''John Petticoats'' is a 1919 American silent

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by

Lambert Hillyer Lambert Harwood Hillyer (July 8, 1893 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director and screenwriter. Biography Lambert Harwood Hillyer was born July 8, 1893, in Tyner, Indiana. His mother was character actress Lydia Knott. A graduate of ...

and written by C. Gardner Sullivan. The film stars

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

, Walt Whitman, George Webb,

Winifred Westover Winifred Westover, birth name Winifred Heide, (November 9, 1899 – March 19, 1978) was an actress of the 1910s and 1920s. Her career included films made in Hollywood, Sweden and New York.Bill Hart Is Married Here, ''The Los Angeles Times'' ...

Ethel Shannon Ethel Shannon (May 22, 1898 – July 10, 1951) was an American actress. She appeared in over 30 silent movies in the early 20th century. Early life and career Ethel Shannon was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of James and Agnes (Kn ...

, and

Andrew Arbuckle Andrew Arbuckle (born 12 April 1944) is a Scotland, Scottish Scottish Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrat politician, and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Mid Scotland and Fife (Scottish Parliament electoral region), Mid ...

. The film was released on November 2, 1919, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

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 ...

, John Haynes (Hart), a lumberman known as "Hardwood," receives a letter informing him that he has inherited a business establishment in New Orleans. Surprised, although pleasantly so, he goes to that city to look over his heritage and finds that the business consists of a shop merchandising ladies' ware. In charge of the shop is Rosalie Andre (Shannon), whom he lets continue with the management of the store, with Hardwood John boarding with Judge Clay Emerson Meredith (Whitman) and keeping his identity secret. Caroline (Westover), the Judge's granddaughter, soon attracts John's attention, and mutual love ripens. Rosalie comes to grief at the hands of one Wayne Page (Webb), the dissolute son of a rich family who is also a rival for the hand of Caroline, and John is required to use force to see that Wayne does the wronged young woman justice. John and Caroline then look forward to their own happiness.

Cast

as 'Hardwood' John Haynes *

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

as Judge Clay Emerson Meredith *George Webb as Wayne Page *

as Caroline Meredith *

as Rosalie Andre *

as Rameses

Preservation

A copy of ''John Petticoats'' is 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 ...

and the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

film archive and the Gosfilmofond Archive.

References

External links

* * 1919 films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Lambert Hillyer American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1910s action films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films Silent American action films English-language action films {{1910s-US-film-stub