Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who ... Read allAmarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who comes from a rich family, and she begins to be drawn into the world of the upper class.Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who comes from a rich family, and she begins to be drawn into the world of the upper class.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Amarilly's Brother Milt Jenkins
- (uncredited)
- Amarilly's Brother Bo Jenkins
- (uncredited)
- Woman in Dance Hall
- (uncredited)
- Amarilly's Brother Bud Jenkins
- (uncredited)
- Freida Shultz The Gossip
- (uncredited)
- Father Riordan
- (uncredited)
- One of Gordon's Friends
- (uncredited)
- Surgeon
- (uncredited)
- Manicurist
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The cast here is fun to watch, Norman Kerry very handsome and wonderful to see Wesley Barry as Mary's little brother. Love those freckles. He gets one good scene, where he has to fight in an alley way, encouraged by his tough Irish "Ma".
I give this film 7 out of 10.
The story is about Amarilly, a girl from a working-class Irish family. She has a boyfriend, Terry, who works at a cafe, but she also meets a sculptor from a rich family and becomes involved with his circle. There are some very funny moments, some (melo)dramatic parts, and some thoughtful social commentary as well. All of these come together nicely in a key scene when Amarilly's family mingles with the upper crust.
Besides Pickford, charming as always, the two make leads (William Scott and Norman Kerry) are very good, presenting believable and interesting characters who form a nice contrast with each other and a good complement to Amarilly. They all help a fairly simple story come to life. This is the kind of old-fashioned film that unfortunately does not get a lot of attention today, but it's a real pleasure for those who enjoy the silent classics.
This upsets her boyfriend, and she begins to fall in love with the wealthy guy. However things turn sour when he takes her home to his socialite aunt, who wants to "improve" her. This movie is also a satire of wealthy people and makes fun of them.
Things go terribly wrong and she must then decided if its the trouble going through all this just for a guy.
This would've been different had it been in present day America, but this was the 1920's and I think that the film was smartly written.
No big surprises, but a wealth of small, charming moments. The film is undeniably creaky (it is 82 years old!), but actually flows together quite well. Its age is also, undeniably, part of its charm - it fascinates me to see these products of another era. There is a melodramatic turn at the end that seems to come out of the blue, but perhaps it was a nod to the fact that Amarilly's neighbourhood was undoubtedly a dangerous environment to live in.
Its not difficult at all to see why Mary Pickford was "America's Sweetheart". This was the first complete movie of hers that I've watched, and I hope to see more. She's delightful - warm and sweet, and blessed with a heart-melting smile.
Did you know
- TriviaTom Wilson's part was originally supposed to be played by Eric Campbell, who had played the "heavy" with Charles Chaplin the previous two years. Campbell was killed in an auto accident on December 28, 1917, a week prior to the start of this film's production. Wilson would play a uniformed policeman in Chaplin's Le Kid (1921).
- Alternate versionsIn 1998, the Mary Pickford foundation copyrighted a video version produced by Timeline Films and Milestone Film & Video. It has a music score arranged and performed by The Mont Alto Orchestra and runs 67 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 7m(67 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1