''The Little Clown'' is a 1921 American silent

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

Thomas N. Heffron Thomas N. Heffron (June 13, 1872 – May 24, 1951) was a screenwriter, actor, and a director. He was born in Nevada, He worked as an attorney and danced in vaudeville before he began his career in film with Thanhousr in 1911, eventually landing ...

and starring

Mary Miles Minter Mary Miles Minter (born Juliet Reilly; April 25, 1902Louisiana Birth Certificate, Caddo Parish, No. 119, Book A, Page 97, Birth Date: April 25, 1902, Name: Mary M. Reilly ic – Original Caddo birth record was recorded as "J.H. Riley's Child" ...

, adapted by Eugene B. Lewis from a comedy play by

Avery Hopwood James Avery Hopwood (May 28, 1882 – July 1, 1928) was an American playwright of the Jazz Age. He had four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920. Early life Hopwood was born to James and Jule Pendergast Hopwood on May 28, 1882 ...

. It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films which still survive today.The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The Little Clown''
/ref> A copy of the film was found in the

Dawson Film Find The Dawson Film Find (DFF) was the accidental discovery in 1978 of 372 film titles preserved in 533 reels of silent-era nitrate films in the Klondike Gold Rush town of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. The reels had been buried under an abandoned hoc ...

in 1978Film, Video and Sound - Database: ''The Little Clown''
/ref> - although other copies survived in various holdings - and a few brief frames from this copy can be seen in 2016 documentary Dawson City: Frozen Time.

Plot

As described in various

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 ...

reviews, Pat (Minter) has been born and brought up in a travelling circus. Her parents died when she was young, and Toto the clown (Edwards), who acted as her adoptive father when she was younger, now hopes to marry her as she has come of age. When the circus stops in a Southern town, Dick Beverly (Mulhall), a young man from an aristocratic family, falls in love with Pat. Having recently argued with his father, he runs away to join the circus with her as a rider. His parents see him performing in the circus and insist that he returns home with them, which he refuses to do until Pat is allowed to join him. Dick's snobbish parents do not regard Pat as a suitable match for their son, but they agree to his request, hoping that Pat will struggle to adapt to an upper-class lifestyle and that Dick will thus realise that she will not make a good wife. Pat tries her best to rise to the demands of the strict social rules imposed by her prospective parents-in-law, but their lack of approval is clear. One day when Dick's parents are out of the house, Pat's circus "family" calls to visit her. Dick's younger brother Roddy (Coffey) adds liquor to their drinks, and when Dick's parents return they are appalled by the drunken behaviour and throw the circus folk out of the house. Indignant at the way that the Beverleys have treated her friends, Pat goes with them. Pat is at the point of accepting Toto's proposal when Roddy confesses to his prank on the circus folk. Dick chases after Pat to confess his love and beg her forgiveness, and Toto gives up his claim on her, leaving Pat and Dick free to wed. The April 9th, 1921 edition of

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founded ...

lists a musical cue sheet for the film.

Cast

as Pat *

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as Dick Beverley *

Winter Hall Winter Hall (21 June 1872 – 10 February 1947) was a New Zealand actor of the silent era who later appeared in sound films. He performed in more than 120 films between 1916 and 1938. Prior to that, he had a career as a stage actor in Austr ...

as Colonel Beverley *

Helen Dunbar Helen Dunbar (born Katheryn Burke Lackey; October 10, 1863 – August 28, 1933) was an American theatrical performer and silent film actress. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dunbar first appeared with the Weber & Fields Stock Co ...

as Mrs. Beverley *Cameron Coffey as Roddy Beverley *

Neely Edwards Neely Edwards (born Cornelius Limbach; September 16, 1883 – July 10, 1965) was an American vaudeville performer and film actor. Biography Edwards appeared in 174 films between 1915 and 1959. The first was as an unbilled player in a Haro ...

as Toto *

Wilton Taylor Wilton Taylor (1869 – January 24, 1925) was an American stage and silent screen actor. He usually played gruff men of authority like wardens, judges or the police commissioner in Tod Browning's '' Outside the Law'' (1920). Of some other su ...

as Jim Anderson *

Lucien Littlefield Lucien Littlefield (August 16, 1895 – June 4, 1960) was an American actor who achieved a long career from silent films to the television era. He was noted for his versatility, playing a wide range of roles and already portraying old men befor ...

as Connie Potts *Zelma Maja as Liz *

Laura Anson Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay o ...

as Nellie Johnson

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Clown, The 1921 films 1920s English-language films Silent American comedy films 1921 comedy films Films directed by Thomas N. Heffron American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920s American films