Through the Back Door
Encyclopedia
Through the Back Door is a 1921
silent film
directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford
, and starring Mary Pickford
.
in the early 1900s. Jeanne (Mary Pickford
) is the 10-year-old daughter of Louise (Gertrude Astor
). Troubles start when Louise remarries a selfish but rich man named Elton Reeves (Wilfred Lucas
). He convinces her to move to America
and leave Jeanne behind in Belgium to live with the maid Marie (Helen Raymond
). At first Louise refuses to, but eventually gives in and leaves Jeanne in the care of Marie.
Five years pass and Jeanne and Marie bonded. Meanwhile, Louise hated living in America and feels guilty having left her kid behind. She returns to Belgium to reunite with Jeanne, but Marie doesn't want to give her up. When Louise finally arrives, Marie lies to her Jeanne drowned in a river nearby. Louise is devastated and collapses, before returning to America. This results in estranging from Elton.
World War I
broke out. Marie fears for Jeanne's safety and brings her to America to live with her mother. After an emotional goodbye, Jeanne sets out for America to find her mother. Along the way she meets two orphan boys and decides to take care of them. When she finally arrives in America, she travels to Louise's big mansion.
Too afraid to tell her she is her daughter, Jeanne applies to serve as her maid. While pretending to be someone else, she gets to know her mother. However, she has trouble keeping up the lie and wants nothing more but have a reconciliation. Waiting for the right time to tell the truth, Jeanne hopes everything will come to a right end. When guests of the mansion plot to fleece Elton, Jeanne is forced to reveal her true identity to save the day. A happy reunion follows.
1921 in film
-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1921:U.S.A. unless stated*$10,000 Under a Pillow, silent film directed by Frank Moser*The Ace of Hearts, silent film directed by Wallace Worsley*Across the Divide, silent film directed by John Holloway...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford was a Canadian-born American actor. He was best known for his tabloid lifestyle, marriage to the top starlets of his day, and being of the famous Pickford acting family.-Early life:...
, and starring Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
Plot
The movie starts in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in the early 1900s. Jeanne (Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
) is the 10-year-old daughter of Louise (Gertrude Astor
Gertrude Astor
Gertrude Astor was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone on a riverboat.-Career:...
). Troubles start when Louise remarries a selfish but rich man named Elton Reeves (Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
). He convinces her to move to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and leave Jeanne behind in Belgium to live with the maid Marie (Helen Raymond
Helen Raymond
Helen Raymond was a stage actress who did comedy roles on Broadway, and also appeared in Hollywood motion pictures. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Stage Actress:...
). At first Louise refuses to, but eventually gives in and leaves Jeanne in the care of Marie.
Five years pass and Jeanne and Marie bonded. Meanwhile, Louise hated living in America and feels guilty having left her kid behind. She returns to Belgium to reunite with Jeanne, but Marie doesn't want to give her up. When Louise finally arrives, Marie lies to her Jeanne drowned in a river nearby. Louise is devastated and collapses, before returning to America. This results in estranging from Elton.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out. Marie fears for Jeanne's safety and brings her to America to live with her mother. After an emotional goodbye, Jeanne sets out for America to find her mother. Along the way she meets two orphan boys and decides to take care of them. When she finally arrives in America, she travels to Louise's big mansion.
Too afraid to tell her she is her daughter, Jeanne applies to serve as her maid. While pretending to be someone else, she gets to know her mother. However, she has trouble keeping up the lie and wants nothing more but have a reconciliation. Waiting for the right time to tell the truth, Jeanne hopes everything will come to a right end. When guests of the mansion plot to fleece Elton, Jeanne is forced to reveal her true identity to save the day. A happy reunion follows.
Cast
- Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
- Jeanne - Gertrude AstorGertrude AstorGertrude Astor was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone on a riverboat.-Career:...
- Louise Reeves - Wilfred LucasWilfred LucasWilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
- Elton Reeves - Helen RaymondHelen RaymondHelen Raymond was a stage actress who did comedy roles on Broadway, and also appeared in Hollywood motion pictures. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Stage Actress:...
- Marie - C. Norman Hammond - Jacques Lanvain
- Elinor FairElinor FairElinor Fair was an American motion picture actress born in Richmond, Virginia. She began her career with the name Eleanor Crowe, changed it to Lenore Fair, and finally settled on Elinor Fair...
- Margaret Brewster - Adolphe MenjouAdolphe MenjouAdolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
- James Brewster - Peaches JacksonPeaches JacksonPeaches Jackson was an American film actress. Her sister, Mary Ann Jackson also became a child actor, and appeared in many Little Rascals short films for Hal Roach...
- Conrad - Doreen Turner - Constant
- John HarronJohn HarronJohn Harron was an American actor. He appeared in 167 films between 1918 and 1940.Born in New York, New York, he was the brother of actor Robert Harron and of actress Mary Harron...
- Billy Boy - George Dromgold - Chauffeur
- Jeanne CarpenterJeanne CarpenterJeanne Carpenter was an American child actress of the silent era.Born Theo-Alice Jeanne Carpenter in Kansas City, Missouri, Carpenter started her film career at the age of three. Her fame grew in the early-1920s as she made a series of successful appearances in films such as, Helen's Babies with...
- Jeanne (age 5)