Skyscraper (1928 film)

Skyscraper
Lobby card
Directed byHoward Higgin
Written byElliott J. Clawson
Tay Garnett (titles)
Dudley Murphy (story)
Produced byRalph Block
Cecil B. DeMille (for PDC)
StarringWilliam Boyd
CinematographyJohn W. Boyle
Edited byAdelaide Cannon
Production
company
DeMille Pictures Corporation
Distributed byPathé Exchange
Release date
  • April 8, 1928 (1928-04-08)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent

Skyscraper is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Howard Higgin. At the 2nd Academy Awards in 1930, Elliott J. Clawson was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).[1] Prints of the film exist.[2]

Cast

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Development

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In 1927, Cecil B. DeMille charged Ayn Rand - at the time, recently arrived from the Soviet Union - with writing a script for what would become Skyscraper. The original story, by Dudley Murphy, was about two construction workers involved in building a New York skyscraper who are rivals for a woman's love. Rand rewrote the story, transforming the rivals into architects. One of them, Howard Kane, was an idealist dedicated to his mission and erecting the skyscraper despite enormous obstacles. The film would have ended with Kane's throwing back his head in victory, standing atop the completed skyscraper. DeMille rejected Rand's script, and the completed film followed Murphy's original idea, but Rand's version contained elements she would later use in The Fountainhead.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "The 2nd Academy Awards (1930) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  2. ^ "Skyscraper". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Heller, Anne C. (2009). Ayn Rand and the World She Made. New York: Doubleday. pp. 65, 441. ISBN 978-0-385-51399-9. OCLC 229027437.
  4. ^ Eyman, Scott (2010). Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-7432-8955-9. OCLC 464593099.
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