1923 in film
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The following is an overview of 1923 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
Highest-grossing films[]
The top ten films released in 1923 by U.S. gross are as follows:
| Rank | Title | Studio | Box office gross rental |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Covered Wagon | Paramount Pictures | $3,500,000[1] |
| 2 | The Ten Commandments | $2,457,710[2] | |
| 3 | Safety Last! | Pathé Exchange | $1,500,000[1] |
| 4 | Scaramouche | Metro Pictures | $1,400,000[3] |
| 5 | Little Old New York | Goldwyn Pictures | $1,100,000[3] |
| 6 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Universal Pictures | $1,019,798[4] |
| 7 | Rosita | United Artists | $900,000[5] |
| 8 | Main Street | Warner Bros. | $510,000[6] |
| 9 | The Gold Diggers | $470,000[6] | |
| 10 | Tiger Rose | $466,000[6] |
Events[]
- April 4 – Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. incorporated in the United States.
- April 15 – Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.
- Henry Roussel's Les Opprimés is released, introducing mattes (painted by W. Percy Day) to French cinema.
Notable films released in 1923[]
American films unless stated otherwise
A[]
- Adam's Rib, directed by Cecil B. DeMille
- The Ancient Law (Das alte Gesetz), directed by E. A. Dupont and starring Henny Porten – (Germany)
- Ashes of Vengeance, starring Norma Talmadge
- The Audacious Mr. Squire directed by Edwin Greenwood; starring Jack Buchanan, Valia – (GB)
B[]
- The Balloonatic, a Buster Keaton short
- Black Oxen, directed by Frank Lloyd
- The Blizzard (aka Gunnar Hedes saga), directed by Mauritz Stiller – (Sweden)
- Bonnie Prince Charlie directed by Charles Calvert, starring Ivor Novello and Gladys Cooper – (GB)
- The Brass Bottle, directed by Maurice Tourneur; starring Harry Myers, Ernest Torrence, Tully Marshall, Ford Sterling, Aggie Herring
C[]
- Cameo Kirby, directed by John Ford; starring John Gilbert
- Circus Days, starring Jackie Coogan
- Cœur fidèle (The Faithful Heart), directed by Jean Epstein – (France)
- The Covered Wagon, starring J. Warren Kerrigan
D[]
- The Daring Years, starring Mildred Harris, Charles Emmett Mack and Clara Bow
- The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning (Der Puppenmacher von Kiang-Ning), directed by Robert Wiene; starring Werner Krauss – (Germany)
- Drakula halala (Dracula's Death) – (Hungary)
E[]
- The Extra Girl, starring Mabel Normand
F[]
- Frozen Hearts, starring Stan Laurel and Mae Laurel
G[]
- The Gold Diggers
- The Grub-Stake, directed by & starring Nell Shipman
H[]
- The Harbour Lights directed by Tom Terriss; starring Tom Moore and Isobel Elsom – (Britain)
- Hoy O Nuca, Besame, directed by Jose Nepomuceno - Philippines[7]
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Lon Chaney
I[]
- I Will Repay directed by Henry Kolker; starring Holmes Herbert, Flora Le Breton – (GB)
- I.N.R.I., directed by Robert Wiene – (Germany)
- The Isle of Lost Ships, directed by Maurice Tourneur; starring Anna Q. Nilsson, Milton Sills, Frank Campeau, Walter Long, Aggie Herring
- The Lady Owner – directed by Walter West; starring Violet Hopson and James Knight – (Britain)
L[]
- Little Old New York, directed by Sidney Olcott, starring Marion Davies and Harrison Edward Ford
- The Love Nest, a Buster Keaton short
- The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots, directed by Denison Clift; starring Fay Compton, Gerald Ames and John Stuart – (GB)
M[]
- Der Mann mit der eisernen Maske (The Man in the Iron Mask), directed by Max Glass – (Germany)
- The Merchant of Venice (Der Kaufmann von Venedig), starring Henny Porten and Werner Krauss – (Germany)
- Merry-Go-Round, directed by Erich von Stroheim
- Miss Suwanna of Siam – The first international feature film set in Thailand it features an all Thai cast
- Mysteries of a Barbershop (Mysterien eines Friseursalons) – (Germany)
O[]
- Our Hospitality, directed by & starring Buster Keaton
- Out to Win, directed by Denison Clift; starring Catherine Calvert, Clive Brook – (GB)
P[]
- Paddy the Next Best Thing, directed by Graham Cutts, starring Mae Marsh (Britain)
- The Pilgrim, directed by & starring Charlie Chaplin with Edna Purviance and Syd Chaplin
- The Purple Highway, starring Madge Kennedy, Monte Blue, Vincent Coleman and Pedro de Cordoba
R[]
- Raskolnikow, directed by Robert Wiene – (Germany)
- Rosita, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Mary Pickford
- Le Retour à la Raison (Return to Reason) – (France)
- La Roue (The Wheel), directed by Abel Gance – (France)
- Rupert of Hentzau, directed by Victor Heerman
S[]
- Safety Last!, starring Harold Lloyd – This film has the famous scene where Lloyd is seen hanging from a clock.
