What Women Love

What Women Love
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Directed by	Nate Watt
Written by	Katherine Hilliker Reed Heustis (intertitles) Vincent Bryan (intertitles) William Dudley Pelley
Story by	Bernard McConville
Produced by	Sol Lesser H. P. Caulfield
Starring	Annette Kellerman
Edited by	Edward McDermott
Distributed by	Associated First National
Release date	August 23, 1920 (1920-08-23)
Running time	6 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Ralph Lewis and Annette Kellerman

What Women Love is a lost ^[1] 1920 American silent comedy drama film directed by Nate Watt, based on an original story by Bernard McConville. The film stars Annette Kellerman, Ralph Lewis, and Wheeler Oakman. It was produced by Sol Lesser and distributed by Associated First National. ^{[2] [3]}

Cast

• Annette Kellerman as Annabel Cotton
• Ralph Lewis as James King Cotton
• Wheeler Oakman as Willy St. John
• William Fairbanks as Jack Mortimer (credited as Carl Ullman)
• Walter Long as Captain Buck Nelson
• Bull Montana as Jose

Production

The story written by Bernard McConville was purchased for $10,000, ^[4] and production began on February 2 at Robert Brunton studios, now Paramount Studios. ^[5] A large tank of water was specially created for the film in Riverside, California and a diving bell was used to film underwater scenes. ^[6] The scene where Annette Kellerman dived from the top of a schooner yacht, a height of 75 feet, was filmed off the coast of Balboa Beach. ^[7] In mid-May it was announced that Reed Heustis, writer for the Los Angeles Evening Herald, and Vincent P. Bryan, composer, would be writing the intertitles for the film. ^[8] Production was completed by late May, in time for the June premiere. The film reportedly cost more than $250,000 to make. ^[9]

Release

The film was given its premiere on June 1 in Santa Ana, California. ^[10]

Preservation

With no holdings located in archives, What Women Love is considered a lost film. ^[1]

References

1. "The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: What Women Love". memory.loc.gov. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
2. Progressive Silent Film List: What Women Love at silentera.com
3. "The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: What Women Love". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
4. The Film Daily. New York City: Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc. March 13, 1920. p. 2.
5. The Film Daily. New York City: Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc. January 31, 1920. p. 4.
6. Motion Picture News. New York City: Motion Picture News, Inc. April 17, 1920. p. 3487.
7. Motion Picture News. New York City: Motion Picture News, Inc. May 1, 1920. p. 3869.
8. Motion Picture News. New York City: Motion Picture News, Inc. May 15, 1920. p. 4195.
9. Motion Picture News. New York City: Motion Picture News, Inc. March 27, 1920. p. 2948.
10. The Moving Picture World. New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co. June 12, 1920. p. 1436.

External links

• What Women Love at IMDb