Brewster's Millions (1914)

Brewster's Millions, a stage play by Winchell Smith and Byron Ongley (itself adapted from a novel by George Barr McCutcheon) would be filmed no fewer than seven times over a seventy-year period. This 1914 version was the first; it starred Edward Abeles, who previously headlined the stage version. Abeles plays Monty Brewster, who inherits a multimillion-dollar estate. There's only one catch: Brewster must spend a million dollars within a year if he is to earn his legacy. If that sounds simple, then you don't know your three-act stage farces. Often incorrectly credited to Cecil B. DeMille, Brewster's Millions was actually directed by DeMille's Famous Players-Lasky colleague Oscar Apfel.