The Enchanted Barn
| The Enchanted Barn | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Smith |
| Screenplay by | Kathryn Reed |
| Based on |
The Enchanted Barn (novel) by Grace Livingston Hill Lutz |
| Starring |
Bessie Love J. Frank Glendon |
| Cinematography | Charles R. Seeling |
Production company | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 5 reels[1] |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Enchanted Barn is a 1919 silent film, directed by David Smith,[2] starring Bessie Love and J. Frank Glendon. The script was written by Kathryn Reed,[2] based on the eponymous novel by Grace Livingston Hill Lutz.[1][3] Bessie Love was familiar with the source novel, and was instrumental in optioning it for this film.[4]
The film is considered lost.[5]
On its release, the film was shown with the comedy short Soapsuds and Sapheads.[6]
Plot
To care for her ailing mother, young stenographer Shirley (Love) takes her young brother (Butterworth) to find a new home with country air. She finds a barn, owned by the family of Sidney Graham (Glendon), who agrees to rent her the barn. She fixes up the barn, and moves in with her mother and brother.
Shirley overhears a conversation between two men who intend to swindle her new landlord in the sale of a mine. She transcribes their words in a stenographic report, and uses it to foil the deal. Graham is very appreciative, and he and Shirley get to know each other. Shirley falls in love with Graham, but she receives word that he is engaged to another woman.
The two swindlers seek revenge on Shirley by kidnapping her, but she manages to notify Graham by dropping a note out of a car window. He calls the sheriff, who tracks down the swindlers, and Graham himself finds Shirley. Once reunited, it is revealed that Graham is not, in fact, engaged to another woman, and that he is in love with Shirley.[7]
Cast
- Bessie Love as Shirley Hollister[7]
- J. Frank Glendon as Sidney Graham
- Joseph Singleton as John L. Barnard
- William T. Horne as Walter Graham
- Frank Butterworth as George Hollister
- Ella Wolbert as Mrs. Hollister
- Jane Hathaway as Mrs. Walter Graham
- Garvey A. Walker as Harley Hollister
Reception
Bessie Love's performance received good reviews, although it was deemed "much as she has appeared in previous productions". The plot, however, was highly criticized as being thin. Overall, the film received mixed reviews.[2][8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Recent Motion Pictures Based on Published Books". The Publishers' Weekly 95 (6): 386. February 8, 1919.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Slight Story Provides Slender Material For Five Reels". Wid's Daily 7 (18): 3. January 19, 1919.
- ↑ Lutz, Grace Livingston Hill (April 1918). The Enchanted Barn. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company.
- ↑ Love, Bessie (1977). From Hollywood with Love: An Autobiography of Bessie Love. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 74. OCLC 734075937.
- ↑ "The Enchanted Barn". Silent Era. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Richmond, Va., Theatre Has a Vitagraph Week". Exhibitor's Trade Review 5 (20): 1517.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Priest, Janet (April 1919). "The Enchanted Barn". Photoplay 15 (4): 60–63, 100–101.
- ↑ "Vitagraph". Exhibitors Herald: 102. December 1919.
The kind of picture everyone likes to see. Lots of comments. A good comedy picture.