Beverly of Graustark

Beverly of Graustark
Lobby card
Directed by	Sidney Franklin
Written by	Agnes Christine Johnston (scenario) Joseph W. Farnham (titles)
Based on	Beverly of Graustark 1904 novel by George Barr McCutcheon
Starring	Marion Davies Antonio Moreno Creighton Hale
Cinematography	Percy Hilburn (*French)
Edited by	Frank E. Hull
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 19, 1926 (1926-04-19) (U.S.)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)
Budget	$399,000

Beverly of Graustark is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Marion Davies, Antonio Moreno, and Creighton Hale. The film's screenplay was written by Agnes Christine Johnston based on the novel by George Barr McCutcheon, and set in the fictional land of Graustark. The film features a final sequence in Technicolor. It was the first film by Sidney Franklin for MGM.

The story was filmed before in 1914 by the Biograph Company.

Copies of the film are held at Turner Broadcasting and the Library of Congress. Click on the Library of Congress external link below to watch the 1914 version of the film.

Plot

Beverly Calhoun impersonates the Prince of Graustark to claim his birthright while he recovers from a skiing injury. In the meantime, she falls for her bodyguard Dantan.

Cast

• Marion Davies as Beverly Calhoun
• Antonio Moreno as Dantan
• Creighton Hale as Prince Oscar
• Roy D'Arcy as General Marlanax
• Albert Gran as Duke Travina
• Paulette Duval as Carlotta
• Max Barwyn as Saranoff
• Charles Clary as Mr. Calhoun

Production

In her 22nd film, Marion Davies starred in yet another dual role as the American Beverly Calhoun who masquerades as her cousin Oscar, who happens to be the Prince of Graustark, a small European monarchy. This was the second time that Davies masqueraded as a male (see Little Old New York), and critics and audiences applauded the effort. The film is often cited as Davies' most profitable film because of low production costs and big box office. The only problem in filming was Davies' 10-day bout with the flu. This was her first teaming with Antonio Moreno, who played the royal bodyguard. The film boasted a 2-strip Technicolor finale (which survives). Davies' severe haircut, dubbed the "Beverly Bob," caused a fashion craze.

Restoration

The Library of Congress restored the 1926 film in 2019, scanning an original-release 35mm nitrate print in the Marion Davies Collection that included the 2-color Technicolor sequence in the 2nd half of the film's last reel. This 4K restoration was screened in October 2019 at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. Undercrank Productions released the restoration on Blu-ray and DVD in April 2022, featuring a new musical score by Ben Model.

See also

• List of early color feature films

External links

• Library of Congress viewable copy of the 1914 film (57 min. 4 sec.)
• Beverly of Graustark at IMDb
• Beverly of Graustark at the TCM Movie Database
• Beverly of Graustark at AllMovie
• Beverly of Graustark at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Still of Hale and Davies (University of Washington, Sayre collection)