Vintage original 11x14 in. US lobby card from the classic silent film comedy/romance, HIS MAJESTY, THE AMERICAN, released in 1919 and starring Douglas Fairbanks. This was the very first film to be released by the newly-formed United Artists Corporation (which consisted of co-partners Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith and Fairbanks). The image features a charming scene as New Yorker William Brooks (Douglas Fairbanks) romances pretty Felice, Countess of Montenac (Marjorie Daw) from atop the garden wall above her. This card was printed with a light glossy finish and is unrestored in good- condition only with one large pinhole in three of the corners and two pinholes in the top right corner; two diagonal creases and signs of wear on the top left corner; a 1.5 in. vertical tear on the top border to the right of center between the "R" and "B" in "FAIRBANKS"; light signs of wear on the top and bottom right corners; a 1 in. vertical crease and signs of wear on the bottom left corner; a light thin 5 in. and 3 in. long diagonal scuff in the lower right portion of the card which are visible primarily when viewing the card at an angle; and a 0.25 in. wide border of discoloration around the outer edges of the card from a mat when this card was framed by a previous owner. The colors are fresh and vibrant.

In a prologue, Douglas Fairbanks tells us that this is the first film produced by the new United Artists studio, so the film has greater historic significance than it might command on its merits. This film is simply a vehicle for Fairbanks to do what he does best: run, jump, leap, dash, bolt and generally bounce around like a rubber ball. This film provided Boris Karloff with one of his first acting jobs in Hollywood. He worked as an extra, and can be spotted in the sequence where several of Sarzeau's men storm the inn where William Brooks (Douglas Fairbanks) is staying. Karloff is at the front of the crowd, sporting a dark mustache and wearing a cloth cap. He can also be seen on the staircase as the men race up the stairs to Brooks's room.   

His Majesty, the American; United Artists; 1919; dir: Joseph Henabery; cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, Frank Campeau, Sam Sothern, Jay Dwiggins, Lillian Langdon, Albert MacQuarrie, Bull Montana, William Gillis, Phil Gastrock.