The Humming Bird

1924 film by Sidney Olcott

January 13, 1924 (1924-01-13)

Running time

80 mins.CountryUnited StatesLanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Humming Bird (also known as Les loups de Montmartre) is a 1924 American silent crime drama film directed by Sidney Olcott and starring Gloria Swanson. Produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is based on the play of the same name by Maude Fulton, who also starred in the Broadway production.^[1]^[2]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,^[3] Toinette, alias "The Humming Bird" and member of the Apaches, commits many successful robberies in Paris while disguised as a young man. She falls in love with Randall Carey, an American newspaper correspondent. Randall joins the army when war breaks out. Toinette persuades her Apache confederate to enlist. She is jailed, but escapes during a Zeppelin bombardment and joins her wounded lover at his aunt's residence. The authorities pardon her and she finds happiness with Randall.

Cast

Gloria Swanson as Toinette
Edmund Burns as Randall Carey
William Ricciardi as Papa Jacques
Cesare Gravina as Charlot
Mario Majeroni as La Roche
Adrienne D'Ambricourt as The Owl
Helen Lindroth as Henrietta Rutherford
Rafael Bonqini as Bouchet
Regina Quinn as Beatrice
Aurelio Coccia as Bosque
Jacques D'Auray as Zi-Zi

Production

The film was shot at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens.^[2]

Preservation

A print of The Humming Bird is housed at the Library of Congress and the Nederlands Filmmuseum.^[4]^[5]

References

^ White Munden, Kenneth, ed. (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog Of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1921-1930, Part 1. University of California Press. p. 368. ISBN 0-520-20969-9.
^ ^a ^b Progressive Silent Film List: The Humming Bird at silentera.com
^ Pardy, George T. (January 26, 1924). "Box Office Reviews: The Humming Bird". Exhibitors Trade Review. 15 (10). New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation: 27. Retrieved July 25, 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature film Survival Catalog: The Humming Bird
^ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artist Collection at The Library of Congress, p. 85, c.1978 by The American Film Institute