A Harp in Hock

A Harp in Hock, also known as The Samaritan,[2] is a lost[3][4] 1927 American silent melodrama film directed by Renaud Hoffman, produced by DeMille Pictures, and distributed by Pathé Exchange. The film starred Rudolph Schildkraut, Junior Coghlan, May Robson, and Bessie Love,[1][5] and was based on the short story by Evelyn Campbell.[1]

A Harp in Hock
Film poster
Directed by	Renaud Hoffman Glenn Belt (ass't director)
Produced by	DeMille Pictures
Written by	Sonya Levien (scenario)
Based on	"A Harp in Hock" (story) by Evelyn Campbell[1]
Starring	Rudolph Schildkraut Junior Coghlan May Robson Bessie Love
Cinematography	Dewey Wrigley
Edited by	W. Donn Hayes
Production company	DeMille Pictures
Distributed by	Pathé Exchange
Release date	October 10, 1927 (U.S.)[1]
Running time	6 reels; 5,995 feet[1]
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Plot

In New York City, pawnbroker Isaac Adams (Schildkraut) must take in an orphaned immigrant boy Tommy (Coghlan) after his mother (Bartlett) dies. Tommy assists at the pawn shop and goes to school, but after a fight with a bully, the bully's mother Mrs. Banks (Robson) reports him to authorities and has him sent to an orphanage.

Tommy escapes and returns to New York, where he upsets Mrs. Banks and a riot breaks out, but Adams then adopts Tommy.[1][6][7][8]

Cast

• Rudolph Schildkraut as Isaac Abrams
• Junior Coghlan as Tommy Shannon
• May Robson as Mrs. Banks
• Bessie Love as Nora Banks
• Louis Natheaux as Nick
• Elsie Bartlett as Mrs. Shannon
• Mrs. Charles Mack as The Clock Woman
• Joseph Striker as Dr. Franz Mueller
• Adele Watson as Investigator
• Lillian Harmer as Sourface
• Clarence Burton as Plainclothesman
• Bobby Heck as Snipe Banks
• Austen Jewell (uncredited)
• Billy "Red" Jones (uncredited)

Reception

The film received positive reviews, particularly the performances of Schildkraut and Coghlan.[7][8]

References

1. Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 326. OCLC 664500075.
2. "A Harp in Hock". Présence du cinéma. 1966. p. 58.
3. Andersen, Arne. "The Lost Films of Pathé Exchange". Lost Film Files. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
4. "The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: A Harp in Hock". The Library of Congress.
5. Bennett, Carl (November 11, 2004). "Progressive Silent Film List: A Harp in Hock". Silent Era.
6. 1929 Motion Picture News Booking Guide. Motion Picture News. 1929. p. 124.
7. "'A Harp in Hock' – Sympathetic Pathe Film-Tale Told on 'Broadway Screen Has B.O. Pull". Moving Picture World. November 5, 1927. p. 22.
8. Ganly, Raymond (December 16, 1927). "Opinions on Pictures". Motion Picture News. p. 1903.

External links

• A Harp in Hock at IMDb
• A Harp in Hock at AllMovie
• A Harp in Hock at the American Film Institute Catalog
• A Harp in Hock at the British Film Institute
• Window card from the film
• Still at gettyimages.com