The Miracle Man
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
George Loane Tucker
Thomas Meighan
Betty Compson
Lon Chaney
J. M. Dumont
W. Lawson Butt
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A gang consisting of the Frog, who can dislocate his limbs, the Dope, a drug addict, Rose, who poses as the Dope's brutalized mistress, and Burke, the leader, prey on the sympathies and contributions of Chinatown sightseers, until Tom, reading about a deaf, dumb and nearly blind supposed faith healer called the Patriarch, living upstate, plans to take greater advantage of the public's gullibility. Rose poses as the patriarch's long-lost niece and the Frog fakes a cure, when a real crippled boy, inspired by seeing the Frog's contorted limbs healed, walks for the first time. When news spreads and other cures occur, the gang collects much money, but gradually each member, influenced by the Patriarch and the country atmosphere, changes for the better. The Frog becomes an adopted son to a widow, while the Dope falls in love. When Rose almost falls for a millionaire, Tom overcomes his murderous jealousy and, renouncing his past, declares his love. After the Patriarch dies, Tom and Rose marry.
Director
George Loane Tucker
Cast
Thomas Meighan
Betty Compson
Lon Chaney
J. M. Dumont
W. Lawson Butt
Elinor Fair
F. A. Turner
Lucille Hutton
Joseph J. Dowling
Frankie Lee
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Believed to be lost, except for one scene included in Paramount's "Movie Milestones" series, as well as a segment in House That Shadows Built, The (1931). Please check your attic.
The same scene was recreated in Man of a Thousand Faces (1957).
In 1921, Photoplay magazine conducted a poll from readers as to what the best movie made yet had been. This movie ranked at number 1, outdoing Charles Chaplin's Kid, The (1921) and D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919).
In Chicago, airplanes dropped free tickets to the film, and small coins were scattered about town that said "The Miracle Man Is Here" on one side, and "Have faith, Keep this" on the other.
Notes
The novel first appeared in the February 1914 issue of Munsey's Magazine. There was an invitation-only screening for this film on August 11, 1919. The first public showing was in New York on August 26, 1919. Norman Z. McLeod directed a 1932 remake of this story for Paramount, which starred Sylvia Sidney and Chester Morris.
