A Cumberland Romance | |
---|---|
Directed by | Charles Maigne |
Screenplay by | Charles Maigne |
Based on | A Mountain Europa by John Fox Jr. |
Starring | Mary Miles Minter Monte Blue John Bowers |
Cinematography | Faxon M. Dean |
Production company | Realart Pictures Corporation |
Distributed by | Realart Pictures Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6 reels |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
A Cumberland Romance is a 1920 American silent drama film written and directed by Charles Maigne and starring Mary Miles Minter and Monte Blue, based on the 1899 novel A Mountain Europa by John Fox Jr. Maigne also wrote the screenplay. [1] It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's features still known to survive today. [2]
As described in film magazine reviews, [3] [4] [5] Easter Hicks (Minter), a mountain girl, meets Clayton (Bowers), an engineer from the city, when she is on her way to market. Easter is fascinated by the "furriner" (foreigner) from the city, and despite her crude dress and rough mannerisms, Clayton is equally taken with her. Sherd Raines (Blue), a young circuit rider of the mountains, is also in love with Easter.
"Pap" Hicks (Oliver), Easter's drunkard father, sees Clayton with Easter and vows to shoot the city man, but Sherd overpowers him. Later, Sherd wrestles with his own jealousy and contemplates shooting Clayton, but his faith will not allow him to take a human life. The next day, when Clayton is about to leave for the city, Easter runs after him and tearfully declares her love. Clayton decides to marry her, and Sherd, putting aside his love for Easter, agrees to perform the marriage ceremony.
On the day of the wedding, as Clayton's mother and sister arrive, the contrast between the city folk and the mountain folk could not be clearer. "Pap" Hicks arrives to the wedding drunk, and when Clayton will not share a drink with him, he takes offence and threatens to shoot his future son-in-law. Sherd gets between them to try to save Clayton, but when "Pap" pulls the trigger, it is Easter who is struck with the bullet.
Stricken with grief at the thought that he has killed his daughter, "Pap" swears to God that he will never drink again if only Easter should pull through. Easter recovers, and realises that she and Clayton cannot be happy together, as the differences between them are too great. She sends him back to the city and asks to see Sherd, understanding that she loves the circuit rider after all.
The September 1920 edition of "Picture-Play" features a detailed fiction adaptation of the film, complete with several stills from the picture. [6] The July 3rd, 1920 edition of Motion Picture News lists a musical cue sheet for the film. [7]
Frank Powell was a Canadian-born American stage and silent film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter who worked predominantly in the United States. He is also credited with "discovering" Theda Bara and casting her in a starring role in the 1915 release A Fool There Was. Her performance in that production, under Powell's direction, quickly earned Bara widespread fame as the film industry's most popular evil seductress or on-screen "vamp".
Youth's Endearing Charm is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by William C. Dowlan. The film stars Mary Miles Minter, Wallace McDonald, and Harry von Meter. The script for the film was adapted by J. Edward Hungerford from a novel of the same name written by Maibelle Heikes Justice. This was Minter's first film with Mutual Film, having previously been with Metro Pictures. A print is preserved at the Library of Congress.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was adapted by Will M. Ritchey from the play and novel of the same name by John Fox Jr. This was the second time that Maigne had directed Minter in an adaptation of a Fox novel, the first being 1920's A Cumberland Romance. This was Minter's final film; her contract with Paramount Pictures was not renewed, and she stated that she was "through" with films. As with many of Minter's features, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is thought to be a lost film.
The Mate of the Sally Ann is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Judy of Rogue's Harbor is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Grace Miller White, with a scenario by Clara Beranger. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Realart and Paramount Pictures. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
The Cowboy and the Lady is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Mary Miles Minter and Tom Moore. It was adapted by Julien Josephson from the 1908 play of the same name by Clyde Fitch, and was shot on location at Jackson Hole in Wyoming. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
All Souls' Eve is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Chester M. Franklin and starring Mary Miles Minter. The film is based on the mystical 1920 Broadway play of the same name by Anne Crawford Flexner, with a story by Elmer Blaney Harris. Much was made of the film's use of double, triple and quadruple exposures to enable Minter to play two parts within the same scenes. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Moonlight and Honeysuckle is a 1921 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Mary Miles Minter and Monte Blue. It was adapted by Barbara Kent from the 1919 stage play of the same name by George Scarborough. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
South of Suva is a 1922 American silent drama film starring Mary Miles Minter and directed by Frank Urson. It was adapted by Fred Myton from a story by Ewart Adamson. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Nurse Marjorie is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter. It is based on a 1906 play, Nurse Marjorie, by Israel Zangwill, with a scenario by Julia Crawford Ivers. It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films know to survive today, and one of even fewer readily available for the general public to view.
The Amazing Impostor is a 1919 American silent comedy film starring Mary Miles Minter and directed by Lloyd Ingraham. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
A Fighting Colleen is a 1919 American silent comedy-drama film directed by David Smith and produced by Vitagraph Company of America. It stars Bessie Love and Charles Spere.
Don't Call Me Little Girl is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was adapted by Edith Kennedy from the stage play "Jerry" by Catherine Chisholm Cushing. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Her Winning Way is a silent comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Mary Miles Minter. The screenplay was written by Douglas Z. Doty, based upon the novel Ann Annington by Edgar Jepson and the play Ann by Lechmere Worrall. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Tillie is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Frank Urson and starring Mary Miles Minter. The scenario was written by Alice Eyton, based on the novel Tillie, the Mennonite Maid by Helen Reimensnyder Martin. Tillie reunited Minter with Allan Forrest, her most frequent leading man from her time at Mutual Film and the American Film Company, for the first time since their 1919 picture Yvonne from Paris. As with many of Minter's features, Tillie is thought to be a lost film.
Drums of Fate is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was adapted by Will M. Ritchey from the novel "Sacrifice" by Stephen French Whitman. It was also referred to as "Drums of Destiny" in some promotional material. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Jenny Be Good is a 1920 American silent romance drama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter, based on a novel by Wilbur Finley Fauley and adapted for the screen by Julia Crawford Ivers. It is the last of Minter's films to also feature her older sister Margaret Shelby in a supporting role. As with many of Minter's features, it is believed to be a lost film.
Eyes of the Heart is a 1920 American silent crime film directed by Paul Powell and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was adapted by Clara Genevieve Kennedy from the story "Blindness" by Dana Burnet, published in the Ladies Home Journal. As is the case with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Sweet Lavender is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Paul Powell and starring Mary Miles Minter. The scenario was adapted by Beulah Marie Dix from the 1888 play of the same name by Arthur Wing Pinero. Like many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
The Little Clown is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Thomas N. Heffron and starring Mary Miles Minter, adapted by Eugene B. Lewis from a comedy play by Avery Hopwood. It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films which still survive today. A copy of the film was found in the Dawson Film Find in 1978 - 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.