He Who Gets Slapped was the first feature conceived and produced entirely by the recently formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. It is a clear indication of Norma Shearer’s importance to the studio casting her alongside Lon Chaney and John Gilbert. Considered a prestige package, the film is based on the play by Leonid Andreyev and directed by German import Victor Seastrom. It is a dark story of a young circus bareback rider Consuela (Shearer) who is in love with her riding partner Bezano (Gilbert), while Cheney plays the character “He,” a fallen scientist turned circus clown whose act consists of being slapped repeatedly. Ultimately, his unrequited love for Consuela ends in disaster.  Released in December 1924, the film was a huge success.