Cheerful Givers is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama film produced by the Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation.[1] The film stars Bessie Love and Kenneth Harlan.[5]
Cheerful Givers | |
---|---|
Directed by | Paul Powell |
Written by | Mary H. O'Connor[1] |
Starring | Bessie Love Kenneth Harlan |
Cinematography | John W. Leezer[2] |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Triangle Film Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5 reels[4] |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The film is presumed lost.
In order to save her father's orphanage, Judy (Love) answers a request to have the "eldest boy" work in the kitchen of a rich, miserly woman. She disguises herself as a boy, and, there, she crosses paths with the woman's son Horace (Harlan), whom she mistrusts, but who realizes that she is a girl and who falls in love with her. Judy thwarts the son's plans to steal from his mother's safe. The son realizes his error, and Judy falls in love with him.[3][6][7][8][9]
The film was generally well-received, called an "adroit comedy" and "perfectly done",[10] and it had a wide appeal.[11][12][13][14] Some reviewers deemed the film "too slow."[15]
It was noted that, although her performance was strong,[16] Bessie Love was not yet fully a box office draw throughout the country.[17][18]