''The Corner Grocer'' is a 1917 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

George Cowl George Cowl (1878–1942) was a British film actor active in the United States.Solomon p.300 He also directed four films during the silent era. Selected filmography * ''Dan'' (1914) * ''The Rack'' (1916) * '' The Closed Road'' (1916) * '' The B ...

and starring

Lew Fields Lew Fields (born Moses Schoenfeld, January 1867 – July 20, 1941) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville star, theatre Management, manager, and Theatrical producer, producer. He was part of a comedy duo with Joe Weber (vaudevillian), Joe We ...

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.Obituary ''Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography Child model and stage actress B ...

and

Lillian Cook Lillian Cook was an American actress who was active in Hollywood during the silent era. Biography Cook was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Joseph Cook and his wife Martha. An only child, she grew up primarily in Cincinnati before she moved t ...

.Koegel p.349 It was shot at the Fort Lee studios in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Plot summary

Kindhearted Charles Wendel, who has built his pushcart grocery business into a prosperous enterprise, adopts little eight-year-old Mary Brian after her mother dies in poverty. The little girl becomes the angel of the house, beloved by all. Wendel's dream is that his son Ralph will carry on the business, but when Ralph graduates from college, he decides that he is too good for the grocery business. Instead, he goes to work in a bank, where he falls prey to swindlers who convince him to forge his father's name on a $100,000 check. When the forgery is discovered, the old man covers the check at the cost of his own financial ruin. Ralph, chagrined, leaves home to make good and soon after returns, prosperous, to wed Mary and restore the fortune and happiness of the Wendel family.

Cast

as Charles Wendel *

as Mary Brian, age 8 *

as Mary Brian, age 18 * Nick Long Jr. as Ralph Wendel, age 10 * William Sherwood as Ralph Wendel, age 20 *

Justine Cutting Justine may refer to: People * Jean-Lou Justine (born 1955), male French scientist * Saint Justine of Padua (died 304), a Christian martyr * Justine Bateman (born 1966), American film actress * Justine Clarke (born 1971), Australian actress * J ...

as Lena Wendel *

as Oscar Leaming *

Pinna Nesbit Pinna Nesbit (November 26, 1896 – March 31, 1950) was a Canadian silent film actress. She was married three times and had an affair with King Edward VIII, when he was Prince of Wales. Her first husband, Harley Knoles, directed several of her fil ...

as Stella * Vivia Ogden as Old Maid *

Stanhope Wheatcroft Stanhope Nelson Wheatcroft (May 11, 1888 – February 13, 1966) was an American actor of the stage and screen who was primarily active during Hollywood's silent era. Biography Stanhope was born in New York City in 1888 to Nelson Wheatcroft an ...

as William

References

Bibliography

* John Koegel. ''Music in German Immigrant Theater: New York City, 1840-1940''. University Rochester Press, 2009.

External links

* 1917 films 1917 drama films 1910s English-language films American silent feature films Silent American drama films Films directed by George Cowl American black-and-white films World Film Company films Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey 1910s American films English-language drama films {{1910s-US-film-stub