Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1926 - Feb 1927)

"Old Ironsides" Goes Into Action 17 George Bancroft and Wallace Beery, as two tough old salts, are forever fighting, even when chained together in a slave camp. old ship Constitution, practically forgotten, had been discovered rotting to pieces in the Boston Navy Yard. A move was immediately set on foot to restore and preserve her through the aid of public contributions and government aid. In particular, this movement took the form of encouraging the school children to "save their pennies to save 'Old Ironsides' " — some such slogan as this being widely adopted. And the verses that Oliver Wendell Holmes had dedicated to the famous man-o'-war were recited anew on every school holiday. He had, about a century ago, poetically protested against the ship's contemplated destruction by the government. You may know the verses, which start off like this : Ay, tear her tattered ensign down ! Long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky. Because of the sudden revival of interest in the welfare of the historic vessel, which Holmes had referred to as the "Eagle of the Sea," and which had such a magnificent battle record, Paramount saw an opportunity to resurrect her patriotic splendor via the screen. They also saw a big chance to create a dramatic figure out of Stephen Decatur, the courageous but perhaps little-recognized hero of the expedition to Tripoli, the result of which expedition was that the Constitution thoroughly thrashed and brought into subjection the pirate ships that had been making raids on American merchant ships plying in the Mediterranean Sea. | Harry Carr, a Western newspaper man, originally suggested the historical theme, and Laurence S tailings, author of "What Price Glory" and "The Big Parade," Esther Ralston, as Esther, plays the only feminine character of any importance,. provided a romantic story of an American youth who runs away to sea, of his love for the daughter of the captain of a trading schooner, and of his capture, along with other sailors, by pirates off the coast of Africa. For comedy and an added note of vigor, there were injected also into the plot two tough old "salts," played by Wallace Beery and George Bancroft. These two gloriously hard-boiled chaps are forever fighting with each other, even when they are chained up together in a Tripolitan slave camp. Charles Farrell plays the boy, Esther Ralston, who is the only woman in most of the scenes, is the girl, and Johnny Walker plays Stephen Decatur. An interesting feature is that a number of the characters in the picture have the same names as the players who portray them. Wallace Been-, for instance, is called Beery in the plot, George Bancroft remains Bancroft, and Esther Ralston is known as Esther. Bancroft, by the way, actually does trace his ancestry back to an officer of the same name who participated in the Constitution's daring exploits. On James Cruze was conferred the honor, and also the very heavy obligation, of directing this big sea film. He has been recognized as the Lasky company's star producer of historical epics ever since the tremendous success of "The Covered Wagon." The company placed almost no limit on the amount of time and money that were to be expended on the picture, which is to be road shown, with all the usual fanfare of publicity. Thev built or purchased a score or more of old-time ships, hiring some venerable sailors to help man them. They set up