Saturday Night (Silent)

High society couple Dick Prentiss and Iris Van Suydam are engaged to be married. The wedding is called off when Iris becomes smitten with her handsome chauffeur Tom McGuire after he saves her life. At the same time, Dick falls for his cleaning woman, Shamrock O'Day, a friend of Tom's. Marriages ensue, but Dick quickly finds himself disgusted with Shamrock's love of jazz, chewing gum, and Ferris wheels. Meanwhile, Iris is fed up with Tom's noisy neighbors and once-a-week bathing ritual. When Tom and Shamrock slip off to Coney Island together, leaving Dick and Iris alone, the two couples realize they have been mismatched.

Saturday Night was not a typical film for the legendary Cecil B. DeMille. The actor-turned-director specialized in big-budget historical dramas such as The Sign of the Cross (1932), Cleopatra (1934) and Samson and Delilah (1949). However, DeMille's trademark visual flair can still be found in the beautiful views of New York's Coney Island. DeMille sought out star Leatrice Joy after she appeared opposite Lon Chaney in The Ace of Hearts and Voices of the City (both 1921). Replacing Gloria Swanson as DeMille's preferred leading lady, she would go on to star in Manslaughter (1922) as well as playing Mary in the director's first version of The Ten Commandments (1923). Alfred Hitchcock included Saturday Night on a list of his top 10 favorite films.

• silent