The Ace of Hearts
About The Ace of Hearts
A secret society of nine draws cards to choose who will bomb a rich man they call the man who has lived too long. Forrest draws the ace of hearts. Lilith, who had refused him, marries him so he will go through with it. Lon Chaney's Farallone waits in the rain outside their rooms. In the morning Lilith wants the killing stopped. Forrest, working as a waiter, sees a young couple near the target and does not set the bomb. The council moves to kill him. Farallone, who has drawn the ace on a second deal, blows up the society's own table. Forrest and Lilith walk away.
Cast & crew
More about The Ace of Hearts
Wallace Worsley produced and directed. Ruth Wightman adapted Gouverneur Morris's The Purple Flask, serialized in Cosmopolitan in 1917. Samuel Goldwyn's company released it on October 21, 1921. The main title is a playing card, not words. John Bowers plays Forrest. Leatrice Joy plays Lilith. Chaney plays Farallone, spelled Faralone on the last card. Hardee Kirkland plays Morgridge. Raymond Hatton plays the Menace.
Themes
Preservation
Prints survive at George Eastman House.
Notes
- Lilith is a member of the society, not the rich man's daughter.
- The bomb is built to look like a cigar case.
- Farallone's bargain is that he will help them if Forrest fails, and that Lilith will marry him if Forrest dies.
- A print is at George Eastman House.
- A copy is on the Internet Archive as Ace_of_Hearts_1921.
Scenes
- Lilith deals the cards. Forrest turns the ace.
- Farallone detonates the bomb under the council.
Influenced by
- Gouverneur Morris's The Purple Flask (1917)
Also available
- Internet Archive (Ace_of_Hearts_1921)
- George Eastman House
