''The Poor Little Rich Girl'' is a 1917 American
comedy-drama
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 ...
film directed by
Maurice Tourneur Maurice may refer to:
People
*Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
*Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
. Adapted by
Frances Marion
Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens, November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...
from the 1913 play by
Eleanor Gates. The Broadway play actually starred future screen actress
Viola Dana
Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films.
Early lif ...
. The film stars
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 ...
,
Madlaine Traverse
Madlaine Traverse (born Mary Businsky; August 1, 1875 – January 7, 1964) was an American stage and screen actress from Cleveland, Ohio. In the course of her career she is alternately billed as "Madaline Traverse", "Madeline Traverse" and "Madel ...
, Charles Wellesley, Gladys Fairbanks (returning from the play) and
Frank McGlynn Sr.
The film was shot in
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...
when early
film studio
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
s in
America's first motion picture industry
Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...
were based there at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1991, ''The Poor Little Rich Girl'' 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 is ...
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 i ...
.
Plot
Gwendolyn is an 11-year-old girl who is left by her rich and busy parents to the care of unsympathetic
domestic worker
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
s at the family's mansion. Her mother is only interested in her social life and her father has serious financial problems and is even contemplating suicide.
When she manages to have some good time with an organ-grinder or a plumber, or have a mud-fight with street boys, she is rapidly brought back on the right track.
One day, she becomes sick because the maid has given her an extra dose of sleeping medicine to be able to go out. She then becomes delirious and starts seeing an imaginary world inspired by people and things around her; the Garden of Lonely Children in the Tell-Tale forest. Her conditions worsen and Death tries to lure her to eternal rest. But Life also appears to her and finally wins.
[Review, synopsis and link to watch the film ]
Cast
*
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 Gwendolyn
*
Madlaine Traverse
Madlaine Traverse (born Mary Businsky; August 1, 1875 – January 7, 1964) was an American stage and screen actress from Cleveland, Ohio. In the course of her career she is alternately billed as "Madaline Traverse", "Madeline Traverse" and "Madel ...
as Gwendolyn's Mother
*
Charles Wellesley
Charles Wellesley (November 17, 1873 – July 24, 1946) was an Irish-born American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1913 and 1928. He was born in Dublin and died in Amityville, New York.
Partial filmograph ...
as Gwendolyn's Father
* Gladys Fairbanks as Jane
*
Frank McGlynn Sr. as The Plumber
* Emile La Croix as The Organ Grinder
*
Marcia Harris
Marcia Harris (born Lena Hill, February 14, 1868 – June 18, 1947) was an American actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1915 and 1932.
She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and as an amateur acted primarily in male lead roles wi ...
as Miss Royale
*
Charles Craig as Thomas
* Frank Andrews as Potter
*
Herbert Prior
Herbert Prior (2 July 1867 – 3 October 1954) was an English silent film actor. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1908 and 1934. He was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, and died in Los Angeles, California.
Prior was married to actress ...
as The Doctor
* George Gernon as Johnny Blake
*
Maxine Elliott Hicks
Maxine Elliott Hicks (October 5, 1904 – January 10, 2000) was an American actress.
Life and career
Maxine Elliott Hicks was born in Denver, Colorado to George W. and Margaret Hicks. She began acting on the stage from the age of 5. As Maxine ...
as Susie May Squoggs
See also
*
List of United States comedy films
This is a list of American comedy films.
Comedy films are separated into two categories: short films and feature films. Any film over 40 minutes long is considered to be of feature-length (although most feature films produced since 1950 are co ...
*
Mary Pickford filmography
Mary Pickford (1892–1979) was a Canadian-American motion picture actress, producer, and writer. During the silent film era she became one of the first great celebrities of the cinema and a popular icon known to the public as "America's Sweethea ...
References
Further reading
* Schmidt, Christel, ed. (2013). ''Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies''.
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 is ...
/
University Press of Kentucky
The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The university had sponsored scholarly publication since 1943. In 194 ...
. .
*
External links
*''The Poor Little Rich Girl'' essay by
Eileen Whitfield at
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 i ...
*
*
*
* ''The Poor Little Rich Girl'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 57–2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poor Little Rich Girl, The
1917 films
1917 comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
American silent feature films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Maurice Tourneur
Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
American films based on plays
United States National Film Registry films
Articles containing video clips
Films with screenplays by Frances Marion
1910s English-language films
1910s American films
Silent comedy-drama films
Silent American drama films
Silent American comedy films