The Johnstown Flood

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (Fox, 1926), an Irving Cummings Production, directed by Irving Cummings, became the silent screen adaptation to the 1889 disaster known as the Johnstown Flood. Starring George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor, who were most famously paired in SUNRISE (Fox 1927), appear as major attractions to a story of their personal lives along with others involved before its climatic reproduction of the title disaster.

Opening with a view of the town of Johnstown, the story introduces Tom O'Day (George O'Brien), an engineer of Hamilton Lumber Company, who is loved by Anna (Janet Gaynor), daughter of Joe Burger (Paul Panzer), a logging foreman, but Tom's sole interest is on Gloria (Florence Gilbert), niece of the company's owner, John Hamilton (Anders Randolph). Regardless of Tom's warning about the Conemangh Dam's overflow due to the heavy rain that will cause flooding and destruction to Johnstown, he is ignored, with Hamilton putting all his trust on Ward Peyton (Paul Nicholson) instead. O'Day eventually quits his job. On the very day of his wedding to Gloria, Anna's horse ride through town warning of a disaster waiting to happen puts everyone in fear of their lives. Supporting cast includes Max Davidson (Isador Mandel of the Johnston Clothing Emporium); George Harris (Sidney Mandel, his son); Walter Perry (Patrick O'Day) and George Reed.

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD is one of those handful of silent movies that has been forgotten through the passage of time due to its unavailability for viewing. Viewing finally became a reality when it premiered January 8, 2024, on Turner Classic Movies cable channel, restored with new and satisfactory orchestration. Quite short for 66 minutes, regardless of reported inaccuracies and fictional characters, the highlight being the Johnstown flood realistically staged to make up for its shortcomings. Janet Gaynor, early in her career, is attractive enough to obtain enough attention from its viewers. Though it's been said that future stars of Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper appear as extras, it's easier to spot Lombard as one of the bridesmaids, but a bit harder trying to find either Gable or Cooper.

In the wake of disaster movies of the 1930s, namely the 1906 earthquake from SAN FRANCISCO (MGM, 1936), the big wind for THE HURRICANE (United Artists, 1937) and the Chicago fire in IN OLD CHICAGO (20th Century-Fox, 1937), it's amazing someone over at 20th Century-Fox didn't think about remaking THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD, even as a second feature starring either Warner Baxter or Preston Foster, with Simone Simon and Lynn Bari in the O'Brien, Gaynor and Gilbert roles. The studio did do THE RAINS CAME (1939) about heavy rain disaster flick, which is as close to THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD the studio ever did regarding floods.

Due to availability, THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD can be studied as a motion picture and researched for its historical disaster to learn more about the historic event that took many lives and obtaining information about those who had survived to tell of their experience first-hand. (***)

The Johnstown flood was a horrible and preventable tragedy where over 2200 people were killed. How was it preventable? Well, the dam above the town was in disrepair and the rich folks who owned it and used it as a fishing and hunting reserve simply didn't spend the money needed to fix it...even when they were warned it might fail. Oddly, the film doesn't talk about this at all...and makes it seem less the fault of the plutocrats (who, incidentally, were neither punished nor found libel for the tragedy in real life).

The film has a love story between a rich girl (Janet Gaynor) and a common guy (George O'Brien). Because they were mismatched, a lot of the film revolves around that, though to me it was pretty forgettable. What is NOT forgettable is the final portion when the dam bursts. It has some of the most harrowing and realistic footage from the silent era and is most impressive even today.

What is not impressive is not the film's fault. While I read that a restored version was recently released, I saw the one on YouTube which was taken from a 16mm print...which is so faded that in spots I was frustrated, as the film has several soon to be mega-stars in it and it was hard to identify them. Clark Gable (in a saloon scene), Gary Cooper (among the survivors) and Carole Lombard (one of the leading lady's friends who are celebrating her upcoming nuptials with her).

Overall, while the story isn't entirely accurate, it's a truly spectacular film that shouldn't be missed.

This is the last of Gable silent films. He split up with his wife and mentor, Josephine Dillon, because the extra work had dried up. It appeared as though Hollywood had no room for him. He went back to the theatre for five years and returned to Los Angeles to try out for his next film in 1931.

I found out about this movie from Corridor crew, discussing it's VFX, and i was hooked. But i didn't expect the movie to be that good. I havent been impressed by a movie (old or new) probably since i saw Wings a year ago.

The saddest part is - it's real tragedy Maybe thats why they put so much efford in making the movie. It felt like passion movie instead of money-grab as so many.

The VFX are definitely one of the best ive seen in pre40s movie. Made with a lot of passion to get them right. Most of the VFX shots look amazing even in 2024 on 4K screen, only few are " not so good" .

Cinematography is good, and even impressive near the end when the pacing fastens so much.

Acting to my pleasant surprise was great. Usually old movies are kinda lacking in acting, as it's product of their time but rarely believable. Yet here... Quite good drama acting, without too much of that typical for the time jiggery energetic limb moving. Facial acting was solid, esp the father's one.

Music.. oh man, whoever made the music deserved the payment.

The remaster they made in 2023 (which i watched) is great. Makes you wish they do more movies like that.

Overall, highly recommended movie.

This remarkable silent film currently exists in a truncated print of poor quality available for download and viewing on YouTube. It is hardly known today, and probably its principal fame rests with the fact that it stars George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor--who went on to considerable movie celebrity from the latter 1920s through the mid-1930s. O'Brien and Gaynor appeared together one more time in the F. W. Murnau classic Sunrise in 1927. The Johnstown Flood movie also contains very brief extra appearances by future stars Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard. Its secondary importance rests on the film's impressive special effects work--outstanding for the time--in depicting the famous 1889 dam collapse that occurred near Pittsburgh, PA. The flood scenes compare quite favorably with those in the famous early disaster film Deluge (1933)--made some seven years later.

The actual Johnstown Flood was a monumental catastrophe---horribly and unnecessarily killing over 2200 people. The real story of this incident---with all its twists and irony definitely deserves a proper screen treatment today. Many liberties were taken with the pertinent facts in making the 1926 film version. A historically accurate retelling of the actual Johnstown Flood would be far more interesting and compelling to contemporary audiences than the rather dated melodrama that appears here.

Nevertheless, this film is important for what it does show--two (then) young up and coming stars making strong appearances in a significant early Hollywood effort--and exciting special effects that foreshadowed the even greater accomplishments in this area that were soon to amaze us in just a few years.