Wife or Country

Last updated

Wife or Country
Wife or Country (1918) - 1.jpg
Film still
Directed by E. Mason Hopper
Written by Harry Mestayer
Charles J. Wilson
Starring Gloria Swanson
CinematographyClyde Cook
Distributed by Triangle Film Corporation
Release date
  • December 29, 1918 (1918-12-29)
Running time
5 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Wife or Country is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Gloria Swanson in her last role for Triangle Film Corporation. [1] It is not known whether the film currently survives. [1]

Contents

Plot

Based upon a review in a film magazine, [2] Gretchen (Lederer) has reclaimed husband Dale Barker (Mestayer) from a drinking habit, and he has become a lawyer working with the Department of Justice in hunting down German propagandists. Before their marriage, Gretchen had been involved with propagandists and cannot now extricate herself, and she fears discovery by her husband. She is jealous of Sylvia Hamilton (Swanson), Dale's stenographer, and plans on bringing her under suspicion. When arrested as a spy, Sylvia turns over a mass of evidence, some of which incriminates Gretchen, placing Dale between love of country and loyalty to his wife.

Cast

Related Research Articles

Gloria Swanson American actress

Gloria May Josephine Swanson was an American actress, producer, and businesswoman. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for her 1950 return in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, which also earned her a Golden Globe Award.

<i>The Trespasser</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

The Trespasser is a 1929 American pre-Code film written and directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Gloria Swanson, Robert Ames, Purnell Pratt, Henry B. Walthall, and Wally Albright. The film was released by United Artists in both silent and sound versions.

Sylvia Ashton American actress (1880–1940)

Sylvia Ashton was an American film actress of the silent film era.

<i>Dont Change Your Husband</i> 1919 film

Don't Change Your Husband is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson. The film was the third of six "marriage films" directed by DeMille and the first DeMille film starring Gloria Swanson. A print of the film is stored at the George Eastman House. The film was released on DVD by Image Entertainment with The Golden Chance.

<i>For Better, for Worse</i> (1919 film) 1919 film

For Better, for Worse is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson. The film was the second of four "marriage films" directed by DeMille and the second DeMille film starring Gloria Swanson. For Better, for Worse was adapted for the screen by William C. DeMille. Jeanie MacPherson wrote the film's scenario.

<i>Why Change Your Wife?</i> 1920 film

Why Change Your Wife? is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson.

<i>The Affairs of Anatol</i> 1921 film by Cecil B. DeMille

The Affairs of Anatol is a 1921 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Wallace Reid and Gloria Swanson. The film is based on the 1893 play Anatol by Arthur Schnitzler.

Gretchen Lederer German actress

Gretchen Lederer was a German actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1918.

<i>Station Content</i> 1918 film

Station Content is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Arthur Hoyt and starring Gloria Swanson. The original, five reel feature is presumed to be lost, but a one reel abridgment created in 1926 does survive and has been released on video.

Everywoman's Husband is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Gilbert P. Hamilton and starring Gloria Swanson. A print of the film is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Shifting Sands is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Albert Parker and starring Gloria Swanson. Prints of the film are held by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection and in private collections, and Shifting Sands has been released on DVD.

<i>Under the Lash</i> 1921 film

Under the Lash is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson. The film is based on the 1906 play The Shulamite by Claude Askew and Edward Knoblock, and the 1904 novel of the same name by Alice and Claude Askew. The film is lost with no copies of it existing in any archives.

<i>Dont Tell Everything</i> 1921 film

Don't Tell Everything is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson and Wallace Reid. Wood apparently created this film in part from outtakes left over from Cecil DeMille's The Affairs of Anatol (1921). It is not known whether the film currently survives.

<i>Her Husbands Trademark</i> 1922 film

Her Husband's Trademark is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson and Richard Wayne. Produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film was shot on location in El Paso, Texas. Prints of Her Husband's Trademark are held at the George Eastman House and the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow.

<i>Beyond the Rocks</i> (film) 1922 film

Beyond the Rocks is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Sam Wood, starring Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson. It is based on the 1906 novel of the same name by Elinor Glyn. Beyond the Rocks was long considered lost but a nitrate print of the film was discovered in the Netherlands in 2003. The film was restored and released on DVD by Milestone Film & Video in 2006.

<i>Wanted: A Husband</i> 1919 comedy silent film directed by Lawrence Clement Windom

Wanted: A Husband is a 1919 American silent comedy film starring Billie Burke. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount-Artcraft. The film is based on the short story "Enter D'Arcy" by Samuel Hopkins Adams. The relatively unknown Lawrence C. Windom directed this lost film.

Father Takes a Wife is a 1941 American comedy film starring Gloria Swanson and Adolphe Menjou. Silent screen queen Gloria Swanson returned to films after a seven-year absence. Eight years later, Swanson staged another comeback in the classic Sunset Boulevard (1950).

Sada Cowan American screenwriter

Sada Louise Cowan (1882–1943) was an American writer who began her career as a playwright. She soon switched to writing feature films and is best known for her work on the films Don't Change Your Husband and Why Change Your Wife?. Cowan worked closely with director Cecil B. DeMille throughout her career.

Harry Mestayer American actor

Harry Mestayer (1876–1958) was an actor in silent films and theatrical productions in the U.S. He had leading roles and was a supporting actor in more than two dozen films and numerous theaterical productions. He performed in California, was in several hits in Chicago and performed on Broadway.

Bondage is a 1917 American silent drama film written and directed by Ida May Park, and starring Dorothy Phillips, William Stowell, Gretchen Lederer and J.B. MacLaughlin.

References

  1. 1 2 "Progressive Silent Film List: Wife or Country". Silent Era. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  2. "Advertising Aids for Busy Managers: Wife or Country". Moving Picture World. New York City: Chalmers Publishing Company. 39 (2): 251–52. January 11, 1919. Retrieved July 3, 2014.