''Maggie Pepper'' is a

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

1919 American silent comedy-drama film directed by

Chester Withey Chester "Chet" Withey (8 November 1887, Park City, Utah – 6 October 1939, California) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He participated in the production in total of some 100 films. Born in Park City, Utah, th ...

and starring

Ethel Clayton Ethel Clayton (November 8, 1882 – June 6, 1966) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early years Born in Champaign, Illinois, Clayton attended St. Elizabeth's school in Chicago. Career Clayton debuted on stage as a professional ...

. This film is based on a hit 1911 play by

Charles Klein Charles Klein (January 7, 1867 – May 7, 1915) was an English-born playwright and actor who emigrated to America in 1883. Among his works was the libretto of John Philip Sousa's operetta, ''El Capitan''. Klein's talented siblings includ ...

which was a winning success for stage actress

Rose Stahl Rosalie Stahl (October 29, 1868 – 1955) was a Canadian-born American stage actress. Early life Her father was Col. Ernest Karl Stahl, a Prussian-born newspaperman who was drama and music critic for the '' Chicago InterOcean'' and her mother, C ...

at the Harris Theatre. It is not known whether the film currently survives. Both Rose Stahl's manager, Henry B. Harris, and the original playwright, Charles Klein, died in notable disasters: Harris on the in 1912, and Klein on the in 1915.

Plot

As described in a film magazine, Maggie Pepper (Clayton) is a self-reliant and snappy saleswoman who supports a young girl Claire (Wilson), the daughter of her sister-in-law Ada (Greenwood), who is in jail for

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

. Maggie is being courted by Jake Rothschild (Hatton) and has just rejected him when the young owner of the store, Joe Holbrook (Dexter), comes upon them. She mistakes Joe for a job seeker and advises him to stay away from a concern that is dying painlessly. Joe becomes interested and finds that the peppery young woman has ideas and vision. He is already engaged, but finds that the comparison of the women favors Maggie. Maggie, the victim of envy, is discharged. Her sister-in-law Ada, now released and led back to crime by a second husband Sam (Marshall), plans to do shoplifting at the Holbrook store. Maggie only wants the child to be free from bad influences, and accepts a job offer in Pittsburgh to get a better environment. There is a sensational attempt to steal the child, which brings Holbrook to the rescue. He feigns injury to keep a hold on Maggie, and ends up winning her.

Cast

as Maggie Pepper *

Elliott Dexter Elliott Dexter (March 29, 1870 – June 21, 1941) was an American film and stage actor. Dexter started his career in vaudeville and did not move to films until he was 45. He retired from acting in 1925. Biography Dexter was born in Galves ...

as Joe Holbrook *

Winifred Greenwood Winifred Greenwood (January 1, 1885 – November 23, 1961) was an American silent film actress. Born in 1885 in Geneseo, New York, Greenwood studied to be a teacher but left New York Normal School to perform in vaudeville in the United St ...

as Ada Darkin *

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

as Sam Darkin * Edna Mae Wilson as Claire Darkin *

Raymond Hatton Raymond William Hatton (July 7, 1887 – October 21, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures. Biography Hatton was born in Red Oak, Iowa. His physician father steered him toward a career in medicine. Howev ...

as Jake Rothschild *

Marcia Manon Marcia Manon (born Marcia Elizabeth Harrison, October 28, 1896 – April 12, 1973) was a film actress active during the silent film era of the 1910s and 1920s. She was a supporting player who worked with stars Mary Pickford, John Barrymore, Ethel ...

as Alice Keane *Clyde Benson as John Hargen *

Billy Elmer William Elmer (April 25, 1869 – February 24, 1945) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1913 and 1942. He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and died in Hollywood, California. Elmer acted in ...

as Dud Corey *

Bud Duncan Bud Duncan (October 31, 1883 – November 25, 1960) was an American actor of the silent era, most known for his early work with silent film comedian Lloyd Hamilton. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1912 and 1942. Early life Duncan ...

as Delivery Boy *C. H. Geldart as Detective (aka

Clarence Geldart Clarence Geldart (June 9, 1867 – May 13, 1935) was an American film actor. He appeared in 127 films between 1915 and 1936. He was sometimes credited as C.H. Geldart or Charles H. Geldart. He was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and died i ...

) *

Fay Holderness Fay Holderness (née MacMurray; April 16, 1881 – May 13, 1963) was an American vaudeville performer and film actress. Family Fay Holderness was born Fay MacMurray in Oconto, Wisconsin, the daughter of Thomas James MacMurray and Mary E. MacM ...

as Mrs. Thatcher

Klein and Harris

Both the author of the original stage play,

, and Rose Stahl's manager, Henry B. Harris, died at sea. Harris, a theatrical producer, was also the owner and lessee of the Harris Theatre on 42nd Street where ''Maggie Pepper'' played. In April 1913 he was in London, arranging future performances of ''Maggie Pepper'' with Stahl and the original American cast. Harris also acquired the US rights to '' The Miracle'', the world's first full-colour narrative feature film which had been showing at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

.''Miss Stahl's Return''
''The Standard'' (London), 11 April 1912, p. 5, col. 2. (Subscription required, OCR text only.) However, Harris died after the ship he and his wife were travelling on, the , hit an iceberg, although his wife survived. Charles Klein died in the sinking of the RMS ''Lusitania'' in 1915. Another victim on the ''Lusitania'' was

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

, also a well-known theatrical producer. Frohman had produced one of Klein's first successes, ''Heartsease'', with

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

, and was also the manager and lessee of the Park Theatre,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where Rose Stahl (managed by Harris) played in ''

The Chorus Lady ''The Chorus Lady'' is a 1915 American comedy silent film directed by Frank Reicher. The screenplay was by Marion Fairfax and James Forbes. The film stars Cleo Ridgely, Marjorie Daw, Wallace Reid, Richard Grey and Mrs. Lewis McCord. It is bas ...

'' in 1908. Playbill for the ''Chorus Lady'' at the Park Theatre, Boston.

References

External links

*
allmovie/synopsis; ''Maggie Pepper''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maggie Pepper 1919 films American silent feature films American films based on plays Lost American films Films directed by Chester Withey 1919 comedy-drama films American black-and-white films 1919 lost films Lost comedy-drama films 1910s American films Silent American comedy-drama films 1910s English-language films