Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927 film)
Encyclopedia
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a silent film
directed by Harry A. Pollard
and released by Universal Pictures
. The film is based on the eponymous novel
written by Harriett Beecher Stowe and was the last silent film version.
In this version of the film, all of the major slave roles, with the exception of Uncle Tom himself, were portrayed by white actors. Actress Mona Ray played the slave Topsy in blackface
, while the slaves Eliza, George, Cassie and Harry were all presented as having very light skin coloring because of mixed-race heritage. This film was released on DVD in 1999 by Kino.
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Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
directed by Harry A. Pollard
Harry A. Pollard
Harry A. Pollard was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter who in total was involved in over 300 film productions...
and released by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
. The film is based on the eponymous novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
written by Harriett Beecher Stowe and was the last silent film version.
In this version of the film, all of the major slave roles, with the exception of Uncle Tom himself, were portrayed by white actors. Actress Mona Ray played the slave Topsy in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
, while the slaves Eliza, George, Cassie and Harry were all presented as having very light skin coloring because of mixed-race heritage. This film was released on DVD in 1999 by Kino.
Cast
- Margarita FischerMargarita FischerMargarita Fischer was an American actress in silent motion pictures and stage productions.-Formative Years As A Theatrical Stock Player:...
- Eliza - James B. Lowe - Uncle Tom
- Arthur Edmund CareweArthur Edmund CareweArthur Edmund Carewe , was an Armenian-American actor in the silent and early sound film era.-Early life:Born Hovsep Hovsepian in Trabzon , Ottoman Empire, Carewe was from a prosperous family in his native country...
- George Harris - George SiegmannGeorge SiegmannGeorge Siegmann was an American actor in the silent film era. His more notable roles include Silas Lynch in Griffith's Birth of A Nation , the guard in the 1927 film The Cat and the Canary, Porthos in The Three Musketeers , Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist , and Dr...
- Simon Legree - Eulalie JensenEulalie JensenEulalie Jensen was an actress on the New York stage and in silent films.Born in Chicago, she was selected as one of six extra girls from the 200 applicants responding to a New York newspaper ad inserted by Sarah Bernhardt. The famed actress was making a visit to New York City...
- Cassie - Mona RayMona RayMona Ray was an American stage and screen comedian / actress from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. Her most famous role was an appearance in black face as the mischievous slave Topsy in the 1927 silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin...
- Topsy - Virginia GreyVirginia GreyVirginia Grey was an American actress.She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of director Ray Grey. One of her early babysitters was movie star Gloria Swanson. Grey debuted at the age of ten in the silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin as Little Eva...
- Eva St. Clare - Lassie Lou Ahern - Little Harry
- Lucien LittlefieldLucien LittlefieldLucien Littlefield was an American actor in the silent film era...
- Lawyer Marks - Adolph Milar - Mr. Tom Haley
- J. Gordon Russell - Tom Loker
- Gertrude Howard - Aunt Chloe, (Uncle Tom's wife)
- Jack MowerJack MowerJack Mower was an American film actor. He appeared in 526 films between 1914 and 1962.He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* Destination Tokyo...
- Mr. Shelby - Vivien Oakland - Mrs. Shelby
- John Roche - Augustine St. Clare
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- Dick SutherlandDick SutherlandDick Sutherland was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 76 films between 1921 and 1932. His crude threatening looking features were a result of acromegaly...
- Sambo - ?Rondo HattonRondo HattonRondo Hatton was an American actor who had a brief, but prolific career playing thuggish bit parts in many Hollywood B-movies. He was known for his brutish facial features which were the result of acromegaly, a disorder of the pituitary gland.-Biography:Hatton was born Rondo K...
- Sambo #2