An excellent silent comedy starring unjustly forgotten star Douglas MacLean. Its indictment of pharmaceutical entrepreneurs is far sharper than Side Effects'.
Acting
MacLean's elastic face sells every con and comeuppance.
Direction
Nelson keeps 56 minutes tight—no fat, all pratfalls.
Writing
Script bites harder than most modern pharma takedowns.
Director
Jack Nelson
Douglas MacLean
Jimmy Knight
Victor Potel
Jingo Pitts
Frances Raymond
Granma Knight
Andrew Robson
Silas P. Rogers
Robert Dudley
Rogers' Attorney (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas
Prosecutor (uncredited)
Patsy Ruth Miller
Assembly Line Worker (uncredited)
George H. Reed
J. Wellington Norcross - Townsman (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale
Judge (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Douglas MacLean was a massive 1920s star who produced his own films—rare autonomy that studios later buried.
Released during peak patent medicine regulation battles, the film weaponizes slapstick against actual congressional targets.
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