Paying the Piper (film)

Not to be confused with the Looney Tunes cartoon Paying the Piper.

Paying the Piper is a 1921 American silent society drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and written by Ouida Bergère. The film stars Dorothy Dickson, Alma Tell, George Fawcett, and Rod La Rocque. The film was released on January 16, 1921 by Paramount Pictures.^[1][2]

Paying the Piper
Still from the film printed in a 1921 issue of Photoplay
Directed by	George Fitzmaurice
Screenplay by	Ouida Bergère
Produced by	George Fitzmaurice Adolph Zukor
Starring	Dorothy Dickson Alma Tell George Fawcett Rod La Rocque Robert Schable Katherine Emmet Reginald Denny
Cinematography	Arthur C. Miller
Production company	Famous Players–Lasky Corporation
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	January 16, 1921 (1921-01-16)
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Plot

Cast

• Dorothy Dickson as Barbara Wyndham
• Alma Tell as Marcia Marillo
• George Fawcett as John Grahame
• Rod La Rocque as Larry Grahame
• Robert Schable as Charles R. Wyndham
• Katherine Emmet as Mrs. Wyndham
• Reginald Denny as Keith Larne

Production

The working title of the film was Money Mad.^[3]

Preservation

With no prints of Paying the Piper located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film.^[4] In February of 2021, the film was cited by the National Film Preservation Board on their Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films list.^[2][5]