The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)

Gwen's family is rich, but her parents ignore her and most of the servants push her around, so she is lonely and unhappy. Her father is concerned only with making money, and her mother ... See full summary »

Director:

Maurice Tourneur

Writers:

Eleanor Gates (play), Frances Marion (scenario)

Stars:

Mary Pickford, Madlaine Traverse, Charles Wellesley

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Mary Pickford	...	Gwendolyn 'Gwen'
Madlaine Traverse	...	Gwendolyn's Mother
Charles Wellesley	...	Gwendolyn's Father
Gladys Fairbanks	...	Jane
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	The Plumber
Emile La Croix	...	The Organ Grinder
Marcia Harris	...	Miss Royale
Charles Craig	...	Thomas
Frank Andrews	...	Potter
Herbert Prior	...	The Doctor
George Gernon	...	Johnny Blake
Maxine Elliott Hicks	...	Susie May Squoggs (as Maxine Hicks)

Storyline

Gwen's family is rich, but her parents ignore her and most of the servants push her around, so she is lonely and unhappy. Her father is concerned only with making money, and her mother cares only about her social position. But one day a servant's irresponsibility creates a crisis that causes everyone to rethink what is important to them.

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Plot Keywords:

servant | parentage | adult actress playing minor | plumber | greed | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1917 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pieni rikas tyttö-parka

Filming Locations:

Biograph Studios, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artcraft Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 78 min (TCM print) 78 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1991.

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Quotes

Gwendolyn: Mother promised to see me, just one little minute to-day.

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Connections

Referenced in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

User Reviews

A Must See for Pickford's Legend

Poor Little Rich Girl, The (1917)

*** (out of 4)

Mary Pickford, 25-years old, plays Gwen, an 11-year-old girl who has all the money in the world but she's quite unhappy. This is due to her parents not paying any attention to her and the servants pretty much push her around. The fact that she has no friends doesn't help matters but a tragic turn might be what causes everyone to realize how special she actually is. THE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL isn't the masterpiece that some people make it out to be but it's quite an interesting little film. I think most people would go into any film with a bit of skepticism whenever you had an adult at the age of 25 playing someone that is just 11 when the movie ends. Pickford became a legend playing these young parts and she would be doing this nearly ten years later and people were still eating it up. Her performance here is certainly the main reason to watch this film because there's no doubt that you're watching a truly talented actresses doing a rather remarkable job. I was rather skeptical going into the film but it takes a matter of seconds for you to believe Pickford is this young child. I'm not sure what it was but not once did I see an adult playing a child but instead you were watching a child play the part. Pickford was just downright marvelous when it came to the facial gestures and just simple looks that you'd expect to see from a child. No matter if she was being playful or or throwing a temper tantrum, you believe it is a child. Pickford goes through a wide range of emotions and she nails all of them perfectly but my favorite has to be a rather long sequence where a new "friend" is brought to the house but the girl is a rich snob who quickly gets into a fight with Pickford. The playful but bratty way the actress plays this sequence makes for some big laughs and it's certainly the highlight of the movie. Madlaine Traverse and Charles Wellesley are both good as her parents but there's no question everything in the screenplay (by Francis Marion) is for Pickford. Director Tourneur handles the material quite well but the really highlight of his vision comes from some of the more nightmarish scenes including one where a large snake goes after the girl and another one where her father visions himself committing suicide. The film runs 65-minutes and I must admit that there were several times where I got a little bored and this is just one reason why I'd stop short of calling the film a flat out masterpiece. I thought there was a little too much "melodrama" showing how unhappy the girl was and this includes one scene where she's punished by being forced to where boys clothing. With that said, those interested in the legend of Pickford will find this film a good place to start because it shows her in the type of role people loved her for.