The Little Clown | |
---|---|
Directed by | Thomas N. Heffron |
Screenplay by | Eugene B. Lewis |
Based on | The Little Clown by Avery Hopwood |
Starring | Mary Miles Minter Jack Mulhall Neely Edwards |
Cinematography | Faxon M. Dean |
Production company | Realart Pictures Corporation |
Distributed by | Realart Pictures Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5 reels |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
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. [1] It is one of approximately a dozen of Minter's films which still survive today. [2] A copy of the film was found in the Dawson Film Find in 1978 [3] - 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.
As described in various film magazine reviews, [4] [5] [6] [7] Pat (Minter) has been born and brought up in a travelling circus. Her parents died when she was young, and Toto the clown (Edwards), who acted as her adoptive father when she was younger, now hopes to marry her as she has come of age.
When the circus stops in a Southern town, Dick Beverly (Mulhall), a young man from an aristocratic family, falls in love with Pat. Having recently argued with his father, he runs away to join the circus with her as a rider. His parents see him performing in the circus and insist that he returns home with them, which he refuses to do until Pat is allowed to join him.
Dick's snobbish parents do not regard Pat as a suitable match for their son, but they agree to his request, hoping that Pat will struggle to adapt to an upper-class lifestyle and that Dick will thus realise that she will not make a good wife. Pat tries her best to rise to the demands of the strict social rules imposed by her prospective parents-in-law, but their lack of approval is clear.
One day when Dick's parents are out of the house, Pat's circus "family" calls to visit her. Dick's younger brother Roddy (Coffey) adds liquor to their drinks, and when Dick's parents return they are appalled by the drunken behaviour and throw the circus folk out of the house. Indignant at the way that the Beverleys have treated her friends, Pat goes with them.
Pat is at the point of accepting Toto's proposal when Roddy confesses to his prank on the circus folk. Dick chases after Pat to confess his love and beg her forgiveness, and Toto gives up his claim on her, leaving Pat and Dick free to wed.
The April 9th, 1921 edition of Motion Picture News lists a musical cue sheet for the film. [8]
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.
Periwinkle is a 1917 American silent film directed by James Kirkwood and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was based on the 1910 novel Periwinkle; an Idyl of the Dunes written by William Farquhar Payson. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Her Country's Call is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, along with George Periolat and Allan Forrest. The film is the final instalment in a series a films written by Abraham Lincoln impersonator Benjamin Chapin, who also appeared in the film as Lincoln. It was one of many films of the time that catered to the vogue for patriotic pictures after America joined World War I, with ample shots of soldiers and the American flag. As with many of Minter's features, it 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.
Beauty and the Rogue is a 1918 American silent comedy crime drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was filmed under the working title of "Mademoiselle Tiptoe," based on a story by Arthur Berthelet and adapted for the screen by Elizabeth Mahoney, who was the screenwriter for many of Minter's Mutual Film features. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Extravagance is a lost 1921 American silent melodrama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars May Allison, Robert Edeson, and Theodore Von Eltz, and was released on March 7, 1921.
The Intrusion of Isabel is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and starring Mary Miles Minter, J. Parks Jones, Allan Forrest, and Lucretia Harris. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.