A Sporting Chance (1919): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1919, A Sporting Chance is a comedy, drama and mystery film directed by Henry King, running about 60 minutes.

What it’s about. John Stonehouse (William Russell) checks into a hotel, intending to commit suicide. But instead he winds up helping a girl, Gilberte Bonheur (Fritzi Brunette), out of a jam. He finds her bending over a man who she has apparently killed, and since he's about to kill himself anyway, he offers to assume the blame. Throw a valuable emerald into the works, and the fact that the dead man suddenly comes back to life, and Stonehouse -- not to mention the audience -- becomes thoroughly befuddled by it all. Everything clears up, however, when Gilberte gives him a theater ticket -- it turns out that everything he went through was the plot to a stage play, enacted in real life by the actors. The critics roasted the play, saying it wasn't true to life, and this was their proof that the situations really could happen. Gilberte retires from acting when Stonehouse proposes.

Who’s in it. A Sporting Chance stars William Russell as John Stonehouse, Fritzi Brunette as Gilberte Bonheur, George Periolat as Edward Craig and J. Farrell MacDonald as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 3.0/10, A Sporting Chance has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch A Sporting Chance page.

If you liked it. Fans of A Sporting Chance tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.