The Miracle Man (1919 film)
| The Miracle Man | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | George Loane Tucker |
| Produced by | George Loane Tucker |
| Written by | George Loane Tucker (scenario) |
| Based on |
The Miracle Man by George M. Cohan |
| Starring |
Thomas Meighan Betty Compson Lon Chaney Joseph J. Dowling J.M. Dumont Lawson Butt(*uncredited) |
| Music by | Jacques Grandfi Harry B. Smith(lyrics) |
| Cinematography |
Philip E. Rosen Ernest G. Palmer |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Famous Players-Lasky |
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Release date
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August 29, 1919 |
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Running time
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8 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent English intertitles |
| Budget | $120,000 |
| Box office | $3,000,000 |
The Miracle Man is a 1919 American silent drama film starring Lon Chaney and based on a 1914 play by George M. Cohan, which in turn is based on the novel of the same title by Frank L. Packard. The film was released by Paramount Pictures, directed, produced, and written by George Loane Tucker, and also stars Thomas Meighan and Betty Compson. The film made overnight successes of the three stars, most notably putting Chaney on the map as a character actor.
Paramount remade the film in 1932 also titled The Miracle Man with Chester Morris, John Wray, and Sylvia Sidney. Today, the majority of the 1919 film is considered lost, with only two fragments, totaling about three minutes, surviving.
The film takes place in a small, New England town in 1919 (the Broadway play 1914), where a group of con men plan to use a faith healer to collect money.
In New York City's Chinatown, four crooks conspire to swindle a small, New England town. The gang consists of Tom Burke (Thomas Meighan), the head of the group; Rose (Betty Compson), a con artist posing as a street walker; "The Dope" (J.M. Dumont), who pretends to pimp Rose; and The Frog (Lon Chaney), a contortionist.
The plan is clear: in a small town outside of Boston there is a Patriarch (Joseph Dowling) who has been healing people. The group heads to the town and plans to use the Patriarch in a faith healing scheme. When the townspeople gather to see the Patriarch heal the sick, the Frog is there, posing as a cripple. As he crawls to the path of the man, his limbs become straightened and soon he walks to the Patriarch, supposedly healed. Unexpectedly, a crippled boy, his faith in the Patriarch overpowering him, loses his crutches and runs to the Patriarch.
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Wikipedia