The Strong Man

by Frank Russell Capra

HARRY LANGDON

IN

THE
STRONG
MAN

 

COPYRIGHT MCMXXVI BY FIRST NATIONAL PICTURES IN^C.

Directed by
FRANK CAPRA

Production Manager
WILLIAM H. JENNER

Assistant Director J. FRANK HOLLIDAY	Technical Director LLOYD BRIERLY
Lighting by DENVER HARMON	Film Editor HAROLD YOUNG

Productd by
HARRY LANGDON CORPORATION

Story by
ARTHUR RIPLEY

Adapted by
HAL CONKLIN—ROBERT EDDY

Titles by
REED HEUSTIS

Photographed by
ELGIN LESSLEY—GLENN KERSHNER

THE PLAYERS

Mary Brown "Lily", of Broadway "Holy Joe" "Mike" McDevitt "Zandow the Great" Paul Bergot

Priscilla Bonner Gertrude Astor William V. Mong Robert McKim Arthur Thalasso Harry Langdon

Where once a Belgian Orchard Bloomed.

HOTEL DE PARIS

"Here's another Yankee letter for private Paul Bergot! Where is he?"

—"two days ago I saw him in No-mans Land"

BEANS

"next time Cootie, you'll keep your head down!

From Miss Mary Brown
American Red Cross
U. S. A.

 

The Red Cross

 

Private Paul Bergot,

c/o Belgian Red Cross,

Ostend, Belgium.

I hope you are better.
Your letters have been
a great joy to me, and my
heart is warmer for know-
ing I have as a dear, dear
friend, a brave soldier of
another nation.

Your English has im-

Because an ocean rolls
between us, and we are never
to meet, I found the courage
to put my whole heart on
paper and to tell you I
love you, I love you, I love
you.

Mary Brown

With love
Mary Brown

Then the Armistice, Peace and fleets of liners laden with immigrants seeking a newer Rainbow in the Land of Promise.

Ellis Island, the Funnel of America.

THE
GREAT
ZANDOW

THE GREAT
ZANDOW
STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD

THE GREAT
ZANDOW
AND CO.

Well, where's the Company?

My Company—I captured him in the war

ZANDOW

The Crown Prince—he gave me this hat

Take that! and That! and That!

HARRY VEBER
VAUDEVILLE

 

BOOKING AGENT

"I lift the heaviest weights in the world, and when I shoot myself from a cannon to a trapeze it's a sensation"

"I tell you I'm not Mary Brown, and I never wrote to any soldiers——"

"and if you don't stop following me I'll turn you over to a truant officer!"

"Pardon, Major, do you know a girl named Mary Brown?"

DOORMAN

"Sure—she passes that corner every day!

"Sink that roll, Lily, there's a 'dick' trailing me!"

"Out of jail a week, and at it again, huh?"

"You were looking for Mary Brown, were you not?"

"Well, I'm little Mary"

"What's a nickel! I've got plenty of money."

"The Russell Apartments!"

"Hey, there! You can't leave your woman lying around like this!"

"Room three, upstairs"

3

"You let me out of here or I'll holler!"

"Don't let this leak out!"

"Where will I find the studio of Madame Browne?"

Madame Browne
Art Studies

ROOMS

THE GREAT ZAND[OW]

"In two days we open my big act in Cloverdale and the loafer is late for the train!!"

Cloverdale had once been a peaceful little border town.

But over-night Cloverdale had changed—Certain interests found it ideally located for a defiance of law.

PALACE
MUSIC HALL

Scotch WhiskyScotch Whisky

 

Scotch WhiskyScotch Whisky

 

Scotch WhiskyScotch Whisky

The Town Hall was re-named "The Palace"—and the profits ran into thousands.

"The Palace" and its attractions were taking their toll from village homes.

GIRLS
GIRLS
GIRLS
FREE

"Come on, Sis, come on home."

"If my Dad was here—he'd fix you!"

Justice and decency had fled before the new law——Money.

