Old Ironsides (1926)

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Long derided by film historians as a talented but visually unimaginative director, James Cruze made up for any and all past artistic sins with his rousing Old Ironsides. Per its title, this 11-reel silent film is set at the time of Stephen Decatur's defeat of the Barbary pirates in Tripoli. Decatur… More Long derided by film historians as a talented but visually unimaginative director, James Cruze made up for any and all past artistic sins with his rousing Old Ironsides. Per its title, this 11-reel silent film is set at the time of Stephen Decatur's defeat of the Barbary pirates in Tripoli. Decatur himself (played by comic actor Johnnie Walker) is a secondary character herein -- most of the screen time goes to the romantic leads, able-bodied seaman Charles Farrell and damsel-in-permanent-distress Esther Ralston. The acting honors go to those inveterate scene-stealers Wallace Beery and George Bancroft, cast respectively as Bos'n and Gunner. The film accommodates everything from outsized sea battles to a daring rescue from the clutches of the lustful pirates. A life-sized replica of "Old Ironsides" (aka the "Constitution") was built for the film; it remained a useful piece of bric-a-brac for many a subsequent Paramount seafaring epic. When originally released, the film utilized a wide-screen technique during many of the battle sequences. The videocassette version of Old Ironsides is, of course, unable to convey this, but it does have the bonus of a rousing musical score by Gaylord Carter. This print, incidentally, is crystal clear, enabling sharp-eyed viewers to spot Boris Karloff in a bit as a menacing Saracen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: James Cruze
Genres: Action & Adventure

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Cast

            Esther Ralston as Esther

            Charles Farrell as The Commodore

            Wallace Beery as Bos'n

            George Bancroft as Gunner

            George Godfrey as Cook

            Charles Hill Mailes as Capt. Preble

            Johnnie Walker as Lt. Stephen Decatur

            Richard Alexander as Extra

            Richard Arlen as Extra

            William Bakewell as Extra

            William Conklin as Esther's Father

            Gary Cooper as Extra

            Nick De Ruiz as The Bashaw

            Effie Ellsler as Esther's Mother

            Eddie Fetherstone as Lieutenant Somers

            Jack Herrick as Sailor

            Frank Jonasson as Pirate Captain

            Duke Kahanamoku as Pirate Captain

            Boris Karloff as A Saracen Guard

            Fred Kohler as 2nd Mate

            Tetsu Komai as Pirate

            Mitchell Lewis as Pirate Chief

            Spec O'Donnell as Cabin Boy

            Guy Oliver as 1st Mate

            Frank Bonner as Pirate Captain
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