Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley (1918)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Marshall Neilan

Writers:

Belle K. Maniates (novel)
Frances Marion (written by)

Release Date:

11 March 1918 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry...

Plot Keywords:

Sculptor | Bartender | Dancing | Butler | Tenement

Cast

Mary Pickford	...	Amarilly Jenkins
William Scott	...	Terry McGowen
Kate Price	...	Mrs. Americus Jenkins
Ida Waterman	...	Mrs. David Phillips
Norman Kerry	...	Gordon Phillips
Fred Goodwins	...	Johnny Walker
Margaret Landis	...	Colette King
Tom Wilson	...	'Snitch' McCarthy

Runtime:

67 min (1998 alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Mary Pickford Company

Movie Connections:

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

Another Peek At America's Sweetheart

Spunky little AMARILLY OF CLOTHES-LINE ALLEY has two suitors - her longtime bartender beau and a frivolous society boy. With whom would she be most happy?

This urban fairy tale, with romance, heartbreak & happiness all wrapped-up into a neat package, was exactly the sort of movie that Mary Pickford's legions of fans loved to see her in. America's Sweetheart was only too happy to oblige, constantly replaying the image of a resourceful little girl or adolescent at odds with a cruel world or snobbish society. This is no disparagement or faint praise. By expertly giving the public what it wanted, Pickford became the most powerful person in Hollywood.

Here, she has a fairly straightforward story line, without too many kinks in the plot. As always, Mary is imminently watchable. Whether dancing enthusiastically across a crowded floor, selling cigarettes to the `swells,' or reacting frantically to an accidental shooting, she never lets the viewer forget that the reason we watch a Pickford film is Pickford herself.

William Scott gives excellent support as Terry the bartender; the feelings he has for Mary are palpably real & true. Norman Kerry, full of boisterous high jinks, is fine as the society fellow who wishes to `better' her. Special mention should be made of jolly Kate Price as Pickford's mother, the very picture of an Irish washerwoman. Her round, jovial face bespeaks the goodness of her character's soul.

Pickford produced this film herself and she was ably abetted by screenwriter Frances Marion, her best friend and Marshall Neilan, her favorite director. Neilan had started his movie career as a romantic lead, but eventually moved behind the camera & Pickford considered him to be superior even to the legendary D. W. Griffith. Neilan's major failing were the frequent delays caused by his drinking, however he never failed in charming himself back into Pickford's good graces. This talented trio's collaborations continue to delight audiences today.