View source for Tol'able David

{{short description|1921 film}}
{{for|the 1930 remake|Tol'able David (1930 film)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Tol'able David
| image          = Tol'able David-Poster.JPG
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Henry King (director)|Henry King]]
| producer       = Henry King
| writer         = {{plainlist|*[[Edmund Goulding]]
*Henry King}}
| based_on       = {{based on|"[[s:Tol'able David|Tol'able David]]" (1917)|[[Joseph Hergesheimer]]}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|*[[Richard Barthelmess]]
*[[Gladys Hulette]]
*[[Walter P. Lewis]]
*[[Ernest Torrence]]}}
| cinematography = [[Henry Cronjager]]
| editing        = [[W. Duncan Mansfield]]
| studio         = Inspiration Pictures
| distributor    = [[First National Pictures|Associated First National]]
| released       = {{Film date|1921|11|21|U.S.|ref1=<ref name=AFI/>}}
| runtime        = 99 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = [[Silent film|Silent]] (English [[intertitle]]s)
| budget         = $86,000<ref>{{cite book|first=Henry|last=King|title=Henry King, director : from silents to ʼscope|year=1995|publisher= Directors Guild of America|page=44|isbn=978-1-882766-03-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/henrykingdirecto00king/page/44/mode/1up?}}</ref>

}}
[[File:Tol'able David (1921).webm|thumb|thumbtime=17|upright=1.5|''Tol'able David''.]]
'''''Tol'able David''''' is a 1921 American [[silent film]] based on the 1917 [[Joseph Hergesheimer]] [[s:Tol'able David|short story of the same name]]. It was adapted to the screen by [[Edmund Goulding]] and directed by [[Henry King (director)|Henry King]] for Inspiration Pictures. A rustic tale of violence set in the [[Allegheny Mountains]] of eastern [[West Virginia]], it was filmed in [[Blue Grass, Virginia]], with some locals featured in minor roles.<ref>[http://www.flickeralley.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Tolable-David.pdf Ausführliches Essay zum Film]</ref>

A major [[box office]] success, the acclaimed film was voted the 1921 [[Photoplay#Photoplay Medal of Honor|''Photoplay Magazine'' Medal of Honor]]<ref name=GottesmanGeduld/> and is seen by critics and film historians as one of the classics of silent film. It was selected in 2007 for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]]; films selected are judged to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name=NatlReg/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Librarian of Congress Announces National Film Registry Selections for 2007|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-07-254/librarian-of-congress-announces-2007-film-registry/2007-12-27/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

==Plot==
David Kinemon, youngest son of [[West Virginia]] [[tenant farmers]], longs to be treated like a man by his family and neighbors, especially Esther Hatburn, the pretty girl who lives with her grandfather on a nearby farm. However, he is continually reminded that he is still a boy, "tol'able" enough, but no man.

David eventually gets a chance to prove himself when outlaw Iscah Hatburn and his sons Luke and "Little Buzzard", distant cousins of the Kinemons' Hatburn neighbors, move into the Hatburn farm, against the will of Esther and her grandfather. Esther initially tells David not to interfere, saying he is no match for her cousins. Later, the cousins kill David's pet dog and cripple his older brother while the latter is delivering mail and taking passengers to town in his [[Hackney carriage]]. Out of a sense of honor, David's father intends to visit [[vigilante]] justice on the Hatburns' cousins rather than rely on the local sheriff, but is prevented by an abrupt and fatal heart attack. David is determined to go after the Hatburns in his father's place, but his mother pleads with him, arguing that he will surely die and that with his father dead and brother crippled, the household, including his brother's wife and infant son, depends on him.

The now fatherless Kinemon family is turned out of the farm and is forced to move into a small house in town. David asks for his brother's old job of driving the hack, but is told he is too young. However, he finds work at the [[general store]]. Later, when the hack's regular driver is fired for drunkenness, David finally has a chance to drive the hack. He loses the mailbag near the Hatburn farm, where it is found by Luke. David goes to the Hatburn farm to demand the mailbag. He is refused and gets into an argument with the cousins, during which he is shot in the arm. David then shoots Iscah and the younger son and later, after a prolonged fight with the older brother (meant to recall the story of [[David and Goliath]]), emerges victorious. Esther flees for help and makes it to the village, telling that David has been killed. As a crowd prepares to go look for David, he arrives in the hack with the bag of mail, badly injured, and collapses. It is clear to all that David, no longer merely "tol'able", is a real man and a hero.

