Clarence (1922 film) explained

Clarence
Director:	William C. deMille
Producer:	Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky
Starring:	Wallace Reid Agnes Ayres
Cinematography:	L. Guy Wilky
Distributor:	Paramount Pictures
Runtime:	7 reels; (6,146 feet)
Country:	United States
Language:	Silent (English intertitles)

Clarence is a 1922 American silent comedy drama, based on the 1919 play by Booth Tarkington, produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William C. deMille and starred Wallace Reid in his penultimate screen appearance.^[1]

Plot

The father of a quirky family, the Wheelers, hires an ex-soldier, Clarence, as a handyman. Clarence falls for the family's governess, Violet.

Mrs. Wheeler suspects that Violet and her husband are carrying on, and Mrs. Wheeler begins to develop an attraction to Clarence. Hubert Stem, Mr. Wheeler's avaricious private secretary, one day shows Mr. Wheeler an article about Charles Short, an army deserter, and insists that Clarence is in actuality Charles Short.^[2]

Cast

• Wallace Reid as Clarence Smith
• Agnes Ayres as Violet Pinney
• May McAvoy as Cora Wheeler
• Kathlyn Williams as Mrs. Wheeler
• Edward Martindel as Mr. Wheeler
• Robert Agnew as Bobby Wheeler
• Adolphe Menjou as Hubert Stem
• Bertram Johns as Dinwiddie
• Dorothy Gordon as Della
• Mayme Kelso as Mrs. Martin

Preservation

With no prints of Clarence located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film.^{[3] [4] [5]}

See also

• List of lost films
• Wallace Reid filmography

External links

• • • Wallace Reid in portrait still as Clarence
• Portraits and text concerning Clarence
• Wallace Reid in costume as Clarence

Notes and References

1. Web site: The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Clarence . April 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140401213338/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=3329 . April 1, 2014 . live .
2. Fleming . John . August 1924 . Clarence . Pictures and the Picturegoer . London . Odhams Press . June 29, 2016 .
3. https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.4307/ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Clarence
4. Web site: Progressive Silent Film List: Clarence . March 21, 2024 . silentera.com.
5. Web site: Clarence at TheGreatStars.com; Lost Films Wanted . https://web.archive.org/web/20141225003106/http://www.thegreatstars.com/lost_film_wanted.htm . 2014-12-25 . 2024-03-21 . TheGreatStars.com.