Merry-Go-Round (1923)

Director:

Rupert Julian
(more)

Writers:

Finis Fox (writer)
Harvey Gates (story)
(more)

Release Date:

3 September 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A nobleman, posing as a necktie salesman, falls in love with the daughter of a circus puppeteer, even though he is already married to the daughter of his country's war minister.

Plot Keywords:

Punctuation In Title | Hyphen In Title

Cast

Norman Kerry	...	Count Franz Maximilian Von Hohenegg
Mary Philbin	...	Agnes Urban
Dale Fuller	...	Marianka Huber
Maude George	...	Madame Elvira
Cesare Gravina	...	Sylvester Urban
George Hackathorne	...	Bartholomew Gruber
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Siegmann	...	Schani Huber
Lillian Sylvester	...	Mrs. Aurora Rossreiter
Anton Vaverka	...	Emperor Francis Joseph
Dorothy Wallace	...	Countess Gisella Von Steinbruck
Edith Yorke	...	Ursula Urban
Spottiswoode Aitken	...	Minister of War / Gisella's Father (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Gisella's Groom (uncredited)
Helen Broneau	...	Jane (uncredited)
Albert Conti	...	Rudi / Baron von Leightsinn (uncredited)
Al Edmundsen	...	Nepomuck Navrital (uncredited)
Charles King	...	Nicki (uncredited)
Fenwick Oliver	...	Eitel (uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	Guard (uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Jane Sherman	...	Maria (uncredited)

Directed by
Rupert Julian
Erich von Stroheim		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Finis Fox		writer
Harvey Gates		story
Mary O'Hara		titles
Erich von Stroheim		uncredited

Produced by
Irving Thalberg	....	producer

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(as William Daniels)
Charles E. Kaufman		(as Charles Kaufman)
Ben F. Reynolds		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
James C. McKay		(as James McKay)
Maurice Pivar		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Elmer Sheeley		(as E.E. Sheeley)
Richard Day		(uncredited)
Edgar G. Ulmer		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Richard Day		(uncredited)
Erich von Stroheim		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis Germonprez	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Edward Sowders	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Other crew
Harry B. Johnson	....	art titler
Carl Laemmle	....	presenter
Max Winkler	....	cue sheet compiler (as M. Winkler)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1923) (USA) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Donne viennesi (Italy) [it]
Los amores de un príncipe o El carrusel de la vida (Spain) [es]
O Carrocel da Vida (Portugal) [pt]
Ta dihtya tis agapis (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

A Super Jewel Production. Universal, lacking a proprietary theater chain, used a 3-tiered branding system to market its feature product to independent theater owners: Red Feather (low-budget programmers), Bluebird (mainstream releases) and Jewel (prestige productions). As one of the few "Super Jewels", this film was virtually assured special treatment by exhibitors who would normally demand higher roadshow ticket prices. Universal would cease to brand its films by late 1929.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

THE MERRY GO ROUND WALTZ

Great emotions in von Stroheim's partial direction

Erich von Stroheim started directing the movie Merry-Go-Round (1923) but got the sack by the producer Irving Thalberg and it was finished by Rupert Julian.Norman Kerry plays Viennese Count Franz Maximilian von Hohenegg.He's supposed to marry Countess Gisella von Steinbruck (Dorothy Wallace).That's one thing he doesn't want to do after he meets the beautiful, but poor Agnes Urban (Mary Philbin) at the amusement park.Merry-Go-Round is a good silent film.Norman Kerry is great in the lead and Mary Philbin is just charming.Cesare Gravina does a terrific performance as her father Sylvester.George Siegmann plays the villain of the movie, Schani Huber.He's the leader of the amusement park and a real sadistic person.In one dramatic scene he uses the whip on Agnes.This movie is could I say a forgotten gem.