''Mrs. Jones Entertains'' is a 1909 American silent

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comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by D. W. Griffith.

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Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

as appearing in this short. However, Pickford did not begin with Biograph until the end of April 1909.

Plot

Dear little Mrs. Jones once gave a tea party to her temperance friends, at which Mr. Jones unfortunately got intoxicated. So his presence was objected to when the ladies met again. As luck would have it the waiter who was to serve the repast could not come, and so Jones, poor fellow, consented to disguise himself and act as waiter to his own wife's guests. These prim and virtuous ladies duly arrived; the meal was served and all proceeded happily until Jones, who received the dishes from a pert maid in the kitchen, was seized by a desire to try an experiment before the meal was finished. Discovering a bottle which appeared to contain a spirituous liquid, he poured some into each of the guests' cups. The effect of the experiment was soon apparent. The ladies got more communicative towards each; they warmed and melted: they clamored for more "tea"; they got quite boisterous and just slightly indecorous, and finally so abusive and intoxicated that Mrs. Jones had to clear them off, and then husband and wife were reconciled, presumably with a promise on his part to behave himself in future.The moving picture world January 9, 1909
page 34

Cast

* John R. Cumpson as Mr. Jones *

Florence Lawrence Florence Lawrence (born Florence Annie Bridgwood; January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was thought to be the first film actor to ...

as Mrs. Jones *

Jeanie MacPherson Abbie Jean MacPherson (May 18, 1886 – August 26, 1946) was an American silent actress, writer, and director. MacPherson worked as a theater and film actress before becoming a screenwriter for Cecil B. DeMille. She was a pioneer for women in th ...

as The Maid *

Linda Arvidson Linda Arvidson (born Linda Arvidson Johnson, July 12, 1884 – July 26, 1949; sometimes credited as Linda Griffith) was an American stage and film actress who became one of America's early motion picture stars while working at Biograph Studios i ...

Flora Finch Flora Finch (17 June 1867 – 4 January 1940) was an English-born vaudevillian, stage and film actress who starred in over 300 silent films, including over 200 for the Vitagraph Studios film company. The vast majority of her films from the sile ...

as A Guest *

Anthony O'Sullivan Anthony O'Sullivan (1855July 5, 1920) was an American silent film actor and film director. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1906 and 1918. He also directed 35 films between 1913 and 1915. He died in The Bronx, New York Director * '' ...

as Dorothy Nicholson *

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

Harry Solter Henry Lewis "Harry" Solter (November 19, 1873 – March 2, 1920) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter and director. Career Solter began his career as an actor in 1908 with Biograph Studios. That same year he met actress Florenc ...

as Delivery Man

References

External links

*
scene in the film
with l to r: Jeanie McPherson, Florence Lawrence, John Cumpson, Anthony O'Sullivan {{DEFAULTSORT:Mrs Jones Entertains 1909 films 1909 comedy films 1909 short films Silent American comedy films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by D. W. Griffith American comedy short films Films with screenplays by Frank E. Woods 1900s American films