My Best Girl (1927)

A department store's stock girl falls in love with a co-worker, the son of the store's manager; the feeling is mutual though he is engaged to a debutante and focusing on becoming successful without the influence of his father.

Director:

Sam Taylor

Writers:

Kathleen Norris (from the story by), Allen McNeil (screen play)

Stars:

Mary Pickford, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Sunshine Hart

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mary Pickford	...	Maggie Johnson
Charles 'Buddy' Rogers	...	Joe Grant (as Charles Rogers)
Sunshine Hart	...	Ma Johnson
Lucien Littlefield	...	Pa Johnson
Carmelita Geraghty	...	Liz Johnson
Hobart Bosworth	...	Robert Merrill
Evelyn Hall	...	Esther Merrill
Avonne Taylor	...	Millicent Rogers
Mack Swain	...	The Judge
John Junior	...	Nick Powell

Storyline

Joe Merrill, son of the millionaire owner of a chain of 5 and 10 cent stores, poses as Joe Grant, and takes a job in the stockroom of one of his father's stores, to prove that he can be a success without his father's influence. There he meets stockroom girl Maggie Johnson, and they fall in love. This causes problems, because Mrs. Merrill had planned for her son to marry Millicent Rogers, a high society girl.

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Plot Keywords:

california | department store | party | shopgirl | courtship | 

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Taglines:

Have you seen it yet?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1927 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Caixeirinha

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$483,103 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,240,510

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mary Pickford Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min (1998)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lucien Littlefield, the actor who plays the father of Mary Pickford, was actually three years younger than her.

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Quotes

Maggie Johnson: He's a swell actor - his uncle knows Lon Chaney!

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Alternate Versions

The Mary Pickford Foundation copyrighted a restored version in 1998 with music composed by David Michael Frank and performed by Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Zlin, Bill Motzing conducting. It was released on video by Milestone Films and runs 80 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in American Experience: Mary Pickford (2005)

User Reviews

The definitive Hollywood romance from screen to real life - Pickford and Rogers happily ever after

"My Best Girl" is the downright American love story, with Mary Pickford (the America's Sweetheart) and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers (the America's Boyfriend) wooing each other on screen in 1927, and ten years after, they were married to each other - a union lasted 42 years for the rest of Pickford's lifetime through 1979. An enviable love story.

The (silent) film is directed by Sam Taylor (who collaborated on many a Harold Lloyd hilarious fun capers). On the DVD case, it has "Script: Hope Loring, with Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers." Charles Rogers, so handsome, young and charming, and quite an athletic runner. Director Taylor included familiar treatment with main characters standing in the stream of traffic, cars swishing by near-miss, not lacking in car chase or chasing after car scenario - but done in a most endearing way, especially the sequence between Pickford's Maggie Johnson riding at the back of a truck, while Rogers' Joe Grant repeatedly trying to catch up with her. Clearly two persons quite smitten with each other - so lovely together without a care in the world.

The DVD restored version (supervised by Keith Lawrence, 1999 Milestone Film & Video) has an outstanding symphonic score by David Michael Frank, performed by the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Zlin (Czechoslovakia), conducted by Bill Motzing. Simply love the music! It is so appealing and perfectly fitting to the fairy tale tempo of "My Best Girl": love at first sight, rags to riches, family strife and love obstacles, humor and dramatics, tears and joy all rolled into one. Mary Pickford is THE quintessential star, queen of the silent film era. She's so good at what she does, romantic comedy or tough drama (as in "Sparrows" 1926), and adept in physical moves, too. The introduction of the Shop Girl in the beginning: the juggling of the pots, that foot in the pan 'gag', the slips a-slipping thing, all delivered with such impeccable timing. Storyline progression played on mistaken assumptions, with timely humor and sweetness of the heart.

Don't let 'silent film' deter you: it's a lively piece, with lots of plot turns and dramatics, and the cast, besides the adorable pairing of Pickford and Rogers, the supporting roles from Pa Johnson and Ma Johnson, sister Liz and sleazy John Junior, down to the sidewalk 'crippled Pencil Peddler' (actually a critical small part in the love story of Maggie and Joe), are engaging as any talking pictures, maybe more so. The "Breaking Joe's Heart" segment - just watching how Mary Pickford played her scenes, running the gamut of emotions, is satisfying by itself.

Everything about this film is quality: the cinematography (the montage composition and angles following the couple, the multiple street scenes - sweet rainy or sad rainy), set design (that crate of a box where Joe and Maggie had their lunch seemed like Paradise till the camera pulled back and revealed wide) and sound (the punctuated cash registry bell, the entry of door bell rings matching pauses in the music) all contributed to "My Best Girl" being a not to be missed cinematic experience. Have a dose of fairy tale now and then. Check out the DVD, relax and enjoy it!