Pollyanna

I own every version of "Pollyanna", and I have to say that I will possibly watch this one the most. I am not saying anything is wrong with the 1960 Disney version (it is a great film), but this version is half the length of the others (it is hardly an hour long) and much more sentimental. If you are a "Pollyanna" fan (the book or movies) or love sentimental movies, this is a must-see. Mary Pickford stands out in this well-acted film as Pollyanna, and is very convincing despite being an adult. Howard Ralston is also great as the orphan Jimmy Bean. The film is only about 60 minutes long while the others are over 2 hours, and it may be hard to believe, but this version is cut down as much as possible while still being logical, and that is a major feat. I highly recommend it.

"Pollyanna" (United Artists, 1920), directed by Paul Powell, stars Mary Pickford, then age 27, playing a 12-year-old orphaned daughter of a missionary whose inextinguishable optimism brings joy and hope into the life of her new guardian, Aunt Polly (Katherine Griffith). Also featured in the cast are Wharton James and Helen Jerome-Eddy.

Enjoyable silent comedy-drama, compliments of Blackhawk Video, with organ score by Gaylord Carter, which for me is a BIG plus. This version runs 60 minutes, only 70 minutes shorter than the latter 1960 Walt Disney remake that starred Hayley Mills. I've seen both versions and enjoy them equally. As written in the opening titles, "Pollyanna" became Mary Pickford's first feature for United Artists. (For the record, American Movie Classics premiered this rarely seen gem on May 30, 2000, at 1 a.m.).

POLLYANNA, the young orphan of an Ozark missionary, arrives in New England to live with her spinster Aunt Polly, a withdrawn & bitter woman. Through her `Glad Game' - finding joy in every situation - irrepressible Pollyanna slowly begins to change the lives of the entire community, eventually finding the love she so desperately craves.

This splendid family film, based on the Eleanor H. Porter classic, is as spunky & cheerful as its innocent heroine. 28-year old Mary Pickford is wonderfully believable as a little girl. She exhibits the sweet charm which made her the world's most famous celebrity. She dominates her every scene with star quality few others ever possessed.

The rest of the cast is also very good, especially Katherine Griffith as sullen Aunt Polly & Howard Ralston as young orphan Jimmy Bean. The sets & location filming are also worthy of mention.

The pipe organ score for this silent film is performed by virtuoso Gaylord Carter, The Wizard of the Keyboard.

Pollyanna is the young girl who can find something happy in any situation. She faces numerous unfortunate events, starting with the death of her father, leaving her an orphan in the Ozarks. She travels to her surly aunt in far-off New England, cheerfully greeting the pouring rain and mud at the train station, and a sparse room in her aunt's attic. Her cheerfulness makes everyone else happy. But then finally a disaster strikes that's too awful for even her optimism. What happens? Are things made right in the end? Sorry, no spoilers from me!

Pollyanna's cheerfulness in the face of misfortune makes the story too cheerful to believe. But somehow Mary Pickford managed to make the character and the story work. Although she was in her late 20s, she made a convincing young girl, thanks to her shortness, good costuming and hairdressing, but mostly her acting talent. This movie shows how she got the nickname "America's sweetheart" and became the movie industry's first great star.

POLLYANNA is a charming piece of nostalgia, an era of innocence and gentleness in America that was already fading away when this film was made in 1920. The movie was one of the blockbuster hits of Mary Pickford's career but it's reputation in later decades was slammed even by Mary and screenwriter Frances Marion, I presume because they didn't want the public to think all Pickford films were sticky sentimental, affected and coy as this one was presumed to be as "Pollyanna" became something of a buzz word for those emotions in a more jaded era. That's a shame because the movie holds up very nicely and still has loads of charm and quite a bit of good humor.

Pollyanna's widowed father is dying and after his death she is sent off to live with her stern old maid of aunt, Aunt Polly (Katherine Griffith). Pollyanna's sweet nature gets on Auntie's nerves (inspired by her father, Pollyanna always looks on the bright side of things and finds a reason to be "glad" about every situation) and her rambunctiousness only makes it worse. Pollyanna charms everyone else in town however particularly orphan boy Jimmy (Howard Ralston) who becomes something of a boyfriend.

This movie runs under an hour and frankly could stand for at least another fifteen minutes. There are a number of supporting characters in this film that come in that aren't fully developed (ie: John Pendleton, the rich man who was once in love with Pollyanna's mother or Dr. Chelton, who was Aunt Polly's beau in her youth) but the movie is so expertly done one can hardly complain. Mary Pickford is absolutely sensational in this movie, always appealing, often funny and moving. She was 27 at the time this was made but utterly believable as a twelve-year-old. Matching her performance is splendid work done by young Howard Ralston (then 15 but looking a few years younger) as Jimmy and the excellent character actress Katherine Griffith as cross Aunt Polly (who, having to have something good to say about her, Pollyanna comes up with "I'm glad she's not twins!"). Miss Griffith passed away just one year after the movie was made and Howard Ralston made only a handful of films after this, all apparently in minor roles and most of them lost now. This movie is a testament to their talent as much as it is Mary's. If you are open to spending a hour in old-fashioned sentiment, you could hardly find a better vehicle than POLLYANNA.