Peter Pan – Silent (1924)

Description

Peter Pan is a 1924 American silent adventure film released by Paramount Pictures, the first film adaptation of the 1904 play by J. M. Barrie. It was directed by Herbert Brenon and starred Betty Bronson as Peter Pan, Ernest Torrence as Captain Hook, Mary Brian as Wendy, Virginia Browne Faire as Tinker Bell, Esther Ralston as Mrs. Darling, and Anna May Wong as the American Indian princess Tiger Lily.

Plot
As described in a review in a film magazine, Mrs. Darling (Ralston) is worried because she has seen a boyish face at the nursery window and found a shadow on the floor, but reluctantly goes to a party with her husband (Chadwick). Because Mr. Darling is so strict, the family cannot keep a nurse, so the three children are left in charge of the dog Nana (Ali). Soon the lively boy Peter Pan (Bronson) appears at the window with the fairy Tinker Bell (Faire), and he finds his shadow in a desk drawer. Wendy (Brian), the oldest child, awakens and sees Peter, and he tells her of his home in the woods and about the fairies. Peter teaches the children to fly and they go away to Never Never Land to join the colony of Lost Boys, who have fallen out of carriages when their nurses were not looking. Tinker Bell is jealous and prompts one of the Lost Boys to shoot Wendy, thinking she is a bird, and she almost dies. The boys, who live in an underground home, adopt Wendy as their mother. A band of American Indians is friendly and battle a band of pirates led by Captain Hook (Torrence), but are defeated. The Captain hates Peter because he blames him for a crocodile that once bit off his hand. Because the crocodile follows him, the Captain fears him and feeds it an alarm clock so that its tick-tock will warn him of its approach. The pirates carry off the children and leave poison in Peter’s medicine. Tinker Bell drinks the poison and almost dies, but is saved when the children in the audience say that they believe in fairies. Peter enlists the aid of mermaids to get aboard the pirate ship and, with the help of the Proud Boys, they fight and conquer the pirates. Wendy and the children then fly back home. Mrs. Darling, who has grieved, thinks she is dreaming when she sees her children until they rush up on her. Wendy wants to keep Peter, but he says he never wants to grow up. Mrs. Darling agrees to allow Wendy to go back once a year to help Peter with his spring cleaning, and he leaves to go back to the home in the woods. Mr. and Mrs. Darling adopt all of the Lost Boys.

Cast:

• Betty Bronson as Peter Pan
• Ernest Torrence as Captain Hook
• Mary Brian as Wendy Darling
• Jack Murphy as John Darling
• Philippe De Lacy as Michael Darling
• Virginia Brown Faire as Tinker Bell
• George Ali as Nana the Dog and Crocodile
• Esther Ralston as Mrs. Darling
• Cyril Chadwick as Mr. Darling
• Anna May Wong as Tiger Lily
• Maurice Murphy as Tootles
• Mickey McBan as Slightly
• George Crane Jr. as Curly
• Winston Doty as 1st Twin
• Weston Doty as 2nd Twin
• Terence McMillan as Nibs
• Louis Morrison as Gentleman Starkey
• Edward Kipling as Smee
• Robert Milasch as Kelt