zpzjones Review of The Witness for the Defense

The Witness for the Defense (1919)

Only surviving silent of the 'Aristocrat of the Silent Screen'

[18 November 2004]

Strange enough I was doing a search on Elsie Ferguson & up popped a number of WFTD references. This is seemingly the only surviving silent of the once popular Broadway star Elsie Ferguson. A print of WFTD was found at Gosfilmofond Moscow and restored or transferred by the University of North Dakota. Three or four 1919 trailers of this film also survive though in different edits and can be found on UND's website. Ferguson had been a huge star on the Broadway stage of the turn of the century. Early film producers wanted her a lot earlier but she renegged offers. Finally in 1917 she took the plunge and signed with Artcraft Pictures which was one of the units of Paramount. Out of about 25 films none of Ferguson's silents survive. That is until this copy of WFTD resurfaced. Scarlet Pages, her only talkie, also survives and is shown occasionally on TCM. This is fortunate that some semblance of this once great silent star survives. Other goodies about WFTD is that Geo. Fitzmaurice directed and Warner Oland & Wynham Standing costar in support of Ferguson.