The Fortune Hunter on AllMovie

John Barrymore had scored a hit on Broadway in Winchell Smith's The Fortune Hunter. The play was committed to film in 1914, but Barrymore wasn't yet ready to face the cameras. Thus, the title role was played by William Elliot, who (according to contemporary reviewers) was definitely no Barrymore. Cast as a poor but socially prominent young man, Elliot settles in a status-seeking community. Exploiting his family name and connections, he hopes to land a wealthy wife. Only one woman (Ethel Clayton) truly loves him for himself, but it takes him nearly 6 reels to realize this. Fortune Hunter was remade in 1927, with Sydney Chaplin in the title role.