Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley (1918)

Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who... See full summary »

Director:

Marshall Neilan

Writers:

Frances Marion (by), Belle K. Maniates (from the book by)

Stars:

Mary Pickford, William Scott, Kate Price

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mary Pickford	...	Amarilly Jenkins
William Scott	...	Terry McGowen
Kate Price	...	Mrs. Americus Jenkins
Ida Waterman	...	Mrs. David Phillips
Norman Kerry	...	Gordon Phillips
Fred Goodwins	...	Johnny Walker
Margaret Landis	...	Colette King
Tom Wilson	...	'Snitch' McCarthy

Storyline

Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who comes from a rich family, and she begins to be drawn into the world of the upper class.

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Plot Keywords:

bartender | sculptor | aunt | butler | gunshot wound | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 1918 (USA)

Also Known As:

Branquinha a Lavadeira

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mary Pickford Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min 67 min (1998 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Wilson's part was originally supposed to be played by Eric Campbell, who had played the 'heavy' with Charlie Chaplin the previous two years. Campbell was killed in an auto accident on December 28, 1917, a week prior to the start of this film's production. Wilson would play a uniformed policeman in Chaplin's "The Kid" in 1920.

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Connections

Featured in Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000)

User Reviews

A Charming Antique

In this 1918 film, Mary Pickford plays a down-to-earth Irish working class girl, complete with her washer-woman ma and 5 rambunctious brothers. The plot is perfunctory: she has an equally down-to-earth bartender boyfriend, but gets involved with dashing upper-crust sculptor Norman Kerry (who's handsome even to modern eyes!) until used as a "social experiment" by Kerry's socialite aunt, which she justifiably resents.

No big surprises, but a wealth of small, charming moments. The film is undeniably creaky (it is 82 years old!), but actually flows together quite well. Its age is also, undeniably, part of its charm - it fascinates me to see these products of another era. There is a melodramatic turn at the end that seems to come out of the blue, but perhaps it was a nod to the fact that Amarilly's neighbourhood was undoubtedly a dangerous environment to live in.

Its not difficult at all to see why Mary Pickford was "America's Sweetheart". This was the first complete movie of hers that I've watched, and I hope to see more. She's delightful - warm and sweet, and blessed with a heart-melting smile.