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SOULS FOR SALE-1923-"Moving picture" about a young woman Mem (Eleanor Boardman) who escapes her unhappy marriage to a murderous con-man by jumping off a train. She wanders around aimlessly but is rescued by an actor named Kolby (Frank Mayo) dressed as a sheikh when she passes out on a movie shoot. He takes a shine to her but a famous director Frank Claymore (Richard Dix) takes Mem under his wing and uses her in his epic circus tale when his famous star is injured. Mem is plagued by uncertainty about her talent to replace a big star but succeeds despite religiously bent parents who hate Hollywood and the return of her no good husband. The climax features hubby trying to kill the director with a giant wind machine while a fire rages on the circus set. 

SOULS FOR SALE is a kind of standard poor girl makes good love story drama with a guessable twist and good acting and production but what makes it a standout is the 'film within a film" setting where many silent screen stars and directors appear as themselves including Erich Von Stroheim directing a scene from GREED! Mae Busch, Snitz Edwards and William Haines are also in it. Star Boardman was very popular at the time (she made her last film in 1935) and starred in King Vidor's THE CROWD and TELL IT TO THE MARINES with Lon Chaney. 

Director/screen adapter Rupert Hughes was the uncle of Howard Hughes...

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