Beggar on Horseback
Film still
Directed by	James Cruze
Screenplay by	Walter Woods
Produced by	Jesse L. Lasky Adolph Zukor
Starring	Edward Everett Horton Esther Ralston Erwin Connelly Gertrude Short Ethel Wales Theodore Kosloff Betty Compson
Cinematography	Karl Brown
Music by	Hugo Riesenfeld
Production company	Famous Players–Lasky Corporation
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	August 24, 1925 (1925-08-24)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Beggar on Horseback is a 1925 American silent comedy film based upon the 1924 play written by Marc Connelly and George S. Kaufman. It was adapted for the screen by Walter Woods and directed by James Cruze. It stars Edward Everett Horton, Esther Ralston, Erwin Connelly, Gertrude Short, Ethel Wales, Theodore Kosloff, and Betty Compson. It was released on August 24, 1925, by Paramount Pictures.^[1][2]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,^[3] a young idealistic jazz composer is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and feels that he cannot continue a relationship with a sympathetic young woman because of a lack of funds. He is considering marrying a rich young woman who worships jazz, and falls asleep and dreams a horrible nightmare of his life as her husband. In this fantasy dream, he kills those who oppress him. He awakens and comes to appreciate the sympathetic young woman and seeks happiness with her. His publishers award him with royalties for his music compositions.

Cast

Preservation

The film survives in the Library of Congress collection but is incomplete.^[4][5]