The Saphead (1920)

The simple-minded son of a rich financier must find his own way in the world.

Directors:

Herbert Blaché, Winchell Smith

Writers:

Bronson Howard (original play "The Henrietta"), Victor Mapes (play)

Stars:

Edward Jobson, Beulah Booker, Edward Connelly

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edward Jobson	...	Reverend Murray Hilton
Beulah Booker	...	Agnes Gates
Edward Connelly	...	Mr. Musgrave
Edward Alexander	...	Watson Flint
Irving Cummings	...	Mark Turner
Odette Tyler	...	Mrs. Cornelia Opdyke
Carol Holloway	...	Rose Turner
Jack Livingston	...	Dr. George Wainright
William H. Crane	...	Nicholas Van Alstyne
Buster Keaton	...	Bertie Van Alstyne

Storyline

Nick Van Alstyne owns the Henrietta silver mine and is very rich. His son Bertie is naive and spoiled. His daughter Rose is married to shady investor Mark. Mark wrecks Bertie's wedding plans by making him take the blame for Mark's illegitimate daughter. Mark also nearly ruins the family business by selling off Henrietta stock at too low a price. Bertie, of all people, must come to the rescue on the trading floor.

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | new york city | manhattan new york city | train station | stock exchange | 

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Taglines:

He Forbade Them To Wed! Then he cut the lad off with a paltry million! (Print Ad- Duluth Herald, ((Duluth, Minn.)) 5 February 1921)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

20 September 1920 (USA)

Also Known As:

A mamlasz

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A rare Buster Keaton smile is visible in the scene in which Bertie reads the newspaper account on the raid of the gambling house.

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Goofs

When Bertie's car pulls up to the house after the aborted wedding, the front gate is closed, but when he gets out of the car it is wide open.

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Quotes

Bertie: All they do here is knock off hats, but I enjoy it. It occupies the mind.

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Alternate Versions

In 1995, Film Preservation Associates copyrighted a version with an orchestral score; no details were specified on the print.

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Connections

Follows The Lamb (1915)

User Reviews

A quaint antique from a bygone era.

If there is any humor in this movie, it is carefully concealed. Buster Keaton gives an energetic performance in what is otherwise a dubious attempt at self-effacing humor. Now, under certain circumstances self- effacing humor can be effective but not in this movie. The story is contrived, and Mr. Keaton's character is so shallow that one must wonder why anyone would pay him any attention at all. Irving Cummings and William Crane carry this movie. They give strong dramatic performances. Mr. Keaton's attempt at humor through deadpan is out of place in this movie. It simply is not funny. It does not generate laughs. Nor is his character particularly lovable. His character, Bertie, is spoiled and shallow. His love interest with the female lead is strained and entirely implausible. The plot is predictable. The movie does have some effective moments, such as when the Crane and Cummings characters confront each other and the frantic scenes of trading on the floor of the stock market, but otherwise the movie's value lies mostly in the its status as a quaint antique of movie making from a bygone era.