The Honorable Friend

The Honorable Friend is a 1916 American silent drama film and Edward LeSaint's directorial debut. It was written by Elizabeth McGaffey and Eve Unsell. The film stars Sessue Hayakawa and Tsuru Aoki.^[1] The film was released on August 27, 1916, by Paramount Pictures.^[2][3]

The Honorable Friend
Directed by	Edward LeSaint
Screenplay by	Elizabeth McGaffey Eve Unsell
Produced by	Jesse L. Lasky
Starring	Sessue Hayakawa Tsuru Aoki Raymond Hatton Goro Kino M. Matsumato William Elmer
Cinematography	Harold Rosson
Production company	Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	August 27, 1916 (1916-08-27)
Running time	50 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

As described in a film magazine,^[4] a curio dealer, Kayosho, is torn between his fiancée, Hana, and her cousin, Toki-Ye, who lives in Japan. Kayosho brings Toki-Ye to California under the impression that she will marry his employee, Makino. Toki-Ye and Makino fall in love and are married, but Kayosho tries to come between them. Kayosho is found dead and the young couple both confess to his murder, each believing that the other is guilty. However, it was Hana's father, Goto, who murdered Kayosho over the broken engagement. Once both Toki-Ye and Makino are cleared of the murder, they live happily ever after.

Cast

• Sessue Hayakawa as Makino
• Tsuru Aoki as Toki-Ye
• Raymond Hatton as Kayosho
• Goro Kino as Goto
• M. Matsumato as Hana
• William Elmer as Murphy

Preservation

With no prints of The Honorable Friend located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film.^[5]