| The Volunteer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Harley Knoles |
| Written by | Julia Burnham |
| Produced by | William A. Brady |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | René Guissart |
Production company | World Film |
| Distributed by | World Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
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The Volunteer is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Harley Knoles and starring Madge Evans, Henry Hull and Muriel Ostriche. [1] It was shot at Fort Lee studios.
According to a film magazine, [2] "Madge Evans's daddy enlists for service abroad and her mother enroles as a red-cross nurse in order to do her bit, making it necessary for Madge to give up her picture work and go to live with her grandparents, who are stern old Quakers.
Madge bids farewell to all of her dear studio friends and journeys to the home of her grandparents only to find that they consider it unseemly to show any signs of affection to the little girl and that good times and moving pictures do not enter into their routine of life. Her grandfather refuses to allow her to wear her pretty, frilly dresses, making her wear, instead, a plain, unworldly Quaker frock.
Madge attends the village school but is jeered at by the "teacher's pet," who makes life more or less unendurable for her until "The Little Duchess" is shown in town with Madge as the star. Then she has to succumb to Madge's charms, and even the grandmother and grandfather take a peep at the picture, unbeknown to each other, and find themselves laughing and crying like human beings.
Madge's uncle Jonathan wishes to enlist in the army although it is against the teachings of his religion and against the commands of his father who claims he will disown him if he persists in speaking of the matter. On his twenty-first birthday, however, Jonathan enlists and also makes a speech calling for volunteers. When the recruits do not enlist fast enough little Madge makes a speech herself, telling how her mother and daddy are working "over there" and begging young men to follow their example.
The young men start to enlist in droves and then there is nothing left for Madge to do but try and soften her grandfather's heart so he will say good-bye to his only son. Her grandfather cannot resist her pleadings although he had sworn never to speak to his son again, and with the reconciliation comes the realization that he is a bigoted old crank and that one ounce of a child's love is worth more than all the relentless teachings of his religion."
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