A 50-minute silent comedy about a scheming rich lady stealing a child's house? The audacity is timeless.
Little Patty Barnes lives with her grandfather, Captain Amos Barnes, in a rickety shack on the New England coast. The wealthy Mrs. Gaythorne, who wishes to adopt Patty, instructs James Henley to secure the mortgage on the shack, and when Amos, now homeless and penniless, departs for the poor farm, Patty is forced to live with the cruel old woman.
Acting
Madge Evans at 5 years old carries the whole thing.
Production
New England coastal location shooting in 1918.
Director
Tefft Johnson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
'Presumed lost' means this film likely only exists in fragments or not at all—making any viewing a miracle of archival detective work.
Madge Evans became a major MGM star in the 1930s; this was her literal first role at age five, already out-acting adults.
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