Daddy | |
---|---|
Directed by | E. Mason Hopper |
Produced by | Sol Lesser |
Story by |
Jack Coogan Sr. Lillian Coogan |
Starring |
Jackie Coogan Arthur Edmund Carewe Josie Sedgwick Cesare Gravina |
Cinematography |
Frank B. Good Robert Martin |
Edited by | Irene Morra |
Distributed by | Associated First National Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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60 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent English intertitles |
Daddy is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper for Associated First National Pictures. It stars Jackie Coogan, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Josie Sedgwick, and Cesare Gravina. The script was written by Jackie Coogan's parents, Jack and Lillian. Coogan plays the son of a poor violin teacher who is separated from his father when his parents break up their marriage, only to be reunited again when his father makes it as a famous musician. The film was shot on six reels.
Paul, a violin teacher with great musical talent, teaches music and performs to earn a living for his family. Helene, his wife, views her husband's love for music as a competitor for his affections. She comes to believe that Paul's attention to his students and the admiration he receives after a performance are leading him away from their marriage, so she leaves home with their baby son, Jackie. Paul tries to find his family, but there is no trace of them.
Helene took Jackie to the country home of her parents' friends, the Holdens. Jackie has a happy life on their farm, but knows nothing about his father. The boy discovers an old violin in his mother's possessions and tries to play it. Though it makes his mother sad to see Jackie with the violin, the boy is determined to master the instrument. After the death of his mother when Jackie was eight years old; he continued living with the Holdens. When the boy became aware that the older couple was struggling with expenses, he tried to find a way to make things easier for them. Jackie remembered a teacher at school saying that despite his never having any music lessons, he played the violin well enough to make a fine living at it. He packed his violin and a picture of his mother and set off on foot for New York City to try his luck there.
By the time he arrived in the city, he had earned some money by playing in the towns he stopped at on his way. When Jackie heard wonderful violin music on a New York City street corner, he discovered an older gentleman named Cesare playing there for pennies. Cesare welcomed him as a fellow music lover and sensed immediately that Jackie was all alone in the big city. He took the boy home with him. Jackie told Cesare about his mother and the Holdens and Cesare told him about the great violinists he had known. Cesare put Jackie to work on fingering exercises and scales; the two musicians played on the street together during the day and went home together each evening.