Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921)

An American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.

Directors:

Alfred E. Green, Jack Pickford

Writers:

Frances Hodgson Burnett (novel), Bernard McConville

Stars:

Mary Pickford, Claude Gillingwater, Joseph J. Dowling

Cast

Credited cast:
Mary Pickford	...	Cedric Errol / Widow Errol
Claude Gillingwater	...	Earl of Dorincourt
Joseph J. Dowling	...	William Havisham (as Joseph Dowling)
James A. Marcus	...	Hobbs (as James Marcus)
Kate Price	...	Mrs. McGinty
Fred Malatesta	...	Dick
Rose Dione	...	Minna
Arthur Thalasso	...	The Stranger
Colin Kenny	...	Bevis
Emmett King	...	Reverend Mordaunt
Madame De Bodamere	...	Mrs. Higgins
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jackie Condon	...	Child in opening scene w / hat
Gordon Griffith	...	Boy who steals grapes
Francis Marion	...	Minna's Son

Storyline

Young Cedric Errol lives with his widowed mother in New York City. Cedric's late father was a son of the Earl of Dorincourt, but the Earl had objected strongly to his son's marriage, and thus has long been estranged from Cedric and his mother. But when the Earl's only surviving son dies in a riding accident, Cedric suddenly becomes Lord Fauntleroy, the Earl's heir. Cedric and his mother travel to England, where they must overcome the Earl's hard feelings about the past, as well as some unexpected obstacles.

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Plot Keywords:

fish out of water | dual role | culture clash | boy played by woman | class differences | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1921 (USA)

Also Known As:

El pequeño Lord Fauntleroy

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 311,965 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mary Pickford Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whilst double exposures had been used as early as 1898 to show two characters together in the same scene, played by the same actor, this is the first instance of two such characters seeming to touch one another.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood: Trick of the Light (1980)

User Reviews

Just Superb

Mary Pickford, perhaps the biggest star of all time, stars in two roles in this funny and charming version of the classic novel about a New York City boy who becomes an English earl.

Although the 1936 talkie version is better remembered, Pickford is just wonderful as 12-year-old Cedric Errol and little boy in curls (get it?) who is transported to a world of huge castles and a grumpy old grandfather. Pickford also plays Cedric's mother (on 6-inch stilts) and is charming as the adult.

The trick photography (this is 1921, remember) is flawless and allows Pickford to play both parts in several scenes without even a hint of how they did it. Just amazing. Pickford often played dual roles in her films (Stella Maris, 1918) and it seems she could play just about any part.

The most beloved star of her era (or any era for that matter)--bigger than Fairbanks, Chaplin, or Swanson--Mary Pickford charmed audiences for more than 25 years in well over 250 films as the essence of joy, humor, and high spirits. and Little Lord Fauntleroy is one of her best! Claude Gillingwater is the old earl, Kate Bruce in the apple vendor, Rose Dione is the fake wife, and Joseph Dowling as Havisham.

The film was co-directed by Mary's brother, Jack Pickford.