A Million to Burn

(1923)

Comedy

56 minutes

Directed by William Parke

Cast:

Herbert Rawlinson as Thomas Gwynne

Kalla Pasha as Nickoli Rubnov

Beatrice Burnham as Daisy Jones

Tom McGuire as P.D. Riley

Melbourne MacDowell as Mark Mills

Margaret Landis as Sybil Mills

George F. Marion as Old Ben Marlowe

Frederick Stanton as Langden

Frederick Bertrand as The Auditor

A Million to Burn is a silent comedy released by Universal Pictures in 1923, and directed by William Parke.

Thomas Gwynne graduates from college and goes to work in a resort hotel as a waiter, but through different twists is soon made the hotel’s manager.  He has a vision of the hotel being a near-perfect environment and encourages the staff and guests to act on their impulses.  Things do not go well, and the hotel is failing.

Luckily Gwynne inherits a million dollars and buys the hotel, once again taking a philosophical approach to running it with, again, unsuccessful results.

Disputes between Gwynne and the staff complicate the situation, but soon playing hardball wins Gwynne the success he wanted.