Everything But the Truth

Bill Hervey runs a small oil venture that's nearly broke, yet he's unfazed because he's on the verge of marrying Helen Gray. While inspecting a newly purchased suburban house, he meets his neighbor Annabelle Eaton, a cheerful newlywed who pleads for a ride to a nearby chicken farm. Bill agrees, thinking it will be a quick favor, but the excursion spins out of control. At the farm they end up trapped in a locked room with a strange, unpredictable character who insists they stay the night. The situation spirals into a string of comic misunderstandings as plans collide with propriety and ego. The result is a brisk, playful caper about love, money, and mistaken loyalties for better or worse altogether.

Directed by Eddie Lyons and Lee Moran, this 1920 silent comedy brings together the talent of Lyons and Moran with creators Philip D. Hurn and Edgar Franklin. It exemplifies screen comedy that blends romance with fast paced farce and humor.

Box office data for Everything But the Truth from 1920 is not readily documented. As with many silent era releases, reliable worldwide gross figures are scarce, and there isn't a comprehensive record of its commercial performance worldwide for researchers today.

There are no major awards on record for this title. In the silent era, many comedies never received nominations, and Everything But the Truth is more often noted for the team behind it than for accolades. It remains a curiosity in early screen comedy. Such humor endures in film history.

Critics of the period favored lively misunderstandings and brisk pacing, and this film leans into that tradition. Its themes touch on trust and social pretenses, pairing marriage plans with business worries to fuel an amiable, lighthearted farce. Its charm lies in quick setups and evolving compacts between unlikely partners today.