- Salomé, directed by Charles Bryant; starring Alla Nazimova
- Scaramouche Starring Ramón Novarro, Alice Terry, Lewis Stone, Lloyd Ingraham
- Schatten – Eine nächtliche Halluzination (aka Warning Shadows), directed by Arthur Robison – (Germany)
- The Shock, starring Lon Chaney
- The Shriek of Araby, starring Ben Turpin
- Souls for Sale, starring Richard Dix and Eleanor Boardman
- The Street, directed by Karl Grune – (Germany)
- Squibs M.P. directed by George Pearson; starring Betty Balfour – (GB)
- Suzanna, starring Mabel Normand
T[]
- The Ten Commandments, directed by Cecil B. DeMille; starring Theodore Roberts
- This Freedom directed by Denison Clift; starring Fay Compton and Clive Brook – (GB)
- Three Ages, a Buster Keaton film
- Three Wise Fools, directed by King Vidor
- Through Fire and Water directed by Thomas Bentley; starring Clive Brook, Flora Le Breton – (GB)
- The Treasure (Der Schatz), directed by G.W. Pabst – (Germany)
U[]
- Under the Red Robe, directed by Alan Crosland; starring Robert B. Mantell
- The Unknown Tomorrow (Das unbekannte Morgen), directed by Alexander Korda – (Germany)
W[]
- The White Shadow, starring Betty Compson and Clive Brook – (GB)
- The White Sister, starring Lillian Gish and Ronald Colman
- Why Worry?, starring Harold Lloyd
- Wild Bill Hickok, directed by Clifford Smith
- Within the Law, directed by Frank Lloyd; starring Norma Talmadge
- A Woman of Paris, directed by Charles Chaplin; starring Edna Purviance
- Woman to Woman, starring Betty Compson and Clive Brook – (GB)
Short film series[]
- Charlie Chaplin (1914–23)
- Buster Keaton (1917–41)
- Laurel and Hardy (1921–43)
- Our Gang (1922–44)
Animated short film series[]
- Felix the Cat (1919–36)
- Koko the Clown (1919–34)
- Aesop's Film Fables (1921–34)
- Alice Comedies
- Alice's Wonderland
- The Red Head Comedies (1923).
