The Mad Whirl

The Mad Whirl is a 1925 American jazz age black-and-white silent drama film about the "loosening of youth morals" that took place during the 1920s. Written by Edward T. Lowe Jr. and Lewis Milestone, and directed by William A. Seiter for Universal Pictures, the film stars May McAvoy and Jack Mulhall.[1][2][3][4][5] The film was released during the Prohibition era, when the sale of alcoholic drinks in the United States was banned.

The Mad Whirl
Theatrical poster
Directed byWilliam A. Seiter
Written byEdward T. Lowe Jr.
Lewis Milestone
Screenplay byAdaptation:
Fanny Hatton
Frederic Hatton
Intertitles:
Harvey Thew
Based onHere's How
by Richard Washburn Child
Produced byCarl Laemmle
StarringMay McAvoy
Jack Mulhall
Myrtle Stedman
Barbara Bedford
CinematographyMerritt B. Gerstad
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • March 1, 1925 (1925-03-01) (USA)
Running time
80 minutes
35mm, 7 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

Cathleen Gillis (May McAvoy) falls in love with Jack Herrington (Jack Mulhall). Martin Gillis (George Fawcett), Cathleen's loving father, is stern, very religious, and runs an ice cream shop. Cathleen is an obedient daughter and conservative in her views as well. Jack however, has a routine that includes wild parties hosted by his parents, Gladys and John (Myrtle Stedman and Alec B. Francis), who think it is better to be their son's friend by their providing bootleg whiskey and a place to have all-night parties. Jack's lifestyle places him at odds with Cathleen's, but he promises her that he will change his ways. He backslides several times, but in the end is reformed by Cathleen's love, and they elope. After the elopement, Gladys and John get a stern lecture on temperance and sobriety from Martin and reform their ways as well.

Cast

References

  1. William K. Everson (1998). American Silent Film. Da Capo Press. p. 146. ISBN 0-306-80876-5.
  2. Rachel Black (2010). Alcohol in Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-313-38048-8.
  3. Joel Waldo Finler (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. p. 261. ISBN 1-903364-66-3.
  4. Clive Hirschhorn (1983). The Universal Story. Crown. p. 48. ISBN 9780517550014.
  5. Progressive Silent Film List: The Mad Whirl at silentera.com


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