''Corporal Kate'' is a 1926 silent film comedy romance directed by

Paul Sloane Paul Sloane (April 19, 1893 November 15, 1963) was an American screenwriter and film director who directed 26 films from 1925 to 1952, and wrote or co-wrote 35 films. His movies include ''Hearts in Dixie'' (1929) with Stepin Fetchit, ''The Wom ...

and starring

Vera Reynolds Vera Reynolds (born Vera Nancy Reynolds; November 25, 1899 – April 22, 1962) was an American film actress. Early life and career Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1899, Reynolds first worked in films at age 12. She began as a dancer, worke ...

and

Julia Faye Julia Faye Maloney (September 24, 1892 – April 6, 1966), known professionally as Julia Faye, was an American actress of silent and sound films. She was known for her appearances in more than 30 Cecil B. DeMille productions. Her various roles ...

. The film was produced by C. Gardner Sullivan, with production at De Mille Pictures Corp., and released by Producers Distributing Corporation.

Plot

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Brooklyn manicurists Kate Jones (

) and Becky Finkelstein (

), work up a song-and-dance act that they intend to take overseas to entertain the troops. Through the influence of a friend, the girls are assigned to the French front. Both girls fall in love with Jackson Clark (Kenneth Thompson), a rich playboy, who is in the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

, along with Williams ( Harry Allen), his valet. Evelyn (

Majel Coleman Majel Coleman (February 22, 1903 – July 27, 1980) was an American film actress and model from Mason, Ohio. Most of her 11 film credits are silent movie features. Early life Coleman was born in Mason, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati, Ohio) to P ...

), a friend of Jackson's, also goes to France as a Red Cross nurse Jackson falls for Kate and is jealous of Evelyn, but, unknown to any of them, Evelyn loves an American aviator. When the Germans advance, Becky is killed, dying in Jackson's arms. Kate loses her arm in a selfless and heroic action, and Jackson, still greatly in love with her, proposes that they spend the rest of their lives together. Corporal Kate (SAYRE 14351)

Cast

as Kate Jones *

as Becky Finkelstein *

as Evelyn * Kenneth Thompson as Jackson (*aka

Kenneth Thomson Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet (September 1, 1923 – June 12, 2006), known in Canada as Ken Thomson, was a Canadian/British businessman and art collector. At the time of his death, he was listed by ''Forbes'' as the richest per ...

) * Harry Allen as Williams

Production

Although not directly an

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

film, ''Corporal Kate'' featured a number of stunt pilots, including Frank Clarke and Leo Nomis flying a Standard L 6 and

Thomas-Morse The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, until it was taken over by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1929. History Founded in 1910 by English immigrants William T. Thomas and his brother Oliver W. Th ...

aircraft.

Reception

Film reviewer Hal Erickson, in his review of ''Corporal Kate'', noted, the girls "...encounter all manner of merry misadventures. Things get serious, however, when both Kate and Becky fall in love with the same doughboy, Private Jackson (Kenneth Thompson). This romantic triangle is rather bluntly resolved when tragedy strikes on the battlefield."

Preservation status

''Corporal Kate'' is preserved 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 ...

collection and UCLA Film and Television Archive."Catalog: 'Corporal Kate'."
''The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog'', 2019. Retrieved: June 30, 2019.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* ''Catalog of Holdings, The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress''. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute, 1978. . * Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation'' (1st ed.). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books 1984. .

External links

Corporal Kate at IMDb.com
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corporal Kate 1926 films American silent feature films American aviation films 1926 romantic comedy films Producers Distributing Corporation films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films Films directed by Paul Sloane 1920s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films