==Cast==
* [[Richard Barthelmess]] as David Kinemon
* [[Gladys Hulette]] as Esther Hatburn
* [[Walter P. Lewis]] as Iscah Hatburn
* [[Ernest Torrence]] as Luke Hatburn
* [[Ralph Yearsley]] as Saul "Little Buzzard" Hatburn
* [[Forrest Robinson]] as Grandpa Hatburn
* Laurence Eddinger as Senator John Gault
* [[Marion Abbott]] as Mother Kinemon
* Edmund Gurney as Father Hunter Kinemon
* [[Warner Richmond]] as Allen Kinemon
* [[Patterson Dial]] as Rose Kinemon
* [[Henry Hallam (actor)|Henry Hallam]] as The Doctor

==Production==
Director King had been born and raised not far away in rural western Virginia and took immense pleasure in scouting locations in preparation for the film.<ref>[[David Thomson (film critic)|Thomson, David]] (2008), ''"Have You Seen...?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films''; [[New York City|New York]]: [[Alfred A. Knopf]], pg 903.</ref>

Joseph Hergesheimer's short story had been optioned by [[D.W. Griffith]] who intended Barthelmess as the star of a film version, but when Barthelmess and King formed [[Inspiration Pictures]], Griffith traded them the rights for other properties.<ref>Thomson, ''[[Op. cit.]]'', pg 903.</ref>

==Reception==
Released in December 1921, ''Tol'able David'' was both a commercial and critical success. [[Carl Sandburg]], reviewing the picture for the ''[[Chicago Daily News]]'', repeatedly referred to it as a masterpiece.<ref name=Sandburg/> In ''Life'', [[Robert E. Sherwood]] wrote "It is the first motion picture to achieve real greatness without placing any reliance on spectacular effect."<ref name=LifeRvw/>

Trade-related publications widely recommended it. In ''Photoplay'' it was called a masterpiece again and "one of the few film tragedies of uncompromising power".<ref name=Photoplay1922/> ''Variety'' wrote that Barthelmess' performance came "close to being the best effort he has ever made".<ref name=VtyRvw/> The review in ''Motion Picture News'' gave the opinion that there would be "few who will not feel the power of it".<ref name=MPNrvw/> The ''Exhibitors Herald'' found it "a superb piece of cinema craftsmanship" and "excellent throughout".<ref name=ExHerRvw/>

In a 1924 interview for ''Photoplay'', [[Mary Pickford]] named it among her favorite films, saying "When I first saw this picture, I felt I was not looking at a photoplay but was really witnessing the tragedy of a family I had known all my life."<ref name=Howe1924/> It influenced Russian director [[V.I. Pudovkin]] who used it as an exemplar in his writing.<ref name=Pudovkin/>

In 1963, [[John Ford]] named ''Tol'able David'' in his top 10 of favorite films.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.filmmuseum.at/john-fords-top-10/|title = John Ford's Top 10| date=November 2014 }}</ref>

In his 2008 book ''"Have You Seen...?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films'', film critic [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] assesses ''Tol'able David'' as "one of the most spectacular and heartfelt identifications with countryside ever managed onscreen". The cinematography "delivered countless views of country life as a version of heaven", while '"the fight is grand, prolonged, and not one to bet on". He finds its influence "in just about every [subsequent] film where revenge has rectitude" — mentioning, especially, ''[[High Noon]]'' and ''[[Straw Dogs (1971 film)|Straw Dogs]]''.<ref>Thomson, ''Op. cit.'', pg 903.</ref>

==Other adaptations==
*''[[The Kid Brother]]'' (1927), [[Harold Lloyd]]'s highly regarded comedy, had a similar plot and featured ''Tol'able David'' actor Ralph Yearsley. ''The Kid Brother'' was a reworking of ''[[The White Sheep]]'' (1924), which also loosely adapted aspects of ''Tol'able David''.<ref name=Ward1995/>
*A less successful [[Tol'able David (1930 film)|1930 sound remake]] with [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]] in the title role was directed by [[John G. Blystone]] for [[Columbia Pictures Corporation|Columbia]].<ref name=MacCann1996/>

