''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' is a 1914 American silent

comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

Harold Entwistle Charles Harold Entwistle was an actor on stage and in films, a manager of theaters and touring theater companies, and director from England who migrated to the United States and worked in Hollywood during and after the silent film era. In Englan ...

and starring

Beatriz Michelena Beatriz Michelena (February 22, 1890 – October 10, 1942) was a Venezuelan American actress and singer during the silent film era, known at the time for her operatic soprano voice and appearances in musical theatre. She was one of the few Lat ...

, Blanche Chapman and

House Peters Robert House Peters Sr. (12 March 1880 – 7 December 1967) was a British-born American silent film actor, known to filmgoers of the era as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions". Biography Born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, Peters bega ...

. It is based on the 1904 Broadway play by Anne Crawford Flexner, which itself is taken from the 1901 novel of the same name by

Alice Hegan Rice Alice Hegan Rice, also known as Alice Caldwell Hegan, (January 11, 1870 – February 10, 1942) was an American novelist. Her 1901 novel Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch became a play and four films. Biography Alice Caldwell Hegan was born on J ...

Plot

Mr. and Mrs. Wiggs, prior to their marriage, worked as a coachman and housekeeper to Colonel Vanderhurst, who removed his son, Jack, from his will for marrying a woman connected to the circus. Years later, Jack and his wife both pass away, leaving Lovey Mary with Jack's wife's sister and her sister's husband, a temperamental circus proprietor. Along with Lovey Mary goes Jack's marriage certificate, Lovey Mary's birth certificate, and a locket with a portrait of Jack and his wife. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Wiggs are married with five children, suffering greatly, especially due to strikes at Mr. Wiggs’ work. This place is controlled by wealthy politician Murphy, whose stepson Bob pities the strikers, specifically Mr. Wiggs and his family. Bob becomes an attorney and Mr. Wiggs leaves the town in search of other work, meeting Lovey Mary's uncle, the circus proprietor. With Mr. Wiggs absent, Mrs. Wiggs struggles greatly with poverty as she tries to take care of her family alone. Years pass, and Mrs. Wiggs continues struggling. Colonel Vanderhurst decides to make a will in Lovey Mary's favor after regretting his harshness with his son. He releases advertisements to find Lovey Mary, which Mary's uncle finds and plans to turn in Lovey Mary as his own daughter to receive the inheritance. Mr. Wiggs falls in love with a circus performer and has a child named Tommy with her, who Lovey Mary becomes fond of. When her uncle tells her the plan, she runs away with Tommy. Her uncle chases after her but she is rescued by Bob. She has another close call with her uncle, but escapes by train with Tommy, and stops near the Cabbage Patch. Noticed by one of the Wiggs children, she is taken to Mrs. Wiggs house. Soon, she is kidnapped by her uncle with Tommy still at the house. Her uncle takes her to claim the inheritance, but Bob's firm represents the Colonel's estate and Bob becomes suspicious. He visits the circus, which is currently in the Cabbage Patch, and goes to Mrs. Wiggs, discovering the truth. Bob follows Lovey Mary's uncle under disguise and saves her as she is about to be murdered. The two later run into Mr. Wiggs and convince him to return to Mrs. Wiggs, who forgives him for abandoning her and their family, and Bob and Lovey Mary announce their decision to get married.

Production and Reception

, who played Lovey Mary, and

, who played Bob, had been on a film prior to the filming of ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch'' with the California Motion Picture Corporation called ''

Salomy Jane Salomy Jane may refer to: *" Salomy Jane's Kiss", an 1889 western short story by Bret Harte, included in ''Stories of Light and Shadow'' (1898) * ''Salomy Jane'' (play), a 1907 stage adaptation by Paul Armstrong *"Salomy Jane", a 1910 western nove ...

.'' Though Michelena held a special relationship with the California Motion Picture Corporation and received star treatment, she felt upstaged by Peters due to his acting style, which caused many problems during the production of ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.'' Michelena did not like play the film was based from and was angry that her role of Lovey Mary was not the title role, believing her role was not glamorous enough. Peters also disliked his lack of screen time as Bob. This led to an argument between the two and Peters storming off and never returning to the set. Producer George E. Middleton attempted to uphold continuity without the missing scenes, the gaps were too noticeable, and the film never became a success.

Cast

as Lovey Mary * Blanche Chapman as Mrs. Wiggs *

Andrew Robson Andrew Michael Robson Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 1964) is an English professional Contract bridge, bridge player, writer and teacher. He is a British and English international. Robson is the bridge columnist for ''The Times'' and ...

as Hiram Wiggs *

as Bob * La Belle Carmen as Wire Walker *

Belle Bennett Belle Bennett (born Ara Belle Bennett; April 22, 1891 – November 4, 1932), was a stage and screen actress who started her career as a child as a circus performer. She later performed in theater and films. Early life and career Bennett was b ...

as Undetermined Role * William Pike as Undetermined Role

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0004365
The Golden Gate and the Silver Screen
on Google Books 1914 films 1914 drama films 1910s English-language films American silent feature films Silent American drama films Films directed by Harold Entwistle American black-and-white films World Film Company films Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey Films based on works by Alice Hegan Rice 1910s American films