The House of Lies (1916 film)

For the German film, see The House of Lies (1926 film).

The House of Lies is a 1916 American silent film drama directed by William Desmond Taylor and written by L. V. Jefferson. The film stars Edna Goodrich, Juan de la Cruz, Kathleen Kirkham, Lucille Ward, Harold Holland and Herbert Standing. The film was released on September 14, 1916, by Paramount Pictures.^[1][2]

The House of Lies
Lobby poster
Directed by	William Desmond Taylor
Screenplay by	L. V. Jefferson
Produced by	Oliver Morosco
Starring	Edna Goodrich Juan de la Cruz Kathleen Kirkham Lucille Ward Harold Holland Herbert Standing
Cinematography	Homer Scott
Production company	Oliver Morosco Photoplay Company
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	September 14, 1916 (1916-09-14)
Running time	50 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Trade release poster.

Plot

Realizing that her husband's inherited money is worryingly dwindling, Mrs. Coleman plans to find wealthy husbands for her daughter Dorothy and stepdaughter Edna. The latter, however, refuses to trade her beauty for money and inflicts herself with acid.

The family then pushes Edna aside. Dorothy, on the other hand, together with her mother, tries to be married by a poet, the rich Marcus Auriel. Edna, who has always been in love with Marcus's works, is hired by him as a secretary, revealing her stepmother's plans. Marcus, despite the scars on Edna's face, asks her to marry him. The girl agrees and then reveals that the scars are fake, like the acid was fake. And what disfigured her was simply greasepaint.

Cast

• Edna Goodrich as Edna Coleman
• Juan de la Cruz as Marcus Auriel
• Kathleen Kirkham as Dorothy
• Lucille Ward as Mrs. Coleman
• Harold Holland as Winthrop Haynes
• Herbert Standing as Dr. Barnes

Preservation

• Though the Library of Congress's database shows no Holdings for the film (*now it does, LOC updated January 2017), an older print catalog has the film as incomplete in the Library of Congress's collection.^[3][4]