His People

1925 91 minutes Directed by Edward Sloman

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About His People

Rabbi David Cominsky peddles from a pushcart on New York's Lower East Side and favors his elder son Morris, who wants to be a lawyer. Sammy sells papers, helps pay for Morris's college, and boxes as Battling Rooney until his father drives him out. Morris has Cominsky pawn an overcoat for a dress suit, throws the suit in an ashcan, and the father falls ill from the cold. At Morris's engagement party for Ruth Stein, Morris will not say that Cominsky is his father. Sammy, the new lightweight champion, drags Morris home, Morris is forgiven, and Cominsky blesses Sammy and Mamie Shannon.

Cast & crew

More about His People

Edward Sloman directed this Universal-Jewel drama for Carl Laemmle, from a story by Isadore Bernstein. Charles E. Whittaker and Alfred A. Cohn wrote the scenario, and Cohn wrote the titles. The working title was The Jew. It opened in New York on November 1, 1925 as Proud Heart. Universal copyrighted it on November 17, 1925 (LP22021), and the general release was December 27, 1925.

Themes

  • A pushcart peddler and his two sons
  • A favored law student
  • A son who boxes as Battling Rooney
  • A father denied at an engagement party
  • An Irish sweetheart
  • Lower East Side
  • pushcart
  • rabbi
  • prizefighter
  • Battling Rooney
  • lightweight championship
  • dress suit
  • engagement party
  • Irish girl

In film history

Film historian Lester Friedman wrote that Sloman portrays immigrant life in America.

Look

Max Dupont photographed the nine-reel picture.

Music

Silent, with English intertitles. Edward Kilenyi is credited with a score. Paul Shapiro wrote a score in 2004, and Peter Rothbart of Ithaca College wrote one in 2007.

Preservation

A print is at the Library of Congress. Silent Era lists the film as public domain in the United States.

Notes

  • Rudolph Schildkraut plays Rabbi David Cominsky. Rosa Rosanova plays Rosie. George Lewis plays the grown Sammy. Arthur Lubin plays the grown Morris.
  • Robert Gordon plays Sammy as a child. Albert Bushaland plays the child Morris. Jean Johnson plays the child Mamie. Blanche Mehaffey plays Mamie grown. Virginia Brown Faire plays Ruth Stein.
  • Kate Price plays Kate Shannon. Nat Carr plays Chaim Barowitz. Bertram Marburgh plays Judge Nathan Stein. Edgar Kennedy plays Thomas Nolan. Charles Sullivan plays the champion. Sidney Franklin plays Levensky.
  • The print runs nine reels, 8,983 feet.
  • Variety reviewed the New York opening under the title Proud Heart.

Scenes

  • Cominsky pawns his overcoat for Morris's dress suit. Morris throws the suit in an ashcan.
  • Morris refuses to acknowledge his father at the engagement party.
  • Sammy, the lightweight champion, drags Morris home.

Also available

  • Wikimedia Commons (His People (1925).webm)