The Miracle Man (1919)





A gang of four consisting of Frog, a limb-dislocating man; Dope, a drug addict; Rose, posing as Dope's mistreated girlfriend; and Burke, the leader, exploit the compassion and donations of tourists in Chinatown. Tom devises a plan to exploit the public's naivety by targeting a blind, deaf, and nearly mute faith-healer named the Patriarch living in the countryside. Rose poses as the Patriarch's long-lost niece, and Frog pretends to perform a cure, inspiring a real crippled boy to walk for the first time. News of the cure spreads, and the gang collects a lot of money. However, each member gradually transforms for the better, influenced by the Patriarch and the peaceful rural life. The Frog becomes an adopted son of a widow, and Dope falls in love. When Tom overcomes his jealousy and declares his love for Rose, she is about to be courted by a millionaire. The couple marries after the Patriarch's death.


Vintage magazines

Photoplay , February 1928
Photoplay , January 1936
Photoplay , February 1936


Books with substantial mentioning of The Miracle Man

John T. Soister and Henry Nicolella
American silent horror, science fiction and fantasy feature films, 1913-1929
Jefferson, N.C., 2012

Robert K. Klepper
Silent Films, 1877-1996, A Critical Guide to 646 Movies
Jefferson, North Carolina and London, 1999

Frank Thompson
Lost Films, Important Movies That Disappeared
Secaucus, NJ, 1996

Anthony Slide and Edward Wagenknecht
Fifty Great American Silent Films 1912-1920, A Pictorial Survey
New York, 1980

Books with an entry on The Miracle Man

Robert B. Connelly
The Motion Picture Guide, Silent Film 1910-1936
Chicago, 1986


Year: 1919
Country: United States
Language: Silent (English intertitles)
 
IMDb: 0010466
Wikipedia