The Lion and the Mouse (1928 film)


 * See also The Lion and the Mouse (disambiguation).

The Lion and the Mouse is a 1928 American sound part-talkie drama film produced by Warner Bros., directed by Lloyd Bacon, and based on the 1905 play by Charles Klein. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. The film marks the first time Lionel Barrymore, who was on loan for the film from MGM, spoke from the screen.

Plot
Judge Ross, on the Federal Bench, rules in favor of a large company in litigation before him, unaware that a smaller company in which he owns considerable stock has been subsumed by the larger firm, thus creating appearance of a conflict of interests. When one of the Judge's enemies plots to ruin the Judge over this apparent improper behavior, Judge Ross's daughter Shirley sets out to prove her father's innocence.

Cast

 * May McAvoy as Shirley Ross
 * Lionel Barrymore as John Ryder
 * Alec B. Francis as Judge Ross
 * William Collier Jr. as Jeffereson Ryder
 * Emmett Corrigan as Dr. Hays
 * Jack Ackroyd as Smith, Jeff's valet

Cast notes
 * Barrymore and McAvoy had last costarred in 1920 in The Devil's Garden.

Box Office
According to Warner Bros records the film earned $869,000 domestically and $100,000 foreign.

Preservation status
The movie survives in 35 mm at the Library of Congress and 16 mm at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The soundtrack on Vitaphone discs partially survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.