''Miss Lulu Bett'' is a 1921 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 ...

based on a 1920

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

and bestselling novel of the same name by

Zona Gale Zona Gale, also known by her married name, Zona Gale Breese (August 26, 1874 – December 27, 1938), was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. The close r ...

. The screenplay was written by Clara Beranger, and the film was directed by William C. deMille. The play won the 1921

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

. In 2001, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States

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 ...

and selected for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

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 ...

, Lulu Bett (Wilson) is a slave in the home of her married half-sister Ina Deacon (Van Buren). Her life of drudgery is interrupted when Ninian Deacon (Burton), the scapegoat brother of the head of the house Dwight Deacon (Roberts), "accidentally" marries her. After he confesses that he has another wife, LuLu leaves him and Dwight allows her to return. Her persecution is redoubled upon her return, but she received courage after telling her story to the town schoolmaster Neil Cornish (Sills), who falls in love with her. Her final rebellion and departure from the household are followed by the news that her marriage to Ninian was not legal, leaving her free to marry the man that she loves.

Historical relevance

''Miss Lulu Bett'' depicts a transition that was prominent during the early 1920s women's suffrage movement. It displays women beginning to assert their independence. It also conveys how women often lived oppressive lives during this time, and explores the

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

stereotype. Although Lulu was not abused physically, she is abused psychologically by her controlling brother-in-law, who Lulu works under and visibly dislikes. When the story was adopted as a

, two endings were written; one where Lulu decides to undertake adventures on her own, which won Gale the Pulitzer Prize, and another where Neil shows up in the nick of time and convinces her to stay with him. The latter was more commercially acceptable at the time and less challenging for audiences given women’s standing in society. In the film, although Lulu and Neil decide to get married, Lulu still evolves from slavery into a self-assured woman, prepared to take on her life independently. In accordance with Gale’s original ending depicting female independence, she personally advocated heavily for women’s rights and was an ardent supporter of many liberal causes of her time. She was an active member of the National Women’s Party and lobbied diligently for th
1921 Wisconsin Equal Rights Law
Additionally, she was an Executive Member of the

Lucy Stone League The Lucy Stone League is a women's rights organization founded in 1921. Its motto is "A wife should no more take her husband's name than he should hers. My name is my identity and must not be lost."“lucystoneleague.org�Archivedfrom the original ...

– one of the first feminist groups to arise from the suffrage movement. She believed that her activism on behalf of women was her way to solve a “problem she returned to repeatedly in her novels: women’s frustration at their lack of opportunities.” Miss Lulu Bett (1921) - 5

]

Cast

* Lois Wilson (actress), Lois Wilson as Lulu Bett *

Milton Sills Milton George Gustavus Sills (January 12, 1882 – September 15, 1930) was an American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century. Biography Sills was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a wealthy family. He was the son of William Henr ...

as Neil Cornish *

Theodore Roberts Theodore Roberts (October 8, 1861 – December 14, 1928) was an American film and stage actor. Early life Roberts was born in San Francisco, California. He was a cousin of the stage actress Florence Roberts. His choice of a career disapp ...

as Dwight Deacon *

Helen Ferguson Helen Ferguson (July 23, 1901 – March 14, 1977) was an American actress later turned publicist. Biography Born in Decatur, Illinois, in 1901, Ferguson graduated from Nicholas High School of Chicago and the Academy of Fine Arts. Ferguson wa ...

as Diana Deacon *

Mabel Van Buren Mabel Van Buren (born Mabel Brown Southard; July 17, 1878 – November 4, 1947) was an American stage and screen actress. Biography As a theatrical performer she played the leading lady in both ''The Virginian'' and ''The Squaw Man'' (190 ...

as Ina Deacon *

Mae Giraci Mae Georgia Giraci (January 22, 1910 – January 10, 2006), also known as May Giraci, May Garcia, May Geraci, May Giracci, May Giracia and Tina Rossi, was an American child actress who appeared in silent films between 1915 and 1929. Giraci wa ...

as Monona Deacon (credited as May Giraci) *

Clarence Burton Clarence Forrest Burton (May 10, 1882 – December 2, 1933) was an American silent film actor. Biography Burton was born in Fort Lyon, in Benton County, Missouri and started in show business at the age of 5, playing stock and musical comedy ...

as Ninian Deacon * Ethel Wales as Grandma Bett *Taylor Graves as Bobby Larkin * Charles Ogle as Station Agent ''uncredited'' *

Peaches Jackson Peaches Jackson (October 9, 1913 – February 23, 2002) was an American film actress. Her sister, Mary Ann Jackson also became a child actor, and appeared in many of the Little Rascals short films for Hal Roach. Peaches (Charlotte) stoppe ...

as Child *

Carrie Clark Ward Carrie Clark Ward (January 9, 1862 – February 6, 1926) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Ward was born in Virginia City, Nevada, in 1862. In 1885 Clark acted in a company at the San Francisco Bush Street Theatre. Wa ...

as Gossip

References

External links

* * * *
Lobby card for ''Miss Lulu Bett''
{{William C. deMille 1921 films American silent feature films Films based on American novels American films based on plays Films directed by William C. deMille United States National Film Registry films 1921 comedy-drama films 1920s English-language films Articles containing video clips American black-and-white films 1920s American films Silent comedy-drama films Silent American comedy-drama films