''The Sawdust Ring'' (also known as ''The Little Equestrienne'') is a 1917 American silent drama film distributed by the

Triangle Film Corporation Triangle Film Corporation (also known as Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in July 1915 in Culver City, California and terminated 7 years later in 1922. History The studio was founded in July 1 ...

and starring

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ei ...

. A shortened version of the film survives in 9.5 mm reduction print at

Cineteca Nazionale Cineteca Nazionale is a film archive located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1949. By law it manages the so-called legal deposit, with the task of collecting, preserving and disseminating the productions of Italian cinema. It is the only Italian ...

Pacific Film Archive The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA, formerly abbreviated as BAM/PFA) are a combined art museum, repertory movie theater, and archive associated with the University of California, Berkeley. Lawrence Rinder was Director from ...

, and the

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...

. The film has also been released, in its shortened version, by Harpodeon.

Plot

Bessie Love and an elephant in The Sawdust Ring

Two children who want to become circus performers run away from home. The mother of the girl is ill and has been sent to the hospital, while the father of the boy is a junk dealer. They finally arrive at the circus of Colonel Simmonds (

Richardson Richardson may refer to: People * Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname * Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s * Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962) Places Australia * Richardson, Australian Cap ...

) and obtain employment. When Janet Magie (

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

) falls from a horse, Simmonds learns that she is actually his daughter and through her is able to contact his wife, who had left him due to a misunderstanding. This results in a happy reunion.

Cast

as Janet Magie * Harold Goodwin as Peter Weldon * Jack Richardson as Colonel Simmonds * Josephine Headley as Mrs. Magie * Daisy Dean as Paquita * Alfred Hollingsworth as Steve Weldon

References

External links

* * * * 1917 drama films 1917 films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films American silent feature films Films directed by Paul Powell (director) Surviving American silent films Triangle Film Corporation films Films directed by Charles Miller 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub