The Jack-Knife Man

Veteran stage performer Fred Turner portrays Peter Lane, a shantyboat resident who is unexpectedly placed in the position of caretaker for a three year-old boy, due to the death of the boy's mother, and who faces a wide range of challenges in this extraordinarily well-made and scripted 1920 silent, which benefits from the directing and writing skills of King Vidor. Strong acting is in evidence from Turner, Harry Todd as a good-hearted tramp whose role becomes very important, Florence Vidor, Lillian Leighton and James Corrigan, as the film showcases a large dose of clever writing, building to a satisfying and sentimental climax. Most of the work's activity takes place in Lane's houseboat, which possesses the healing powers of home to him, as he attempts to ward off the nuptial blandishments of an attractive widow. The film is marked by a very gentle nature, is graced with delightful moments of humour and is an excellent early example of Vidor's proletarian stylistics and his mastery of montage, all enhanced by the entirely appropriate original organ score performed by Rosa Rio.