The Saphead
About The Saphead
Nicholas Van Alstyne, rich from the Henrietta mine, is ashamed of his son Bertie, who stays out all night. Bertie is only acting the part to impress Agnes, his adopted sister. His brother-in-law Mark Turner is the real problem: an illegitimate child, a letter, and Bertie taking the blame so Rose will not know. Van Alstyne cuts Bertie off and leaves Mark in charge. Mark dumps the family stock. On the exchange Bertie buys it back without understanding the orders. His father forgives him, he marries Agnes, and Mark dies of a heart attack. A year later they have twins.
Cast & crew
More about The Saphead
Herbert Blaché and Winchell Smith directed. The script draws on Bronson Howard's 1887 play The Henrietta and the 1913 play The New Henrietta by Victor Mapes and Winchell Smith. June Mathis is among the writers. John Golden, Marcus Loew, and Winchell Smith produced it for Metro, which released it on October 18, 1920. Douglas Fairbanks had played Bertie on stage and recommended Buster Keaton for the film. It was Keaton's first starring feature.
Themes
Look
Harold Wenstrom shot the Metro feature, including the stock-exchange climax.
Music
Silent, with English intertitles.
Notes
- Buster Keaton is Bertie. William H. Crane is Nicholas Van Alstyne. Beulah Booker is Agnes. Irving Cummings is Mark Turner.
- Edward Connelly, Edward Jobson, Odette Tyler, and Jack Livingston are in the cast lists.
- Harold Wenstrom photographed it.
Scenes
- Bertie accepts the blame for Mark's letter and loses Agnes.
- On the floor of the exchange he buys back the stock he does not understand.
- Mark sees the scheme fail and dies of a heart attack.
Influenced by
- The Henrietta (1887), by Bronson Howard
- The New Henrietta (1913), by Victor Mapes and Winchell Smith
Also available
- Internet Archive (BillSpragueCollection-TheSaphead-BusterKeaton-1920PUBLICDOMAIN)
- Wikimedia Commons (The Saphead (1920).webm)