GENERAL STORE

The only force left opposing "Mike" McDevitt, owner of "The Palace", was Parson Brown.

"—it's useless to fight me any longer. Money talks louder than you"———

"—Every man has his price!—Now what's YOURS?"

"The house of God is founded on ROCK. For the miseries you have caused, the Master will destroy you!"

"Listen, fool! Continue there demonstrations against me and I'll give you something real to pray for!"

The church people of the town, horrified by conditions, rallied at the call of their pastor.

"Bretheren, stand firm! The Good Book says 'Faith can move mountains!'——"

"—For the Lord said unto Joshua 'March around the walls of Jericho seven days, and on the Seventh Day the walls shall fall'"

"—This is the Sixth day of marching around OUR Jericho. Believe ye Behold! The Miracle shall be repeated!"

"—Hymn 339—Onward Christian Soldiers."

"—Here come 'Holy Joe' playing Joshua again!"

♫ Onward Christian sol-diers,
Marching as to war; ♫

"—In believe in this—and wish I'd led a cleaner life."

"—Aw, shut up!—pretty soon you'll be washing your neck!"

"Holy Joe's out there trying to sing the shingles off the roof"

"If that Psalm-singing idiot bother me much more, I'll have his daughter in here as the main attraction!"

A few hours later——another meeting behind the church.

Mary Brown, the Parson's daughter, saw the world through the eyes of optimism—perhaps because she was blind.

"Miss Mary; tell us that story again about the Belgian soldier who won the war."

"Once there was a plain little girl who dared to love a brave, handsome soldier—"

"—But when he wrote that he was coming to America, she stopped writing and hid—for she had never told him she was——blind."

COMING
THE GREAT
^"ZANDOW"
STRONGEST MAN
IN THE WORLD

CLOVERDALE

"Yes, this has been a dirty trip! last night I gave a boy a bath and——"

"Say, what did you swallow?—A fish horn?"

"If you feel like you sound you need a plumber."

"What's the time please?"

SMITH BROTHERSCamphor Rub

"One more germ out of you and the Smith Brothers lose a good customer!"

KRAUSS
LIMBURGER
CHEESE

"My head's clear!—I'm beginning to smell!"

TO DAY
THE GREAT
^"ZANDOW"

"Glad you're here, Big Boy; the whole town's crazy to see your cannon act!"

STAGE
ENTRANCE

Zandow

"Where do you get the water?"

"Behind the church."

"Ask Mary Brown."

"WHO?"

"MARY BROWN."

"Are you Miss Brown?—Miss Mary Brown?"

"The Little Mary Brown who wrote such nice letters to a boy in Belgium?"

"—and now he's right here in town——!"

"I'm Him."

"Aren't you surprised to see me?"

"—and in that town there was only one Mary Brown and she was a Chinaman!"

"—and another one said "I'm Little Mary."

"They're howling for you—do your stuff or there'll be a riot!"

THE GREAT ZANDOW

400

"If you want to get out of town alive you'd better please that gang out there!"

"WHERE'S THE STRONG MAN? SHOW US THE BIG BUM!"

"The longer they wait the tougher they get!"

"I paid for a strong man—and I'm going to have one!"

Mme
DIVON

"Mister Zandow—I can't do the cannon trick!"

"Bring on the Cannon trick!"

"COME ON! GET SHOT OUT OF THAT CANNON!"

"We must be quiet—There's a funeral!"

"The kid's right! Let's bow our heads and pray for poor 'Holy Joe'!"

"—and if 'Holy Joe' must sing, get him a ukulele!"

"—and may we soon have the honor of entertaining Mary Brown in our midst!"

"A—MEN!"

"—It's a riot! Lock the doors and protect the money!"

DUMP
TRASH
HERE

"Drive the money changers from us!"

Once again Cloverdale tucked the bed covers beneath its chin and slept in peace——

CLOVERDALE
COMMUNITY HALL

——protected by the majesty of the law.

"Run along home, honey, I don't need any help!"

THE END

A First National Picture