''Everybody's Sweetheart'' is a 1920 American silent

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

directed by

Laurence Trimble Laurence Norwood Trimble (February 15, 1885 – February 8, 1954) was an American silent film film director, director, screenwriter, writer and actor. Trimble began his film career directing Jean (dog), Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine ...

and

Alan Crosland Frederick Alan Crosland (August 10, 1894 – July 16, 1936) was an American stage actor and film director. He is noted for having directed the first feature film using spoken dialogue, ''The Jazz Singer'' (1927) and the first feature movie with s ...

and written by John Lynch. The film stars

Olive Thomas Olive Thomas (born Olive R. Duffy; October 20, 1894 – September 10, 1920) was an American silent-film actress, art model, and photo model. Her birth certificate appears to list her name as Oliva but this is widely thought to be an error. In th ...

and

William Collier, Jr. William Collier Jr. (born Charles F. Gall Jr.; February 12, 1902 – February 5, 1987) was an American stage performer, producer, and a film actor who in the silent and sound eras was cast in no fewer than 89 motion pictures. Biography William ...

''Everybody's Sweetheart'' was Thomas' final film role and was released nearly a month after her death from acute

nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation ...

(due to accidental ingestion of

mercury bichloride Mercury(II) chloride (mercury bichloride, mercury dichloride, mercuric chloride), historically also sulema or corrosive sublimate, is the inorganic chemical compound of mercury and chlorine with the formula HgCl2, used as a laboratory reagent. ...

) in Paris on September 10, 1920. A copy of ''Everybody's Sweetheart'' is preserved in the

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

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 ...

, Mary (Thomas) and John (Collier), residents of the county

poor farm A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...

, have had their lots cast there by a train wreck from which they were taken as babies and the identity of their parents lost. The two are the closest of friends and Mary is everybody's sweetheart about the place. She concentrates her gospel of cheer and kindness of heart, however, on John and old Corporal Joe (Wilson), a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran, mothering the two most solicitously. When John is placed out to work on a neighboring farm and there is a change in matrons that makes life at the county farm house unbearable, the Corporal and Mary, the latter in clothes taken from a scarecrow, leave with John accompanying them. Illness of the Corporal forces them to take refuge in the home of the wealthy General Phillip Bingham (Dowling), who proves to be the Corporal's old chief from the war. The General promises the dying veteran that he will take care of Mary. John is engaged to assist the gardener. One day, wearing the uniform of a

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

cadet that he donned while rummaging in the attic, John assumes such a likeness to the General's dear and disowned son that he is proved to be a son of the latter. Both John and Mary are offered the shelter of the General's home with the expectation that they will marry when they come of age.

Cast

as Mary * William Collier Jr. as John * Joseph Dowling as General Phillip Bingham * Walt Whitman as The Corporal *

Aileen Manning Aileen Manning (January 20, 1886 – March 25, 1946) was an American film actress. Manning was in demand as a character actress in silent films. She was known for her roles in silent and early sound films, including ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1927) ...

as Sophia Treadwell *

Martha Mattox Martha Mattox (born Eleanor Perry Mellen; June 19, 1879 – May 2, 1933) was an American silent film actress most notable for her portrayal of Mammy Pleasant in the 1927 film '' The Cat and the Canary''. She also played a role in ''Torrent' ...

as Mrs. Reese * Hal Wilson as Alabama Joe * Bob Hick as Mr. Reese * Philip Sleeman (Minor Role) (uncredited)

References

External links

* * {{Laurence Trimble 1920 films 1920 comedy-drama films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films American silent feature films English-language comedy-drama films Films directed by Laurence Trimble Films directed by Alan Crosland Selznick Pictures films Silent American comedy-drama films