by today's standards and may offend some people. The brief blackface stage number will probably do the same but remember the setting here is supposed to be 1889 not 2023.

For years THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD survived in a worn out one hour print which didn't do it justice. A complete print did exist at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY and it is that print which is the basis of this restoration. It looks absolutely marvelous with just a couple of brief examples of nitrate decomposition left in to show people what restorers have to deal with. The film is tinted and toned and comes with an ideal accompanying score by Rodney Sauer and his Mont Alto Orchestra. The special features are impressive and include audio interviews, a clip of Janet Gaynor at the 1977 Oscars, and a 3D photo gallery of the actual flood (3D glasses included). Not a great movie but an entertaining one and well worth the restoration...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.