Mary of the Movies

Mary of the Movies
Mary of the Movies
	Lobby card
Directed by	John McDermott
Story by	Louis Lewyn; Marion Mack;
Produced by	Louis Lewyn; Jack Cohen;
Starring	Marion Mack; Creighton Hale;
Cinematography	George Meehan; Vernon L. Walker;
Production; company	CBC Film Sales Corporation
Distributed by	Film Booking Offices
Release date	May 22, 1923 (U.S.);
Running time	6 or 7 reels;; 6,449 or 6,500 feet
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Mary of the Movies is a 1923 American silent semi-autobiographical comedy^[7] film based on the career of Marion Mack.^[3] It was written by Mack^[3] and her husband Louis Lewyn,^[2] and stars Mack and Creighton Hale.^[1] Hale and director John McDermott play fictionalized versions of themselves in the film, which was also directed by McDermott.

It was produced by the CBC Film Sales Corporation (which would later become Columbia Pictures) and distributed by Film Booking Offices.^[1] A partial print of the film exists in Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.^[7]

Plot

Mary, a country girl, moves to Hollywood to become a star, and earn money to pay for her brother's operation. She meets many famous stars, but has difficulty getting work. Finally, she gets a break when her resemblance to a star leads to her being cast in a film.^[1]^[2]

Cast

Principals

Marion Mack as Mary, the girl^[2]^[8]
Florence Lee as her mother
Mary Kane as her sister
Jack Perrin as Jack, her brother
Harry Cornelli as "Lait" Mayle, the postman
John Geough as Reel S. Tate, the squire
Raymond Cannon as Oswald Tate, his son
Ray Hanford as the old man
Rosemary Cooper as Jane, the extra girl
Creighton Hale as himself, the boy
Francis McDonald as James Seiler, a salesman
Henry Burrows as the producer
John McDermott as the director

Celebrity cameos

Production

It was shot at Sunset Gower Studios.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

The film received good reviews, and did well at the box office.^[6]^[5]^[9] It was deemed better than a similar film released the same year, Hollywood.^[5]

Preservation and status

An incomplete copy of the film is held at the University of California, Los Angeles from a print sent from the New Zealand Film Archive.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Motion Picture News Booking Guide. Vol. 5. New York, Motion Picture News. October 1923. p. 36.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e J.M.D. (June 2, 1923). "The Showman's Guide". Exhibitors Trade Review. Vol. 14, no. 1. p. 34.
^ ^a ^b ^c Rohauer, Raymond. "Interview with Marion Mack" (PDF).
^ Love, Bessie (1977). From Hollywood with Love: An Autobiography of Bessie Love. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 151. OCLC 734075937.
^ ^a ^b ^c Royster, M. (April 19, 1924). "What the Picture Did for Me". Exhibitors Herald. p. 59. Good picture. My patrons liked this very much. Some said it was better than 'Hollywood.' It sure drew well for me. Six reels.
^ ^a ^b Hopkins, C.E. (April 5, 1924). "What the Picture Did for Me". Exhibitors Herald. p. 49. This drew a fairly good audience and our folks considered it good entertainment. Seven reels.
^ ^a ^b Kehr, Dave (June 7, 2010). "Trove of Long-Lost Silent Films Returns to America". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
^ Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 496. ISBN 9780520215214. OCLC 664500075.
^ Niles, Clifford L. (March 29, 1924). "What the Picture Did for Me". Exhibitors Herald. p. 61. A good business getter and sent them home pleased. Don't be afraid of this; it will make you money.
^ The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:Mary Of The Movies

External links

Mary of the Movies at IMDb
Mary of the Movies at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Mary of the Movies at the TCM Movie Database

[motionpicturenew00moti_14-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Motion Picture News Booking Guide. Vol. 5. New York, Motion Picture News. October 1923. p. 36.

[exhibitor00newy-2] J.M.D. (June 2, 1923). "The Showman's Guide". Exhibitors Trade Review. Vol. 14, no. 1. p. 34.

[MarionMackInterview-3] Rohauer, Raymond. "Interview with Marion Mack" (PDF).

[love151-4] Love, Bessie (1977). From Hollywood with Love: An Autobiography of Bessie Love. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 151. OCLC 734075937.

[exhibitorsherald18exhi_0-b-5] Royster, M. (April 19, 1924). "What the Picture Did for Me". Exhibitors Herald. p. 59. Good picture. My patrons liked this very much. Some said it was better than 'Hollywood.' It sure drew well for me. Six reels.

[exhibitorsherald18exhi_0-6] Hopkins, C.E. (April 5, 1924). "What the Picture Did for Me". Exhibitors Herald. p. 49. This drew a fairly good audience and our folks considered it good entertainment. Seven reels.

[nga-7] Kehr, Dave (June 7, 2010). "Trove of Long-Lost Silent Films Returns to America". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2015.

[afi-8] Munden, Kenneth W., ed. (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films 1921–1930. New York: R.R. Bowker Company. p. 496. ISBN 9780520215214. OCLC 664500075.

[9] Niles, Clifford L. (March 29, 1924). "What the Picture Did for Me". Exhibitors Herald. p. 61. A good business getter and sent them home pleased. Don't be afraid of this; it will make you money.

[10] The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:Mary Of The Movies

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