Sparrows (1926)

Molly, the eldest child at a baby farm hidden deep in a swamp, must rescue the others when their cruel master decides that one of them will be disposed of.

Director:

William Beaudine

Writers:

Winifred Dunn (story), George Marion Jr. (titles),

Stars:

Mary Pickford, Roy Stewart, Mary Louise Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Pickford	...	Molly
Roy Stewart	...	Dennis Wayne
Mary Louise Miller	...	Doris Wayne (the baby)
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	Mr. Grimes (as Gustave Von Seyffertitz)
Charlotte Mineau	...	Mrs. Grimes
Spec O'Donnell	...	Ambrose (as 'Spec' O'Donnell)
Lloyd Whitlock	...	Bailey
Billy Butts	...	One of the children
Monty O'Grady	...	One of the Children
Jack Lavine	...	One of the Children
Billy 'Red' Jones	...	One of the Children (as Billy Jones)
Muriel McCormac	...	One of the Children (as Muriel MacCormac)
Florence Rogan	...	One of the Children
Mary McLain	...	One of the Children (as Mary Frances McLean)
Sylvia Bernard	...	One of the Children

Storyline

Evil Mr.Grimes keeps a rag-tag bunch orphans on his farm deep in a swamp in the US South. He forces them to work in his garden and treats them like slaves. They are watched over by the eldest, Molly. A gang in league with Mr. Grimes kidnaps Doris, the beautiful little daughter of a rich man, and hides her out on Grimes' farm, awaiting ransom. When the police close in, and Mr. Grimes threatens to throw Doris into the bottomless mire, Molly must lead her little flock out through the alligator-infested swamp.

---

Plot Keywords:

swamp | rescue | south | orphan | police | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1926 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Aves Sem Ninho

Filming Locations:

The Lot - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$463,455 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pickford Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 110 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Toward the end of the picture, director William Beaudine and star Mary Pickford clashed so often that Beaudine developed a serious paralysis of his face from the pressure and aggravation due to their frequent arguments. He finally turned the picture over to his assistant, Tom McNamara, and left the set. McNamara finished the picture, uncredited.

---

Connections

Featured in Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997)

---

Soundtracks

"Shall We Gather at the River?"
(1864)
Written by Robert Lowry
Sung by the children

User Reviews

Classic Pickford

Sparrows (1926)

*** (out of 4)

An evil man, his wife and son are stealing orphans and taking them into the deep swampland where the children are treated as slaves. The latest kid they've kidnapped turns out to be the child of a rich man. Fearing the police, the family plans to kill the kids but the oldest orphan (Mary Pickford) plans a daring escape through the swamp. The villains of this film have to rank as some of the most hated in movie history. Pickford does a wonderful job in her role and director William Beaudine also adds several nice touches. The escape through the swamp is full of suspense as the children must face quicksand as well as alligators. The final act hurts the film but everything leading up to it is very well done. It's interesting to note that Pickford had Beaudine blacklisted in Hollywood because he forced her and the children to risk their lives by acting with real alligators. This here probably explains why a respected director ended up making "B" and "Z" films like Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.