How Could You, Jean?

How Could You, Jean?
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Desmond Taylor
Written by	Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd (novel) Frances Marion
Produced by	Mary Pickford
Starring	Mary Pickford
Cinematography	Charles Rosher
Production company	Famous Players–Lasky/Artcraft
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	June 20, 1918 (1918-06-20)
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

How Could You, Jean? is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film, starring Mary Pickford, directed by William Desmond Taylor, and based on a novel by Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd. Casson Ferguson was the male lead; Spottiswoode Aitken and a young ZaSu Pitts had supporting roles.

This is a lost film, with no known surviving prints. ^[1]

Plot

July 5, 1918 advertisement for How Could You, Jean?.

The plot involves a young socialite pretending to be a cook, who falls in love with a man she thinks is a hired hand, but he is actually a millionaire. The film was not well received by critics, who generally found it pleasant but dull, ^[2] although The New York Times called it "a funny, extremely well-produced comedy". ^[3]

Cast

• Mary Pickford as Jean Mackaye
• Casson Ferguson as Ted Burton Jr.
• Spottiswoode Aitken as Rufus Bonner
• Herbert Standing as Burton Sr.
• Fanny Midgley as Mrs. Bonner
• Lawrence Peyton as Oscar (credited as Larry Peyton)
• ZaSu Pitts as Oscar's Sweetheart
• Maie B. Havey as Susan Cooper (credited as Mabelle Harvey)
• Lucille Ward as Mrs. Kate Morley
• Emily Gerdes as Morley Child (credited as Emma Gerdes)
• Wesley Barry as Morley Child
• Burwell Hamrick as Morley Child
• Althea Worthley as Morley Child
• Joan Marsh as Morley Child (credited as Dorothy Rosher)
• Jack Herbert as Morley Child

Film with similar plot

A novel by Norwegian writer Sigrid Boo, Vi som går kjøkkenveien (We Who Enter Through the Kitchen) has an almost identical plot to Brainerd's original book. Boo's novel was adapted for the American film Servants' Entrance (1934) starring Janet Gaynor, which had an identical plot to the 1918 film. As The New York Times commented, "apparently, the old Pickford comedy was already forgotten, and no copyright infringement suit was filed." ^[3]

See also

• List of lost films

References

1. Progressive Silent Film List: How Could You, Jean? at silentera.com
2. A list of reviews is included in Bruce Long's Taylorology
3. Hans J. Wollstein (2012). "How Could You, Jean? (1918)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2010.

External links

• How Could You, Jean? at IMDb
• How Could You, Jean? at AllMovie