The Poor Little Rich Girl is a 1917 American comedy-drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and stars Mary Pickford, Madlaine Traverse, Charles Wellesley, Gladys Fairbanks and Frank McGlynn, Sr. It was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 1991, The Poor Little Rich Girl was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Plot – It’s about an 11-year-old girl, Gwendolyn, who is left by her rich and busy parents to the care of unsympathetic domestic workers at the family’s mansion. Her mother is only interested in her social life and her father has serious financial problems and is even contemplating suicide. When she manages to have some good time with an organ-grinder or a plumber, or have a mud-fight with street boys, she is rapidly brought back on the right track. One day she becomes sick because the maid has given her an extra dose of sleeping medicine to be able to go out. She then becomes delirious and starts seeing an imaginary world inspired by people and things around her; the Garden of Lonely Children in the Tell-Tale forest. Her condition worsens and Death tries to lure her to eternal rest. But Life also appears to her and finally wins.
The Poor Little Rich Girl
Directed by Maurice Tourneur
Written by Frances Marion
Starring Mary Pickford, Madlaine Traverse, Charles Wellesley, Gladys Fairbanks.
Distributed by by Artcraft Pictures
Running Time 65 minutes
Release date March 5, 1917
Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was a Canadian-American motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists, one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and started the Mary Pickford Foundation, a charitable organization.
She often played the role of a poor girl who married into a wealthy family but always stayed true to her roots. This friendly, modest, honest persona compounded with her beauty made her an international favorite of women and men alike. She was known as “America’s Sweetheart” and during her time, she was recognized as the most famous woman in the world.
Pickford was awarded the second Academy Award for Best Actress for her first sound film role and also received an honorary Academy Award in 1976. In consideration of her contributions to American cinema, the American Film Institute ranked Pickford as 24th in its 1999 list of greatest actors of all time.
Top 10 Mary Pickford Films (As rated by IMDB)
