The Rise of Jennie Cushing movie scene 1917

''The Rise of Jennie Cushing'' 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

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 ...

, produced by

Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...

, and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The story based upon the nove
''The Rise of Jennie Cushing
' by Mary Watts and stars Broadway's

Elsie Ferguson Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raise ...

. The film marked Ferguson's second motion picture. It is a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine, when the police authorities learn of the type of people Jennie Cushing (Ferguson) lives with, they send her to a

reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concerns ...

. Shortly before the end of her term she becomes the hired girl of the Doane's. From there she goes to the city and becomes the maid to the wealthy Edith Gerrard (Delatore). When Donelson Meigs (Dexter), a famous artist, is painting Miss Gerrard's picture, he falls in love with the maid, who accompanies her mistress to each sitting. He persuades Jennie to pose for him and finally tells her of his love. Jennie realizes the difference in their social positions and, although she now lives with him, she will not become his wife. After Jennie discovers that Donelson has learned of her having been in a reformatory, she leaves him and goes to America, where she starts a home for young children of the slums. After a two-year search Donelson finds her and professes his love.

Cast

- Jennie Cushing *

Elliott Dexter Elliott Dexter (March 29, 1870 – June 21, 1941) was an American film and stage actor. Dexter started his career in vaudeville and did not move to films until he was 45. He retired from acting in 1925. Biography Dexter was born in Galves ...

- Donelson Meigs *

Fania Marinoff Fania Marinoff (russian: Фаня Маринов; yi, פאַניאַ מאַרינאָוו) (March 20, 1890 – November 17, 1971) was a Russian-born American actress. Life Marinoff was born in Odessa, Russia, on March 20, 1890. She was bo ...

- Marie *Frank Goldsmith - Mr. Harrish *Sallie Delatore - Edith Gerrard *Mae Bates - Granny *Edith McAlpin - Mrs. Meigs *Isabel Vernon - Aunt Carrie *

Marie Burke Marie Burke (born Marie Rosa Altfuldisch, later Holt, 18 October 189421 March 1988) was an English actress of stage, cinema and television. She appeared in over 40 films between 1917 and 1971, and appeared in TV series between 1953 and 1969. B ...

- (uncredited) *James Cogan - (uncredited) *

Blanche Craig Blanche Craig (January 6, 1866 – September 23, 1940) was an American actress. Biography Blanche Craig was born on January 6, 1866, in Cutler, Maine. She appeared in films such as '' The City of Illusion'' (1916), '' The Accidental Honeymoon' ...

- (uncredited)

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''The Rise of Jennie Cushing'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors required cuts of the

intertitle In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

s "Marie's story was simple, etc.", "It seems wrong and vile - I'll go with you", "Your mother is nearly distracted. Have you really married that Cushing woman?", and "Tell her its Jennie Cushing", the entire incident of the girl's visit to Marie, the intertitles "I won't have a woman like you around my children" and "I want you to be my dear and honored wife", and to change the intertitile "Does Mrs. Jennie Cushing live here?" to "Does Mrs. Jennie Meigs live here?"

References

External links

*
''The Rise of Jennie Cushing'' ; allmovie.com/synopsis
* Watts, Mary Stanbery (1915),
The Rise of Jennie Cushing
', New York: The MacMillan Co., on the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Rise of Jennie Cushing, The 1917 films American silent feature films Famous Players-Lasky films American films based on plays Films directed by Maurice Tourneur Lost American films 1917 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films 1917 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films