Timothy's Quest

TIMOTHY'S QUEST was based on a novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin, most famous for REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM.

Here, two orphans escape the city slums after the death of their "mother." They hop a freight car headed for Maine in search of the "white house" Timothy (Joseph Depew) has seen in a dream. They land in a town called Pleasant River and wander the dirt roads until they come upon a house called the White Farm. But the bitter old lady there, Avilda Cummins (Marie Day), turns them away as beggars. Her housekeeper (Margaret Seddon) hears the commotion and goes out to see what's going on. Of course she takes to the kids, especially the little girl (Helen Rowland) who is oddly named Lady Gay.

The town is soon abuzz, especially once the town gossip, Hitty Tarbox (Vivia Ogden) gets hold of the story. It seems that scandal has visited the White Farm once before when old Avilda's younger sister apparently "got in trouble" and went away to the city where she died. But the housekeeper eventually talks the old lady into taking in the kids who start to heal all the old wounds in the town.

The kids are solid here as are the major actresses. Ogden is best remembered as the town gossip in WAY DOWN EAST. The film was shot in Hollis, Maine, where Wiggin had her summer home which poses here as the White Farm. Wiggin apparently supervised the filming to ensure it remained true to her book and is a snapshot of country life in Maine.