==In popular culture==
* A portion of the third act of the 1959 horror film ''[[The Tingler]]'' takes place in a specialty theater during a showing of ''Tol'able David''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moviessilently.com/2013/02/11/tolable-david-1921-a-silent-film-review/|title=Tol'able David (1921) A Silent Film Review|location=MoviesSilently|author=Fritzi Kramer|date=February 11, 2013|access-date=December 1, 2016}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=AFI>{{cite web |title=Tol'able David |work=Catalog of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=1&Movie=12753 |access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=GottesmanGeduld>{{cite book |last1=Gottesman |first1=Ronald |last2=Geduld |first2=Harry M. |author-link2=Harry M. Geduld |title=Guidebook to Film: An Eleven-in-one Reference |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxoeNfMFc-cC&pg=PA208 |year=1972 |publisher=Ardent Media |isbn=978-0-03-085292-3 |page=208}}</ref>
<ref name=NatlReg>{{cite journal |title=Hooray for Hollywood |journal=Library of Congress Information Bulletin |volume=67 |issue=1–2 |url=https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/08012/registry.html |date=January–February 2008 |access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=Sandburg>{{cite book |last=Sandburg |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Sandburg |editor=Arnie Bernstein |editor-link=Arnie Bernstein |title=The Movies are: Carl Sandburg's Film Reviews and Essays, 1920–1928 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ut-dpDr45_IC&pg=PA101 |year=2000 |publisher=Lake Claremont Press |isbn=978-1-893121-05-8 |pages=101–103}}</ref>
<ref name=LifeRvw>{{cite magazine |last=Sherwood |first=Robert E. |author-link=Robert E. Sherwood |title=Tol'able David |magazine=Life |department=The Silent Drama |date=February 2, 1922 |volume=79 |issue=2048 |page=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpA4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA66-IA22}}</ref>
<ref name=Photoplay1922>{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Tol'able David |department=The Shadow Stage |url=https://archive.org/stream/phojun22chic#page/n197/mode/1up |journal=[[Photoplay]] |volume=XXI |issue=3 |page=64 |date=February 1922 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=VtyRvw>{{cite journal |last=Silverman |first=Sid (as "Skig.")|title=Tol'able David |journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |department=Pictures |date=January 6, 1922 |volume=XLV |issue=7 |page=42 |url=https://www.archive.org/stream/variety65-1922-01#page/n41/mode/1up}}</ref>
<ref name=MPNrvw>{{cite journal |title=Tol'able David |journal=[[Motion Picture News]] |date=December 10, 1921 |volume=XXIV |issue=25 |page=3100 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew24moti_7#page/n757/mode/1up}}</ref>
<ref name=ExHerRvw>{{cite journal |title=Tol'able David |journal=Exhibitors Herald |date=November 26, 1921 |volume=XIII |issue=22 |page=49 |url=https://www.archive.org/stream/exhibitorsherald13exhi_0#page/n954/mode/1up}}</ref>
<ref name=Howe1924>{{cite journal |last=Howe |first=Herbert |date=January 1924 |title=Mary Pickford's Favorite Stars and Films |url=https://archive.org/stream/pho26chic#page/n31/mode/2up |journal=Photoplay |volume=XXV |issue=2 |page=29 |access-date=September 4, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=MacCann1996>{{cite book |last=MacCann |first=Richard Dyer |title=Films of the 1920s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIcyRvTBNaoC&pg=PA79 |year=1996 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-3256-5 |page=79}}</ref>
<ref name=Pudovkin>{{cite book |last=Pudovkin |first=V. I. |author-link=V. I. Pudovkin |title=Film Technique and Film Acting – The Cinema Writings of V.I. Pudovkin |year=2013 |orig-year=1929; 1933 |publisher=Read Books Limited |isbn=978-1-4465-4735-9}}</ref>
<ref name=Ward1995>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Richard Lewis|title=A History of the Hal Roach Studios |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dY4-pWxOzD0C&pg=PA198 |year=1995 |publisher=SIU Press |isbn=978-0-8093-8806-6 |page=198}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikisource|Tol'able David (1921 film)}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*''Tol’able David'' essay [https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/tolable_david.pdf] by Fritzi Kramer at [[National Film Registry]]
*{{IMDb title|0012763|Tol'able David}}
*{{Internet Archive film|id=TolableDavid|name=Tol'able David}}
*[http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/film/15412/tolable-david ''Tol'able David''] at Virtual History
*''Tol’able David'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 75–76 [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC]

{{Henry King}}
{{Edmund Goulding}}

[[Category:1921 films]]
[[Category:1921 drama films]]
[[Category:Silent American drama films]]
[[Category:American silent feature films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Films directed by Henry King]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:First National Pictures films]]
[[Category:Photoplay Awards film of the year winners]]
[[Category:Surviving American silent films]]
[[Category:1920s American films]]
[[Category:1920s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language drama films]]