The Poor Little Rich Girl
Encyclopedia
The Poor Little Rich Girl is a 1917 American comedy-drama
film directed by Maurice Tourneur
. Adapted by Frances Marion
from the 1913 play by Eleanor Gates. The Broadway play actually starred future screen actress Viola Dana
. The film stars Mary Pickford
, Madlaine Traverse
, Charles Wellesley, Gladys Fairbanks (returning from the play) and Frank McGlynn, Sr..
The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
when early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1991, The Poor Little Rich Girl was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress
and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film directed by Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur was an important international film director and screenwriter.-Life:Born Maurice Thomas in the Belleville district of Paris, France, his father was a jeweler. As a young man, Maurice Thomas first trained as a graphic designer and a magazine illustrator but was soon drawn to the...
. Adapted by Frances Marion
Frances Marion
Frances Marion was an American journalist, author, and screenwriter often cited as the most renowned female screenwriter of the twentieth century alongside June Mathis and Anita Loos.-Career:...
from the 1913 play by Eleanor Gates. The Broadway play actually starred future screen actress Viola Dana
Viola Dana
Viola Dana was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent movies.- Career :Born Virginia Flugrath, Dana was a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet. She enjoyed a long run at the...
. The film stars Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, Madlaine Traverse
Madlaine Traverse
Madlaine Traverse was an American stage and screen actress from Cleveland, Ohio. Mary was her birth name. In the course of her career she is alternately billed as "Madaline Traverse", "Madeline Traverse" and "Madeline Travers".-Silent movie actress:Traverse was a leading lady of the Fox Film...
, Charles Wellesley, Gladys Fairbanks (returning from the play) and Frank McGlynn, Sr..
The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
when early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1991, The Poor Little Rich Girl was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
Plot
The film tells the story of a rich girl whose parents ignore her and whose servants push her around, until tragedy brings them to realize the error of their ways.Cast
- Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
as Gwendolyn - Madlaine TraverseMadlaine TraverseMadlaine Traverse was an American stage and screen actress from Cleveland, Ohio. Mary was her birth name. In the course of her career she is alternately billed as "Madaline Traverse", "Madeline Traverse" and "Madeline Travers".-Silent movie actress:Traverse was a leading lady of the Fox Film...
as Gwendolyn's Mother - Charles WellesleyCharles WellesleyCharles Wellesley was an Irish-born American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 88 films between 1913 and 1928.He was born in Dublin and died in Amityville, New York.- Selected filmography :...
as Gwendolyn's Father - Gladys Fairbanks as Jane
- Frank McGlynn, Sr. as The Plumber
- Emile La Croix as The Organ Grinder
- Marcia HarrisMarcia HarrisMarcia Harris , born Lena Hill was an American actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1915 and 1932.She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.-External links:*...
as Miss Royale - Charles Craig as Thomas
- Frank Andrews as Potter
- Herbert PriorHerbert PriorHerbert Prior was an English silent film actor. He appeared in 268 films between 1908 and 1934.He was born in Oxford, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* After Many Years...
as The Doctor - George Gernon as Johnny Blake
- Maxine Elliott Hicks as Susie May Squoggs