It was released on August 6, 1917,[7] and loosely based on the story by Henry Irving Dodge. The movie was the third of a Skinner series for Washburn, with Skinner's Dress Suit coming first in January 1917, followed by Skinner's Bubble and Skinner's Baby, all in the same year.[8][9][10][11]
Plot
William Skinner, seeing the joy of his head bookkeeper over the arrival of a baby boy, realizes he is missing life's greatest opportunity. Everywhere they go, he and his wife run into parents and their babies, litters of puppies, and broods of ducklings. He talks about wanting children with Honey and a little time later she confides a secret to him. The day of the great event Skinner is informed of the arrival of "William Manning Skinner, Jr." He rushes out to buy every toy a baby could want, but arriving home, he finds it is a baby girl, but is elated nonetheless.[12][13]
Motography wrote that while the film "lacks the plot material of the earlier releases, it contains enough of human interest to 'get by' easily with most audiences."[14]Variety concluded that it was "a sweet wholesome picture with little touches of sentiment interwoven that tug at the heart strings, a feature that provides clean, pleasurable entertainment."[15]Exhibitors Herald's review was positive, the reviewer finding the number of children "enough to satisfy anybody."[13]
Preservation
With no holdings located in archives, Skinner's Baby is considered a lost film.[1]
↑ Lahue, Kalton C. Gentlemen to the Rescue, p. 231 (1972) ("It was in 1917 feature hits like Skinner's Dress Suit, Skinner's Baby, and Skinner Steps Out (adapted from a popular series of stories by Henry Dodge) that Bryant really scored big ...")
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