A 1919 feminist fairy godmother arrives with a fat bank account and zero patience for your nonsense.
Barnabetta Dreary's grim life of slaving for her Pennsylvania Dutch father Barnaby and her two brothers, is surprisingly changed when Barnaby marries Juliet Miller. Known as Erstwhile Susan, she becomes fond of Barnabetta, and because she retains control of her fortune, induces the other Drearys to relieve Barnabetta of some of her drudgery.
Acting
Mary Alden's Susan: silent film side-eye that transcends time.
Production
Surprisingly detailed Pennsylvania Dutch sets for 1919.
Director
John S. Robertson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on a 1914 stage play by Marian DeForest, one of the few successful female playwrights of the era—Hollywood was already mining Broadway's women writers.
Constance Binney was a huge star who quit acting in 1923 to marry a millionaire—life imitating Susan's plot, but backwards.
US
