Abraham Lincoln (1924 film)

For the short film made in Phonofilm starring Frank McGlynn, Sr. as Lincoln, see Abraham Lincoln (1924 film short).

The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln is a 1924 American feature film directed by Phil Rosen and written by Frances Marion.^[1] By the date of release, the film's title was shortened to Abraham Lincoln, since the previous title was regarded as cumbersome.^[2]

Abraham Lincoln
Film poster
Directed by	Phil Rosen
Written by	Frances Marion (story and screenplay)
Produced by	Al Rockett Ray Rockett
Starring	George A. Billings Ruth Clifford Irene Hunt Louise Fazenda
Cinematography	H. Lyman Broening Robert Kurrle
Music by	Joseph Carl Breil
Production company	Rockett-Lincoln Productions
Distributed by	Associated First National
Release dates	January 21, 1924 (1924-01-21) (New York City premiere) February 2, 1924 (1924-02-02) (U.S.)
Running time	120 minutes (12 reels); 150 minutes (15 reels) at NYC premiere
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

George Billings

Plot

Cast

• George A. Billings as Abraham Lincoln
• Danny Hoy as Lincoln as a boy
• Ruth Clifford as Ann Rutledge
• Irene Hunt as Nancy Hanks Lincoln
• Fay McKenzie as Sarah Lincoln
• Westcott Clarke as Thomas Lincoln
• Charles K. French as Isom Enlow
• William J. Humphrey as Stephen A. Douglas
• A. Edward Sutherland as William Scott (billed as Eddie Sutherland)
• Louise Fazenda as Sally
• William F. Moran as John Wilkes Booth
• Walter Rogers as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
• James Welch as Gen. Robert E. Lee
• Willis Marks as Secretary of State William H. Seward
• Fred Kohler as New Orleans slave auctioneer
• Pat Hartigan as Jack Armstrong
• Otis Harlan as Denton Offutt
• Jules Hanft as James Rutledge
• Julia Hesse as Mrs. Rutledge
• Robert Bolder as country politician
• William McIllwain as Dr. Allen
• Robert Milasch as Southern planter
• George Reehm as Southern planter
• Genevieve Blinn as Mrs. Ninian Edwards, Mary's sister
• Mickey Moore as Willie Lincoln
• Newton Hall as Tad Lincoln
• Francis Powers as Richard J. Oglesby
• Homer Willits as John Hay, Lincoln's secretary
• Jim Blackwell as Tom
• Frances Raymond as Scott's mother
• Jack Rollings as Union sentry
• Merrill McCormick as corporal of the guard (billed as William McCormick)
• Frank Newburg as Bixby
• W. John Steppling as delegation chairman
• Wanda Crazer as dancer
• Alfred Allen as General George Meade
• Miles McCarthy as Major/General Robert Anderson
• Earl Schenck as Colonel Henry Rathbone
• Dolly McLean as Miss Harris
• Cordelia Callahan as Mrs. Surratt
• Dallas Hope as stable boy
• Dick Johnson as bartender
• Jack Winn as Ned Spangler
• Lawrence Grant as actor at Ford's Theatre
• Ivy Livingston as actress at Ford's Theatre
• Kathleen Chambers as actress at Ford's Theatre
• Henry Rattenberry as stagehand
• W. L. McPheeters as Secret Service Chief Allan Pinkerton
• Nick Cogley as Secretary of War Simon Cameron
• Charles Smiley as Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase
• R. G. Dixon as Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles
• Harry Kelsey as Secretary of the Interior Caleb B. Smith
• Joseph S. Mills as Postmaster-General Montgomery Blair
• Fred Manly as Attorney-General Edward Bates
• William von Hardenburg as Attorney-General James Speed
• R. J. Duston as Postmaster-General William Dennison, Jr.

Awards

The movie won the Photoplay Medal of Honor for 1924 given out by Photoplay Magazine,^[3] the most prestigious American film award of its time.

Preservation status

Incomplete prints of the film, including some color-tinted and color-toned footage, exist in various film archives, including the National Film and Sound Archive and the Library of Congress.^[4]

See also

• Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
• List of films and television shows about the American Civil War
• List of incomplete or partially lost films
• List of actors who have played the President of the United States of America

References

1. IMDB entry
2. "'Abraham Lincoln' To Be Title of Picture". Exhibitors Herald. January 19, 1924. p. 33. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
3. "Awards for The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln (1924)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
4. "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln". silentera.com.

External links

• The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln at IMDb
• Progressive Silent Film List: The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln at silentera.com
• Theatrical advert for the New Lyric Theater in November 1924, announcing the film, which shares dual space with Circe, the Enchantress with Mae Murray