Lights Out (1923 film)

Lights Out is a 1923 American silent crime drama film directed by Alfred Santell and starring Ruth Stonehouse, Walter McGrail and Theodore von Eltz.^[1] It is based on the 1922 play Lights Out by Paul Dickey and Mann Page, later adapted into the 1938 film Crashing Hollywood.^[2] The remake was more light-hearted than the melodramatic tone of the original.

Lights Out
Directed by	Alfred Santell
Written by	Rex Taylor
Based on	Lights Out by Paul Dickey and Mann Page
Starring	Ruth Stonehouse Walter McGrail Theodore von Eltz
Cinematography	William Marshall
Production company	Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation
Distributed by	Film Booking Offices of America
Release date	November 11, 1923 (1923-11-11)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent English intertitles

Synopsis

Two criminals encounter a screenwriter on a train and persuade him to create a screenplay about the criminal underworld. In an attempt to revenge themselves on one of their former associates, they negatively depict him in the work. After seeing the film he heads to the film studio seeking revenge.

Cast

• Ruth Stonehouse as 'Hairpin' Annie
• Walter McGrail as Sea Bass
• Marie Astaire as Barbara
• Theodore von Eltz as 'Eggs'
• Ben Deeley as 'High-Shine' Joe
• Hank Mann as Ben
• Ben Hewlett as Keith Forbes
• Mabel Van Buren as Mrs. Gallant
• Fred Kelsey as Decker
• Harry Fenwick as Peyton
• Chester Bishop as Bangs, a movie director
• Max Asher as Wellabach, a movie producer

Preservation

Previously thought lost, Russian film archive Gosfilmofond had a print and made a digital copy of it and gifted it to the Library of Congress under the wrong title in 2010. It wasn't discovered until 2023 that it was realized to be this title, or that this title survived in any form. It was made available as a digital download, DVD and Blu-ray on Kickstarter from silent film enthusiast and restorer Joseph Harvat.