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Mothers of Men

  • 1917
  • Not Rated
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
108
YOUR RATING
Mothers of Men (1917)
Drama

A melodrama about a woman governor whose husband is accused and convicted of a bombing and the dilemma she has to struggle with --- whether to let the law take its course and the pressures p... Read allA melodrama about a woman governor whose husband is accused and convicted of a bombing and the dilemma she has to struggle with --- whether to let the law take its course and the pressures put on her by family, friends and political pundits.A melodrama about a woman governor whose husband is accused and convicted of a bombing and the dilemma she has to struggle with --- whether to let the law take its course and the pressures put on her by family, friends and political pundits.

  • Director
    • Willis Robards
  • Writers
    • Jack Natteford
    • Hal Reid
  • Stars
    • Dorothy Davenport
    • Willis Robards
    • Maclyn King
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    108
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Willis Robards
    • Writers
      • Jack Natteford
      • Hal Reid
    • Stars
      • Dorothy Davenport
      • Willis Robards
      • Maclyn King
    • 3User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast13

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    Dorothy Davenport
    Dorothy Davenport
    • Clara Madison
    Willis Robards
    Willis Robards
    • Grant Williams
    Maclyn King
    • 'Big Bill' Deavitt
    Hal Reid
    Hal Reid
    • Jack Scranton
    Wilson Du Bois
    • Dan Channing
    Mrs. Hal Reid
    • Mrs. Madison
    Katherine Griffith
    Katherine Griffith
    • Maida
    Arthur Tavares
    • Giuseppe
    Billie Bennett
    • Undetermined Role
    Marcella Russell
    • Undetermined Role
    Harry Griffith
    • Undetermined Role
    Grace Blake
    • Undetermined Role
    George Utell
    • Undetermined Role
    • Director
      • Willis Robards
    • Writers
      • Jack Natteford
      • Hal Reid
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews3

    5.7108
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    Featured reviews

    4richardchatten

    An Unsuitable Job for a Governor

    As women's emancipation became a much-discussed issue in the years preceding the 19th Amendment in 1920 it became a subject earnestly discussed in movies like this and 'The Woman on Oath' which professed a desire to Seriously Discuss women's role in modern society while usually hedging their bets with outrageous quandaries and coincidences. So newly elected governor Dorothy Davenport finds herself in the position of having to prove her mettle as a politician by authorising the execution of her own husband for murder or revealing herself a decent, nurturing but weak female by pardoning him.

    SPOILER COMING: No prizes for guessing the question is ducked by having one of the genuine offenders have a fit of conscience at the last minute and confess on the gallows; thus saving hubby's neck and sparing Governor Davenport her tough decision.
    7planktonrules

    Very melodramatic to say the least!

    "Mothers of Men" is a ridiculously melodramatic film...and I'll talk more about that in just a bit. Despite having a plot which is impossible to believe, it is well worth seeing as it's an important film in the history of women. When the film came out in 1917, women in most of the United States could not legally vote and the 19th Amendment was still a few years away. However, the film shows that a good woman could make a great elected official and that women are tough enough and up to the task.

    When the film begins, a group of women come to Clara and ask her to run for office. After all, she's a lawyer and could make a fine judge. This is tested, however, when one of her husband's clients is up for an appeal and instead of recusing herself, she rejects the appeal outright--earning her a lot of respect among the public. However, when she is later asked to run for governor, things get really wacky. The local newspaper is blown up by a nasty Italian* and soon Clara's husband is implicated as well. Considering the editor of the paper was killed, the husband could likely get the death penalty. Yet Clara does not intervene as she knows that weakness will hinder the cause of women...and even though she is (gasp) pregnant!! What's going to happen to the hubby and poor Clara?!

    If you think the plot is unbelievable, you're mostly right. Think about all the difficult to believe plot elements...but one is possible and that is back in 1924 (only a few years later), a woman DID become governor in Wyoming! So, at least that part of the film isn't far-fetched. Enjoyable but often super-melodramatic to the point that it impacts on the overall quality of the film (esepcially the ending as well as the preachy quality of many of the intertitle cards). But, given when it was made, it's also surprisingly watchable and certainly is interesting!

    *Having the anarchistic guy be a foreigner with a silly intertitle accent is not too surprising. While the film is very modern in most of its sensibilities, the distrust of Italians and the like was, sadly, a product of its time.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In 1921, "Mothers of Men" was re-released under the title "Every Woman's Problem."
    • Goofs
      Outside the "Democrat" offices, a chalkboard with latest headlines talks of congress voting to allow the president (Wilson) to declare war, indicating this is supposed to be happening in April, 1917. However, later, we see at the police station, a large wall calendar for August, 1916.
    • Quotes

      Title Card: Newly released from the fetters of political inequality, Woman to-day enters a wider field of service for the common good - the winning and holding of public office. In this great adventure are opportunities for both success and sorrow - the chance of martyrdom to high ideals - to know strange new heartbreaks, and play a piteous part in tragedies never enacted before.

    • Alternate versions
      Mothers of Men (1917) was originally 8 reels long. The five-reel version came about from suggestions by the Woman Suffrage Party and the National Woman's Party.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1917 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Every Woman's Problem
    • Filming locations
      • Reid-Robards Picture Company Studio, Santa Cruz, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Plymouth Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $10,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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