Silent Era Information*Progressive Silent Film List*Lost Films*People*Theatres
Taylorology*Articles*Home Video*Books*Search
 
Pandora's Box BD
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  PSFL  >  A House Built Upon Sand (1916)
 
Progressive Silent Film List
A growing source of silent era film information.
This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett.
Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.
About This Listing

Report Omissions or Errors
in This Listing

 

A House Built Upon Sand
Also known as {The House Built Upon Sand}
(1916) United States of America
B&W : Five reels
Directed by Edward Morrissey

Cast: Lillian Gish [Evelyn Dare], Roy Stewart [David Westebrooke], William H. Brown [Samuel Stevens], Bessie Buskirk [Josie], Jack Brammall [Ted], Josephine Crowell [Mrs. Shockley], Kate Bruce [the Westebrooke housekeeper], Mae Giraci [a child], Beulah Burns [a child], Thelma Burns [a child], Raymond Lee [a child], Baby Spofford [the baby], Clay McConnell

The Fine Arts Film Company production; distributed by Triangle Distributing Corporation. / Scenario by [?] Mary H. O’Connor?, from a screen story by Mary H. O’Connor. Cinematography by Phillip R. Du Bois. / Released 31 December 1916. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.

Comedy-Drama.

Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Evelyn Dare is a butterfly of fashion. David Westebrooke, her fiancé, is an altruist interested in sociology. He has made his home in the factory town of Oreville, where he works among his employees as factory manager. The two young people were affianced by their parents, and although they have not seen each other for a number of years they are strongly attracted to each other and have no desire to break the engagement. When David discovers that Evelyn plans an elaborate wedding and that he is scheduled to appear at a series of smart social functions, he rebels. Through his attorney, he arranges a marriage, and afterward tells his wife that she is to accompany him to their home and telegraph her friends that she has run away. Evelyn opposes chis, but David is firm. He takes her to their home in the factory town and there orders his housekeeper to take away her useless clothes and to supply those befitting the wife of a factory manager. For some time Evelyn is miserable. Finally she becomes interested in the life of the factory town and starts a woman’s club for the benefit of the factory workers. David maintains a club for the men of the town, but they change it into a gambling den. Complications arise when the men become angry because their women folk also have a club. This is aggravated when Ted, the husband of Josie, a mill-hand, returns from a term in prison and proceeds to poison Evelyn's mind against her husband. The men’s club is burned down and David saves both Ted and Josie from the burning building. In the meantime Evelyn returns to her home, taking Josie’s baby with her. After a time Ted, becoming conscience-smitten, goes to Evelyn and tells her the truth. David becomes lonely for his wife and leaves the factory town. There follows a reconciliation between him and Evelyn, the latter promising to assist him in his work, not only for love of him, but also because she is now interested in the people of the factory. • Additional synopsis available in AFI-F1 n. F1.2050.

Survival status: (unknown)

Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].

Listing updated: 6 January 2025.

References: AFI-F1 n. F1.2050; Lahue-Triangle p. 137; Weaver-Twenty p. 146 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.

 
Silent Era Home Page  >  PSFL  >  A House Built Upon Sand (1916)
 
The Freshman BD
Become a Patron of Silent Era

LINKS IN THIS COLUMN
WILL TAKE YOU TO
EXTERNAL WEBSITES

SUPPORT SILENT ERA
USING THESE LINKS
WHEN SHOPPING AT
AMAZON

AmazonUS
AmazonCA
AmazonUK

Woman of Paris BD

Oscar Micheaux Collection BD

Little Rascals Vol 1 BD

Beloved Rogue BD

Hitchcock: Beginning BD

Cat and the Canary Standard BD

The Love Light BD

Blood Ship BD