The Last Man on Earth (1924 film)
The Last Man on Earth is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by John G. Blystone, starring Earle Foxe[1] and produced by Fox Film Corporation and loosely based on Mary Shelley's 1826 novel The Last Man. The film was remade as the semi-musical comedy It's Great to Be Alive (1933), and influenced the sci-fi novel Mr. Adam (1946).
| The Last Man on Earth | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John G. Blystone |
| Written by | Donald W. Lee John D. Swain |
| Starring | Earle Foxe Grace Cunard Gladys Tennyson Derelys Perdue Maurice Murphy Clarissa Selwynne |
| Music by | Erno Rapee |
| Cinematography | Allen M. Davey |
Production company | Fox Film Corporation |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Plot
In the year 1950, a plague known as "masculitis" has killed every fertile man on Earth over the age of 14. Womankind takes over the world and a woman becomes President of the United States.
Meanwhile, a female aviator, Gertie (Grace Cunard), flying over a redwood forest, finds smoke rising from the chimney of a cabin, where she discovers a reclusive hillbilly named Elmer Smith (Earle Foxe). He is captured and examined at a hospital. All the women in the world soon begin to fight over Smith.
Cast
- Earle Foxe as Elmer Smith
- Grace Cunard as Gertie
- Gladys Tennyson as Frisco Kate
- Derelys Perdue as Hattie
- Maurice Murphy as Elmer's Pal
- Clarissa Selwynne as Dr. Prodwell
- Fay Holderness as Elmer's Mother
- Marion Aye as Red Sal
- Harry Dunkinson as Elmer's Father
- Marie Astaire as Paula Prodwell
- Pauline French as Furlong
- Jean Johnston as Hattie (age 6)
- William Steele as Hattie's Father
- Buck Black as Elmer (age 8)
- Jean Dumas as Hattie's Mother
Preservation status
Copies of The Last Man on Earth are held in the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique in Brussels and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[2][3]