CHICAGO (1927) Phyllis Haver, Victor Varconi & Virginia Bradford | Comedy, Drama | B&W | Cinema Gem

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Chicago is a 1927 American silent crime comedy-drama film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by Frank Urson. The first film adaptation of Maurine Dallas Watkins' play of the same name, the film stars Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart, a fame-obsessed housewife who kills her lover in cold blood and, after trying to coerce her husband into taking the blame, is put on trial for murder.

Synopsis

The plot of the film is drawn from the 1926 play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins which was in turn based on the true story of Beulah Annan, fictionalized as Roxie Hart (Phyllis Haver), and her spectacular murder of her boyfriend.

The silent film adds considerably to the material in Watkins' play, some additions based on the original murder, and some for Hollywood considerations. The murder, which occurs in a very brief vignette before the play begins, is fleshed out considerably. Also, Roxie's husband Amos Hart has a much more sympathetic and active role in the film than he does either in the play or in the subsequent musical. The original ending is altered to have Roxie punished for her crime.

Cast & Crew

Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart
Victor Varconi as Amos Hart
Virginia Bradford as Katie
Robert Edeson as William Flynn
Eugene Pallette as Rodney Casley
Warner Richmond as Asst. District Attorney
T. Roy Barnes as Reporter
Clarence Burton as Police sergeant
Julia Faye as Velma
May Robson as Matron Mrs. Morton
Viola Louie as Two Gun Rosie

Directed by: Frank Urson, Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
Screenplay: Lenore J. Coffee
Based on: Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Produced by: Cecil B. DeMille
Cinematography: J. Peverell Marley
Edited by: Anne Bauchens
Distributed by: Pathé Exchange
Release Date: December 27, 1927
Running Time: 103 minutes
Country: United States
Language: Silent (English intertitles)
Budget: $303,306
Box Office: $483,165