''By Right of Purchase'' is a

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

starring

Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent film, silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among ...

in a story produced by her husband

Joseph Schenck Joseph Michael Schenck (; December 25, 1876 – October 22, 1961) was a Russian-born American film studio executive. Life and career Schenck was born to a Jewish family in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russian Empire. He emigrated to New York City ...

. The film was distributed by

Lewis J. Selznick Lewis J. Selznick (May 2, 1870 or 1869 – January 25, 1933) was an American producer in the early years of the film industry. After initial involvement with World Film at Fort Lee, New Jersey, he established Selznick Pictures in California. B ...

's Select Pictures company. An up-and-coming actress and soon to be

gossip columnist A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are material written in a light, informal style, which relates the gossip columnist's opinions about the personal li ...

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

has a small role in this picture.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, against the promptings of her heart, Margot Hughes (Talmadge) marries Chadwick Himes (O'Brien) and completely ignores the fact that her husband is very much in love with her. As a result, Chadwick comes to believe that it is impossible to win the love of his wife, and becomes cold towards her just as her love for him begins to awaken. There is a decided breach between them and when Margot takes up with Dick Derwent (Courtleigh), even though her husband forbids it, they break altogether. Through a friend Chadwick learns that his wife loves him. He goes to their home to beg for her forgiveness only to find it empty. He goes to his yacht for seclusion only to find Margot there, and they have a happy reunion.

Cast

as Margot Hughes * Eugene O'Brien as Chadwick Himes *

Ida Darling Ida Darling (February 23, 1880 – June 5, 1936) was an American actress of the stage and in silent motion pictures. Biography Darling was born in New York City. She performed on the New York stage for 40 years. During the 10 years she re ...

as Mrs. Hughes * William Courtleigh, Jr. as Dick Derwent *

Charles Wellesley Charles Wellesley (November 17, 1873 – July 24, 1946) was an Irish-born American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1913 and 1928. He was born in Dublin and died in Amityville, New York. Partial filmograph ...

as Donald Nugent * Florence B. Billings as Madge Sears *

as Woman of society, on the phone (uncredited)

Preservation status

The film survives today in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, albeit with some reported deterioration in the sixth and last

reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the en ...

.''By Right of Purchase'' at Unsung Divas database
/ref>

References

External links

* *
Lobby Poster for ''By Right of Purchase''
(Wayback Machine)
Hedda Hopper in a scene in the film
1918 films 1918 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American independent films Selznick Pictures films 1910s independent films Films directed by Charles Miller 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub