Sally of the Sawdust | 1925 | Comedy, Drama

Title: Sally of the Sawdust | 1925 | Comedy, Drama Director: D. W. Griffith Studio: D. W. Griffith, Inc. Starring: Carol Dempster, W. C. Fields, Alfred Lunt, Erville Alderson, Effie Shannon Based on: Poppy by Dorothy Donnelly Release Date: August 2, 1925 Runtime: 104 Format: Silent, black-and-white; 35mm; 1.33:1; English intertitles; ten reels Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Comedy, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Orphaned and taken under McGargle’s wing 00:18:00 Life on the road with the carnival 00:40:00 Return to Green Meadow and new romance 01:02:00 Society clashes and mounting suspicion 01:20:00 Arrest and courtroom reckoning 01:36:00 Revelations and reconciliation --- Summary: After her mother dies, young Sally is raised by Professor Eustace McGargle, a genial juggler and small-time con artist who performs with traveling carnivals. Years later, their troupe plays Green Meadow, where Sally’s disapproving grandfather, Judge Foster, resides, unaware that she is his granddaughter. As Sally attracts attention for her dancing and wins the affection of Peyton Lennox, the Judge seeks to separate her from McGargle. A courtroom confrontation exposes Sally’s parentage, forcing the town’s guardians of respectability to reconcile with her circus upbringing and accept her place in the family. --- Background: Produced independently by D. W. Griffith and released through United Artists, the film adapts Dorothy Donnelly’s 1923 stage hit Poppy. It was shot at Paramount’s Astoria Studios on Long Island with location work in Syosset, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut. W. C. Fields reprises his stage role as Professor McGargle, and he would return to the material in the 1936 feature Poppy. --- Trivia: The film premiered in New York City at the Strand Theatre on August 2, 1925; trade reports also noted an earlier world premiere in Chicago on July 20, 1925. The production runs ten reels, approximately 9,200 feet, typical of feature-length silent releases of the mid-1920s. It was Griffith’s final production released through United Artists, concluding his distribution arrangement with the company. Stage star Alfred Lunt appears in a rare early screen role as Peyton Lennox before returning primarily to the theatre. Although produced using Paramount’s Astoria facilities, the film was an independent D. W. Griffith, Inc. production. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 2, 1925 Original Studio / Distributor: D. W. Griffith, Inc. / United Artists Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: SallyOfTheSawdust 1925 SilentFilm PublicDomain DWGriffith WCFields ClassicFilm ClassicCinema Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sally_of_the_Sawdust_(1925).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Sally_of_the_Sawdust_%281925%29.webm