Thundering Dawn
{{short description|1923 film by Harry Garson}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Thundering Dawn
| image = File:Thundering Dawn lobby card.jpg
| caption = Lobby card
| director = Harry Garson
| producer = Harry Garson
| writer = Raymond L. Schrock
Lenore Coffee
John F. Goodrich
| starring = J. Warren Kerrigan
Anna Q. Nilsson
Thomas Santschi
| cinematography = Charles Richardson
Louis Physioc
Elmer Ellsworth
| distributor = Universal Pictures
| released = {{film date|1923|11|5}}
| runtime = 7 reels
| country = United States
| language = Silent (English intertitles)
| budget =
| gross =
}}
File:Thundering Dawn lobby card 3.jpg
Thundering Dawn is a 1923 American silent film directed and produced by Harry Garson. The story was originally written by John Blackwood and was adapted by Universal City scenario editor, Raymond L. Schrock. Lenore Coffee and John F. Goodrich are also credited for working on the screenplay. The film stars J. Warren Kerrigan, Anna Q. Nilsson, and Thomas Santschi. It was released on November 5, 1923. Before settling on Thundering Dawn, the film had two working titles; Havoc and The Bond of the Ring.{{Cite book|title = The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Volume One, Part One|publisher = Berkeley: University of California Press|year = 1981|pages = 811}}
Plot
A young man by the name of Jack Standish (played by J. Warren Kerrigan) disappears on the eve of his marriage after the discovery of a financial scandal involving his father, John Standish (played by Winter Hall). In order to protect his father from public disgrace, Jack suddenly flees Boston and thus takes the fall. The young Bostonian ends up fleeing to Java and inevitably succumbs to the lure of the tropics. Months later, his fiance, Mary Rogers (played by Anna Q. Nilsson) follows him to Java in hopes of bringing him home. Once Mary finds him, she is faced with the challenge of reviving him, both mentally and physically. Her task becomes more difficult when a native by the name of Lullaby Lou (played by Winifred Bryson), and a Dutch trader by the name of Gordon Van Brock (played by Thomas Santschi) try to interfere with the couple. Mary and Jack are able to escape when a tropical storm hits and spawns a typhoon that destroys the coastal settlement.{{Cite news|title =Thundering Dawn with tropical set, opens Palace today |date = January 20, 1924|work = Historical Newspaper}}{{Cite news|title =Plunges right into heart of his story|date = August 8, 1923|work = Historical Newspaper}}{{Cite news|title = Thundering Dawn, Next at Miller's|date = November 16, 1923|work = Historical Newspaper}}
Cast
- J. Warren Kerrigan as Jack Standish
- Anna Q. Nilsson as Mary Rogers
- Winifred Bryson as Lullaby Lou
- Richard Kean as The Professor
- Thomas Santschi as Gordon Van Brock
- Edward Burns as Michael Carmichael
- Charles Clary as Morgan Sprott
- Herbert Fortier as The Doctor
- Winter Hall as John Standish
- Georgie Woodthorpe as Phoebe Standish
- Anna May Wong as The Honky Tonk Girl
Production
File:Thundering Dawn lobby card 2.jpg
The typhoon scene at the end of the film was shot at the Garson Studio. Forty-six thousand gallons of water was used, along with twelve wind machines which swirled the water around and flooded the Garson Studio. Harry Garson had eight cameras capturing the scene. Lenore Ulrich, who was the star of a David Belasco film, visited the set on the day they filmed this particular scene and said, "It was the most wonderful thing I've ever seen, either on stage or in a studio."{{Cite news|title =Typhoon thrills Lenore|date = June 16, 1923|work = Historical Newspaper}}
Preservation
While Thundering Dawn is presumed to be a lost film, a copy of its trailer is held by the Library of Congress.[http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/T/ThunderingDawn1923.html Progressive Silent Film List: Thundering Dawn] at silentera.com
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Thundering Dawn (film)}}
- {{IMDb title|id=0014545}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120725015500/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6b86138b Film stills] at the British Film Institute
{{Harry Garson}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thundering Dawn}}
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:American silent feature films
Category:Films directed by Harry Garson