Daddy-Long-Legs (1919)

Director:

Marshall Neilan

Writers:

Jean Webster (novel)
Agnes Christine Johnston (adaptation)

Release Date:

11 May 1919 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Wealthy Jervis Pendleton acts as benefactor for orphan Judy Abbott, anonymously sponsoring her in her boarding school...

Plot Keywords:

Benefactor | Orphan | Boarding School | May December Romance | Young Girl

Cast

Mary Pickford	...	Jerusha 'Judy' Abbott
Milla Davenport	...	Mrs. Lippett
Percy Haswell	...	Miss Pritchard (as Miss Percy Haswell)
Fay Lemport	...	Angelina Gwendolin Rosalind 'Angie' Wykoff
Mahlon Hamilton	...	Jarvis Pendleton
Lillian Langdon	...	Mrs. Pendleton
Betty Bouton	...	Julia 'Julie' Pendleton
Audrey Chapman	...	Sallie 'Sally' Mc Bride
Marshall Neilan	...	Jimmie Mc Bride (as Marshall A. Neilan)
Carrie Clark Ward	...	Mrs. Semple

Also Known As:

Daddy Long Legs (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

85 min (1998 restored version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Mary Pickford Company

Trivia:

The original play opened in New York on 28 September 1914.

Quotes:

Jerusha Abbott: P-R-U-N-E spells prune / Eating them means our doom / Life's too short and death too soon / To fill our tummies with the darn old Prune.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Hollywood" (1980)

A Delight

Another terrific Mary Pickford performance and film. Daddy-Long-Legs is a familiar story, but the Pickford version accentuates the comedy and leaves the sappy romance to the horrid 50s version with Astaire and Caron. Sweet and innocent, this film has several memorable comic moments, including Mary getting drunk with a fellow orphan (Wesley Barry?) and leaving the jug for a dog. Very funny. A little tipsy, Mary also slides down banisters and accidentally knocks "Stink Weed" down a well. Oops! This film is a little unusual for a Pickford picture since it allows Mary to grow up. She gets to go to college and be wooed by her roommate's uncle (Mahlon Hamilton). She's also pursued by Jimmie (Marshall Neilan, who also directed the film). Milla Davenport is the orphanage director and Fay Lemport is the nasty Angelina.

Nice comedic touches throughout to keep it all light and entertaining. The version I saw was clean, had beautiful title cards, and good (new) score my Maria Newman. All very impressive for a 1919 film. This film seems miles away from Pickford's 1917 Pride of the Clan, but she had been in over 200 films by the time she made this! Pickford was one of the greats, a true giant in Hollywood, and it's too bad she's so forgotten now. I've never seen a Pickford film I didn't like.