''Through the Back Door'' is a 1921 American silent

comedy drama film 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 ...

directed by Alfred E. Green and

Jack Pickford John Charles Smith (August 18, 1896 – January 3, 1933), known professionally as Jack Pickford, was a Canadian-American actor, film director and producer. He was the younger brother of actresses Mary and Lottie Pickford. After their father d ...

, and starring

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 ...

.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Through the Back Door''
at silentera.com

Plot

The movie starts in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in the early 1900s. Jeanne (

) is the 10-year-old daughter of Louise (

Gertrude Astor Gertrude Astor (born Gertrude Irene Eyster; November 9, 1887 – November 9, 1977) was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone in a woman's band. Early years Gertrude Irene Eyster was born in Lake ...

). Troubles start when Louise remarries a selfish but rich man named Elton Reeves (

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

). He convinces her to move to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and leave Jeanne behind in Belgium to live with the maid Marie (

Helen Raymond Helen Raymond (September 3, 1878 – November 26, 1965) was an American stage actress who did comedy roles on Broadway, and also appeared in Hollywood motion pictures and in vaudeville. Early years Raymond was born September 3, 1878, in P ...

). At first Louise refuses to, but eventually gives in and leaves Jeanne in the care of Marie. Five years pass and Jeanne and Marie bonded. Meanwhile, Louise hated living in America and feels guilty having left her kid behind. She returns to Belgium to reunite with Jeanne, but Marie does not want to give her up. When Louise finally arrives, Marie lies to her Jeanne drowned in a river nearby. Louise is devastated and collapses, before returning to America. This results in estranging from Elton.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

breaks out and Belgium is occupied by Germany. Marie fears for Jeanne's safety and brings her to America to live with her mother. After an emotional goodbye, Jeanne sets out for America to find her mother. Along the way she meets two orphan boys and decides to take care of them. When she finally arrives in America, she travels to Louise's big mansion. Too afraid to tell her she is her daughter, Jeanne applies to serve as her maid. While pretending to be someone else, she gets to know her mother. However, she has trouble keeping up the lie and wants nothing more but have a reconciliation. Waiting for the right time to tell the truth, Jeanne hopes everything will come to a right end. When guests of the mansion plot to fleece Elton, Jeanne is forced to reveal her true identity to save the day. A happy reunion follows.

Cast

as Jeanne *

as Louise Reeves *

as Elton Reeves *

as Marie * C. Norman Hammond as Jacques Lanvain *

Elinor Fair Elinor Virginia Martin ('' née'' Crowe; December 21, 1903 – April 26, 1957), known professionally as Elinor Fair, was an American motion picture actress. Early years Elinor Virginia Crowe was born on December 21, 1903, in Richmond, Virgini ...

as Margaret Brewster *

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley Ku ...

as James Brewster *

Peaches Jackson Peaches Jackson (October 9, 1913 – February 23, 2002) was an American film actress. Her sister, Mary Ann Jackson also became a child actor, and appeared in many of the Little Rascals short films for Hal Roach. Peaches (Charlotte) stoppe ...

as Conrad *

Doreen Turner Doreen may refer to: *Doreen (name), a woman's name, usually found in English-speaking countries *Doreen (given name), any of several people In arts and entertainment Fictional characters *Doreen Corkhill, on the British soap opera ''Brookside'' * ...

as Constant *

John Harron John Harron (March 31, 1903 – November 24, 1939) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1918 and 1940. Born in New York, New York, he was the brother of actor Robert Harron and of actress Mary Harron. Harron di ...

as Billy Boy *

George Dromgold George C. Dromgold (July 14, 1893 – April 9, 1948) was an actor and writer, who wrote a book about his South Seas exploration. Early years George Dromgold was the son of R. W. Dromgold, a Los Angeles businessman, real estate investor, and me ...

as Chauffeur *

Jeanne Carpenter Theo-Alice Jeanne Carpenter (February 1, 1917 – January 5, 1994) was an American child actress of the silent era

as Jeanne (age 5)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Through The Back Door 1921 films 1921 comedy-drama films 1920s English-language films American silent feature films American black-and-white films United Artists films Belgium in fiction Films set in Belgium Films directed by Alfred E. Green Articles containing video clips Films with screenplays by Gerald Duffy 1920s American films Silent American comedy-drama films