Births[]
- January 7 – Pinkas Braun, Swiss actor, director (died 2008)
- January 8 – Larry Storch, American actor
- January 19 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (died 2013)
- January 23 – Silvano Campeggi, Italian poster designer (died 2018)
- January 26 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress (died 2017)
- January 29 – Paddy Chayefsky, American screenwriter (died 1981)
- February 2 – Bonita Granville, American actress (died 1988)
- February 12 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian director (died 2019)
- February 21 – Lola Flores, Spanish actress (died 1995)
- February 28 – Charles Durning, American actor (died 2012)
- March 10 – Dolores Fuller, American actress (died 2011)
- March 12 - Vladek Sheybal, Polish character actor, singer and director (died 1992)
- March 19 – Pamela Britton, American actress (died 1974)
- March 24 - Murray Hamilton, American actor (died 1986)
- April 2 – Gloria Henry, American actress (died 2021)
- April 4 – Gene Reynolds, American actor, producer (died 2020)
- April 12 – Ann Miller, American dancer, singer, actress (died 2004)
- April 28 – Adele Mara, American actress (died 2010)
- May 4 – Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian (died 2012)
- May 7 – Anne Baxter, actress (died 1985)
- May 14 – Mrinal Sen, Bengali director (died 2018)
- May 26 – Roy Dotrice, British actor (died 2017)
- May 30 - Jimmy Lydon, American actor and producer
- June 12 – Herta Elviste, Estonian actress (died 2015)
- June 28 - Ray Boyle, American actor
- July 6 – Cathy O'Donnell, American actress (died 1970)
- July 18 – Michael Medwin, English actor and producer (died 2020)
- July 22 – Mukesh, Indian singer (died 1976)
- July 25 - Estelle Getty, American actress and comedian (died 2008)
- August 3 – Jean Hagen, American actress (died 1977)
- August 9 - John Stephenson, American actor (died 2015)
- August 10
- Rhonda Fleming, American actress (died 2020)
- Vernon Washington, American character actor (died 1988)
- August 14 – Alice Ghostley, American actress (died 2007)
- August 15 – Rose Marie, American actress, singer (died 2017)
- August 24 - June Dayton, American actress (died 1994)
- August 29 – Richard Attenborough, English actor and director (died 2014)
- September 7 – Peter Lawford, British-American actor (died 1984)
- September 9- Cliff Robertson, American actor (died 2011)
- September 27
- September 28 - William Windom, American actor (died 2012)
- October 4 – Charlton Heston, American actor (died 2008)
- October 5 – Glynis Johns, British actress
- October 16 – Linda Darnell, American actress (died 1965)
- October 23 - Frank Sutton, American actor (died 1974)
- November 12 - Richard Venture, American actor (died 2017)
- November 13 – Linda Christian, Mexican-American actress (died 2011)
- November 28
- Gloria Grahame, American actress (died 1981)
- James Karen, American actor (died 2018)
- December 10 – Harold Gould, American actor (died 2010)
- December 11 – Betsy Blair, American actress (died 2009)
- December 12 - Bob Barker, American retired television game show host
- December 29
- Dina Merrill, American actress (died 2017)
- Mike Nussbaum, American actor and director
Deaths[]
- January 18 – Wallace Reid, American actor (born 1892)
- March 3 – Dante Testa, Italian actor and director (born 1861)
- March 26 – Sarah Bernhardt, French actress (born 1844)
- May 21 – Charles Kent, veteran actor and director (born 1852)
- June 11 – Porter Strong, American silent film actor
- June 17 – Macey Harlam, screen actor (born 1873)
- July 12 – Harry Lonsdale, stage and screen actor (born 1865)
- July 30 – Charles Hawtrey, veteran British actor (born 1858)
- August 29 – Bernard Durning, American actor and director, (born 1893)
- September 26 – Jerome Patrick, Broadway stage and silent film leading man (born 1883)
- October 28 – Joe Roberts, American actor (born 1871)
- November 20 – Allen Holubar, America actor and director (born 1888)
- November 30 – Martha Mansfield, American actress (born 1899)
- December 28 – Frank Hayes, American actor and comedian (born 1871)
Film debuts[]
- Jean Arthur
- Johnny Arthur
- Mary Carlisle
- Marlene Dietrich
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- Charles Farrell
- William Haines
- Ken Maynard
- Donald Meek
- Thomas Mitchell
- Jack Oakie
- Fay Wray
References[]
- ^ a b Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
- ^ Box Office Information for The Ten Commandments
- ^ a b "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990. p. M150.
- ^ Box Office Information for The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- ^ Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 91.
- ^ a b c Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 2 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
- ^ "Hoy o Nuca, Besame (1923)". imdb.com.
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