April 8 Mary Pickford

Happy Birthday to Sonja Henie & Mary Pickford.

TCM celebrated Mary Pickford’s birthday by showing three of her films. I have to admit I tried to watch Coquette, but I could not get through 5 minutes of Mary’s performance. It just struck a wrong cord with me.

I did watch Poor Little Rich Girl. Mary plays a lonely, rich girl in a large house who looks outside and sees all the children playing. The film has great title cards that really explain the characters.

Mary: In the home of everything but love.
Father: Money making schemes left little time for tenderness
Mother: social duties seem more important than the happiness of her child
Servants: Tyrants of modern civilization. Servants by position. Masters by disposition.

Mary goes to see her father but he is busy with this financial people. Mary is happy that her mother will spend a moment with her that day. Mother has to leave for a social engagement and promises once again to spend a moment with her tomorrow. “why do my tomorrows never come” Mary sighs. She goes to class on the estate where she is the only student and there are 5 instructors. The servants think she is not grateful for what she has. She has to take an afternoon drive every day. She wants to walk not be chauffeured around. The servants convince her that she will be kidnapped or bitten by a dog. The next day a plumber comes to the house. Outside and organ grinder plays. She invites him and his son to come into the house. As he plays he disturbs the housekeeper and butler (who always seem to be at tea when the parents aren’t around). Mary seems happy and dances with the plumber. The housekeeper and goes the butler force the organ grinder to leave. Her mother comes home and she brings a friend. Mary takes the blame, stating she was lonely. Mother’s friend has a daughter about the same age and agrees to bring her for the luncheon party planned for the next day. Mary tires to make friends with the girl, but she is a snot who is too good for the daughter of a woman who has a social bee in her bonnet. When lunch is ready Mary puts her plate right under the girl’s behind as she sits on a bench. Her mother states that she is to give her best silk dress to the girl. Mary disagrees and locks herself in her room so the girl can’t get the dress. Mary then throws all of her cloths, including what she is wearing out the window. The neighborhood children grab the clothing. Her parents decide that her punishment will be to dress in boys clothing. Mary decides she looks good in the clothing, after she unrolls the pants to below her knee. Boys in the neighborhood hit a baseball into the greenhouse. As they are getting the ball Mary comes into the room. They fight and she is covered in mud. The gardener stops the fight and hoses off Mary.

There is a birthday party for Mary, but she is not invited. It is a formal sit down social dinner. The nurse drugs her. She gets out of bed disoriented and falls down the stairs. Ghost girls dance in a circle around her a Grecian dance. A man comes to her and says she will be taken to the Garden of lonely children in the tell tale forest of dreams. The plumber who is once again fixing a sink that Mary broke finds her, carries her to her room. The story splits between the parents with the doctor with Mary and Mary’s dream. In the dream her father is at this huge piece of machinery, counting money. She calls out for her mother as she dreams she goes to the land where they burn the candles at both ends. The mother is there lighting thousands of candles. She comes to a forest and is happily dancing with an angel. Her parents come to her and she decides to go home with them. She is happy to be there. She then wakes up and the parents know she will live.

The next morning her fathers financial people come in and Mary’s father decides he doesn’t need more money. He has realized what is important. Mary’s mother has not left her side. The doctor prescribes country living for recuperation. The family huddle together as the film ends.

I can see why Mary Pickford was popular playing younger characters. She was playful, temperamental, spoiled, lonely, unhappy, happy, pathetic and adorable (sometimes 2 or 3 at once). TCM finished the rest of the day with a birthday salute to Virginia O’Brien. Her birthday is actually April 18th so I will watch those films later.