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{{more citations needed|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name= The Man of the West
| name= The Man of the West
| image= Millionaireforaday1912.tiff
| image= Millionaireforaday1912.tiff
| caption= John R. Cumpson (center, seated) in a scene from the film.
| caption= Cumpson (center, seated) in a scene from the film.
| director= Frederick A. Thomson
| director= Frederick A. Thomson
| producer= [[Carl Laemmle]] <br />[[Independent Moving Pictures]]
| producer= [[Carl Laemmle]] <br />[[Independent Moving Pictures]]
| writer= Frederick A. Thomson
| writer= Frederick A. Thomson
| starring= [[John R. Cumpson]] <br />[[Hayward Mack]]
| starring= [[John R. Cumpson]]
| music=
| music=
| cinematography=
| cinematography=
| editing=
| editing=
| distributor= Motion Picture Distributors and Sales Company
| distributor= Motion Picture Distributors and Sales Company
| released= {{start date|1912|4|22}}
| released= {{start date|1912|4|22}}<ref name=MPNews/>
| runtime=
| runtime=
| country= United States
| country= United States
Line 19: Line 18:
| gross=
| gross=
}}
}}
'''''A Millionaire for a Day''''' is a 1912 American silent comedy film starring [[John R. Cumpson]]. It was produced by the [[Independent Moving Pictures]] (IMP) Company of New York.
'''''A Millionaire for a Day''''' is a 1912 American silent comedy [[short film]] starring [[John R. Cumpson]]. It was produced by the [[Independent Moving Pictures]] (IMP) Company of New York.<ref name=MPNews>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fCRJAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA14-PA16 |title=IMP Releases |magazine=[[Motion Picture News]] |volume=V |number=15 |date=April 13, 1912 |page=16}}</ref>

The story is based on a real-life incident reported in newspapers across the United States in January 1912.<ref name=Calumet>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99423820/millionaire-for-a-day-info/ |title=The Picture Houses |date=May 21, 1912 |newspaper=The Calumet News |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref> A John Jay McDevitt of [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania]], sold an accidental nomination for county treasurer for $2500 and traveled to [[New York City]] with an entourage (a doctor, a secretary, a valet and about 20 guests) on a special train, making speeches to appreciative audiences at stops along the way and arriving with only $72.40 left. There he fulfilled his ambition of acting the way he believed a millionaire would, spending and tipping lavishly.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98969700/john-jay-mcdevitt-millionaire-for-a-day/ |title=High Life for McDevitt |date=January 13, 1912 |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=11 |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98969562/millionaire-for-a-day/ |title=Millionaire For A Day Is Back Home And Broke |date=January 15, 1912 |newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |page=4 |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Plot==
Mechanic Fred Dudley goes to New York City and squanders his entire inheritance in a day. Then, broke but wiser, he returns home to Wilkes-Barre.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fCRJAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA14-PA35 |title=Manufacturers' Synopses of Films: A Millionaire for a Day |magazine=Motion Picture News |volume=V |number=15 |date=April 13, 1912 |pages=35–36}}</ref>

==Cast==
* John R. Cumpson as Fred Dudley
* Frank Russell as The Foreman
* [[Frank Hall Crane]] as The Bank Cashier
* [[Hayward Mack]] as The Bank Teller
* [[Walter Long (actor)|Walter Long]] as The Clerk in the Clothing Store
* Rogers J.R. as The Gambler
* William Cunningham as The Judge

==Preservation status==
According to one source, [[George Eastman Museum|George Eastman House]] has three film frames in its collection.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/progettoturconi/clip.php?CLIP_NUMBER=5943 |title=Dettagli frammento / Clip details |website=cinetecadelfriuli.org}}</ref>

== Reception ==
''[[Record-Journal|The Meridian Daily Journal]]'' noted that the film was a "screaming comedy".<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 16, 1912 |title=Airdome and Crystal |newspaper=The Meridian Daily Journal |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99424319/movie-listings/}} {{open access}}</ref> ''The Calumet News'' also covered the film, reviewing it favorably.<ref name=Calumet/>

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0339509|A Millionaire for a Day}}
* {{IMDb title|0358591}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Millionaire for a Day}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Millionaire for a Day}}
[[Category:1912 films]]
[[Category:1912 films]]
[[Category:American comedy films]]
[[Category:1912 comedy films]]
⚫
[[Category:1912 short films]]
[[Category:Silent American comedy films]]
[[Category:American films based on actual events]]
[[Category:American silent short films]]
[[Category:American silent short films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:1912 short films]]
[[Category:American comedy short films]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:Independent Moving Pictures films]]
[[Category:1912 comedy films]]
[[Category:1910s American films]]
⚫
[[Category:Comedy short films]]


{{1910s-short-comedy-film-stub}}

Latest revision as of 23:35, 24 September 2022

The Man of the West
Cumpson (center, seated) in a scene from the film.
Directed byFrederick A. Thomson
Written byFrederick A. Thomson
Produced byCarl Laemmle
Independent Moving Pictures
StarringJohn R. Cumpson
Distributed byMotion Picture Distributors and Sales Company
Release date
April 22, 1912 (1912-04-22)[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles

A Millionaire for a Day is a 1912 American silent comedy short film starring John R. Cumpson. It was produced by the Independent Moving Pictures (IMP) Company of New York.[1]

The story is based on a real-life incident reported in newspapers across the United States in January 1912.[2] A John Jay McDevitt of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, sold an accidental nomination for county treasurer for $2500 and traveled to New York City with an entourage (a doctor, a secretary, a valet and about 20 guests) on a special train, making speeches to appreciative audiences at stops along the way and arriving with only $72.40 left. There he fulfilled his ambition of acting the way he believed a millionaire would, spending and tipping lavishly.[3][4]

Plot[edit]

Mechanic Fred Dudley goes to New York City and squanders his entire inheritance in a day. Then, broke but wiser, he returns home to Wilkes-Barre.[5]

Cast[edit]

  • John R. Cumpson as Fred Dudley
  • Frank Russell as The Foreman
  • Frank Hall Crane as The Bank Cashier
  • Hayward Mack as The Bank Teller
  • Walter Long as The Clerk in the Clothing Store
  • Rogers J.R. as The Gambler
  • William Cunningham as The Judge

Preservation status[edit]

According to one source, George Eastman House has three film frames in its collection.[6]

Reception[edit]

The Meridian Daily Journal noted that the film was a "screaming comedy".[7] The Calumet News also covered the film, reviewing it favorably.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "IMP Releases". Motion Picture News. Vol. V, no. 15. April 13, 1912. p. 16.
  2. ^ a b "The Picture Houses". The Calumet News. May 21, 1912 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "High Life for McDevitt". The Boston Globe. January 13, 1912. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Millionaire For A Day Is Back Home And Broke". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 15, 1912. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Manufacturers' Synopses of Films: A Millionaire for a Day". Motion Picture News. Vol. V, no. 15. April 13, 1912. pp. 35–36.
  6. ^ "Dettagli frammento / Clip details". cinetecadelfriuli.org.
  7. ^ "Airdome and Crystal". The Meridian Daily Journal. August 16, 1912 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Millionaire_for_a_Day&oldid=1112156587"