True Heart Susie (1919)

Susie, a plain young country girl, secretly loves a neighbor boy, William. She believes in him and sacrifices much of her own happiness to promote his own ambitions, all without his ... See full summary »

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writer:

Marian Fremont (story)

Stars:

Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Wilbur Higby

Cast

Cast overview:
Lillian Gish	...	True Heart Susie
Robert Harron	...	William Jenkins
Wilbur Higby	...	William's father
Loyola O'Connor	...	Susie's aunt
George Fawcett	...	The Stranger
Clarine Seymour	...	Bettina Hopkins
Kate Bruce	...	Bettina's aunt
Carol Dempster	...	Bettina's friend
Raymond Cannon	...	Sporty Malone

Storyline

Susie, a plain young country girl, secretly loves a neighbor boy, William. She believes in him and sacrifices much of her own happiness to promote his own ambitions, all without his knowledge. Eventually he rises to a position of success and sophistication, and Susie realizes that she has through her own efforts raised him to a level where he is inaccessible to her.

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Plot Keywords:

small town americana | marriage | self sacrifice | minister | unrequited love | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1919 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Story of a Plain Girl

Company Credits

Production Co:

D.W. Griffith Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 61 min (video) 87 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released under Paramount Pictures' prestigious Artcraft label. In 1919 Adolph Zukor devised a three-tiered brand system - the Artcraft division for its high-end, A-list product (ones that could command higher roadshow admissions in major cities) and Realart on the opposite end. The middle tier, which comprised the bulk of the studio's mainstream releases, was the Paramount banner. This quality classification existed for five years.

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Connections

Featured in The Love Goddesses (1965)

User Reviews

Watch it for the Stars

A rare chance to see Robert "Bobby" Harron perform on film. Most of his silent films have been lost. He died tragically, at the height of his popularity, at only 27 years of age. He was a handsome young fellow who definitely makes an impression in this film. Lillian Gish's character is almost too long-suffering to be believed, but somehow she makes it work through little flashes of humor and tenderness. My favorite scene: she takes the minister's wife into bed with her to save her from being locked out of her home on a frigid, cold, rainy night. As the wife sleeps, Lillian (in love with the husband herself), clenches her hand into a fist, and for a moment considers pummeling her rival, but instead the pure love of her heart wins out, and she reaches out for the sleeping wife and hugs her close, caressing her.

Watch "True Heart Susie" to see its stars shine. The story is simple, but it will capture your attention immediately and give you a chance to see yet another classy silent film with heart.