| A Girl of the Limberlost | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James Leo Meehan |
| Based on | A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter |
| Produced by | Gene Stratton-Porter |
| Starring | Gloria Grey Emily Fitzroy Arthur Currier |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Film Booking Office of America |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Girl of the Limberlost is a 1924 American silent film, produced by Gene Stratton-Porter and directed by James Leo Meehan. It stars Gloria Grey, Emily Fitzroy, and Arthur Currier, and was released on April 28, 1924. The first adaptation of Stratton-Porter's famous novel, this silent film is considered lost.
The movie is set in Indiana, around the Limberlost swamp. It is the story of a young girl, Elnora Comstock, who is emotionally abused by her mother, who blames her for the death of her father. Elnora has a love of nature and sells her moth collection to pay for her education. As she begins her education, Elnora finds that she is exceptionally gifted in her classes, particularly in mathematics. Soon, she meets Phillip Ammon with whom she falls in love with. Phillip, who is engaged to Edith Carr, finds himself conflicted between the two. This results in Edith, who is angered by his interest in Elnora, jilting him.
However, Edith later attempts to rekindle the affection between the pair causing Elnora to leave in order to allow Phillip decide who he wishes to be with. Elnora's mother, Kate Comstock, eventually learns of the faithlessness of her husband and tries to make up to her daughter for her neglect and harshness. Philip then becomes sick and Elnora, who had been away, returns to take care of him. Deciding that he is truly in love with Elnora, Phillip asks her to marry him. [1]
The 1924 film was produced by Gene Stratton-Porter Productions, a film company the author herself founded to translate her many novels into movies. Porter was the primary writer of the story and scenarios and the film was directed by her son in law, James Leo Meehan. The silent movie was 6 reels long, approximating to around an hour in length. The aspect ratio was 1.33:1. A Girl of the Limberlost was distributed by the Film Booking Office of America (FBO) and received much praise from the public.
Following its release on April 28, 1924 this film received high praise from critics. Indeed, reviewers praised the acting in the film, one reviewer for Moving Picture World writing that Emily Fitzroy's portrayal of the somber, brooding women dominates the first half of the picture, partly through the dramatic force of the story and largely through her own expertness." [1] Another reviewer for Exhibitors Herald mimics this opinion, also commenting on the "fine work" Gloria Grey performs throughout the movie. [2]
The film was largely successful, noted as one of the surprise pictures of the year. In Everett, Washington, A Girl of the Limberlost made more money than some of the best pictures of the year and it played for 3 weeks in Los Angeles. The New York Daily News wrote, "If you've read the book, go see the picture,-if you haven't read it, go see it anyway." [3]
Gene Stratton-Porter, born Geneva Grace Stratton, was an American writer, nature photographer, and naturalist from Wabash County, Indiana. In 1917 Stratton-Porter urged legislative support for the conservation of Limberlost Swamp and other wetlands in Indiana. She was also a silent film-era producer who founded her own production company, Gene Stratton Porter Productions, in 1924.
A Girl of the Limberlost, a novel by American writer and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter, was published in August 1909. It is considered a classic of Indiana literature. It is the sequel to her earlier novel Freckles.
Gloria Grey was an American screen and stage actress and director, appearing in mainly dramatic/romantic films during the silent era and after.
Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an Anglo-American import-export company. Robertson-Cole began distributing films in the United States that December and opened a Los Angeles production facility in 1920. Late that year, R-C entered into a working relationship with East Coast financier Joseph P. Kennedy. A business reorganization in 1922 led to its assumption of the FBO name, first for all its distribution operations and ultimately for its own productions as well. Through Kennedy, the studio contracted with Western leading man Fred Thomson, who grew by 1925 into one of Hollywood's most popular stars. Thomson was just one of several silent screen cowboys with whom FBO became identified.
Emily Fitzroy was an English theatre and film actress who eventually became an American citizen. She was at one time a leading lady in London for Sir Charles Wyndham.
Gertrude Olmstead was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 56 films between 1920 and 1929. Her last name was sometimes seen as Olmsted.
Shifting Sands is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Albert Parker and starring Gloria Swanson. Prints of the film are held by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection and in private collections, and Shifting Sands has been released on DVD.
Romance of the Limberlost is a 1938 American drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Jean Parker, Eric Linden, and Marjorie Main.
Daybreak is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Albert Capellani. The film is considered to be lost.
Riders of the Purple Sage is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring William Farnum, Mary Mersch, and William Scott. The film is about a former Texas Ranger who goes after a group of Mormons who have abducted his married sister. This Frank Lloyd silent film was the first of five film adaptations of Zane Grey's 1912 novel.
The Gene Stratton-Porter Cabin, known as the Cabin at Wildflower Woods and the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, is the former home of Gene Stratton-Porter, a noted Indiana author, naturalist, and nature photographer. The two-story, fourteen-room cabin, which was built in 1914, is located at Sylvan Lake near Rome City in Noble County, Indiana. Stratton-Porter lived full-time in the cabin from 1914 through 1919, then relocated to homes in California, where she continued to write and founded a movie studio. She returned to Wildflower Woods in Rome City for brief visits until her death in 1924. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The Heart Specialist is a 1922 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Frank Urson and starring Mary Miles Minter and Allan Forrest. It was adapted by Harvey Thew from a story by Mary Morrison. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Laddie is a 1935 American comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens from a screenplay by Ray Harris and Dorothy Yost, based on the 1913 novel, Laddie: A True Blue Story, by Gene Stratton-Porter. The film stars John Beal, Gloria Stuart, and Virginia Weidler.
Between Friends is a 1924 American silent melodrama film based on the eponymous 1914 novel by Robert W. Chambers. The film was directed by J. Stuart Blackton and produced by Albert E. Smith. It stars Lou Tellegen, Anna Q. Nilsson, and Norman Kerry. The feature was distributed by Vitagraph Studios, which was founded by Blackton and Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. The film is lost.
The Girl of the Limberlost is a 1945 American drama film starring Ruth Nelson, Dorinda Clifton, and Loren Tindall, and directed by Mel Ferrer. The film is based on a 1909 novel by Gene Stratton-Porter, which was previously filmed in 1909 as "A Girl of the Limeberlost".
A Girl of the Limberlost is a 1934 American drama film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Louise Dresser, Ralph Morgan and Marian Marsh, and was released on October 15, 1934. This is the second film adaption of Gene Stratton-Porter's 1909 novel of the same name. The first film adaptation had been released in 1924, and a third was released in 1945.
A Girl of the Limberlost (novel) is the title of a 1909 novel by Gene Stratton-Porter
The Demon is a 1918 American silent comedy film, directed by George D. Baker. It stars Edith Storey, Lewis Cody, and Charles K. Gerrard, and was released on July 22, 1918.
Little Mickey Grogan is a 1927 American comedy-drama film directed by James Leo Meehan and written by Dwight Cummins, Dorothy Yost and Charles Kerr. The film stars Frankie Darro, Lassie Lou Ahern, Jobyna Ralston, Carroll Nye, Eugene Jackson, William Scott and Vadim Uraneff. The film was released on December 27, 1927, by Film Booking Offices of America.
James Leo Meehan was an American film director and screenwriter. He married the daughter of writer Gene Stratton-Porter, and adapted several of his mother-in-law's novels for the screen.
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