The Moving Picture Weekly (1920-1921)

THE MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY 21 Service Page for "The Daring Duchess" AT A GLANCE SUBJECT— "The Daring Duchess." LENGTH— Five Reels. STAR— Edith Roberts. PREVIOUS HITS— "Beans," "A Taste of Life," "The Love Swindle," "Lasca," "The Triflers," etc. CAST— Kathleen Kirkham, Harold Miller, Stanhope Wheatcroft, Leonard Clapham, Ogden Crane, Leota Lorraine, Hugh Saxon, Rudolph Christians, Virginia Ware, Henry Woodward. DIRECTED BY — Harry Franklin. STORY BY— Tarkington Baker. SCENARIO BY— Hal Hoadley. LOCALE — The American West; an English estate. TIME— The Present. THUMB-NAIL THEME— The story of a western-bred girl who falls heir to an English title and fortune which she sets forth to claim — of an unscrupulous lawyer who attempts to disqualify the real heiress, and of an American girl's method of gaining what is rightfully her own. ADVERTISING PUNCHES 1 — The increasing popularity of Edith Roberts. 2 — The novelty of the story, which cleverly combines western melodrama with society comedy. 3 — The splendid direction of Harry Franklin. 4 — The excellence of the cast, including a dozen well-known screen players. 5 — The clever work of a group of American cowboys, headed by Leonard Clapham. 6 — The skillful horsemanship of the star, which won her such high praise in "Lasca. 7 — The amusing scene in which Edith Roberts "cleans" her gang of cowboys in a game of "Mississippi marbles." 8 — The brilliant transformation of the star from a simple ranch girl to a British duchess. 9 — The abundance of hearty laughter provided by the star's delightful comedy acting. 10 — The beautiful settings and unusual photography. CAST Ellen Edith Roberts Lady Harriett Virginia Ware Martin Saunders Ogden Crane Gerald Knowlton Harold Miller Sir Godfrey Stanhope Wheatcroft Lady Clara Kathleen Kirkham Solidtor _ Rudolph Christians English Butler Hugh Saxon Chorus Girl Leota Lorraine Western Man Leonard Clapham Williams Henry Woodward THE STORY AT the death of the Duke of Wilshire, his will bequeaths to his cousin, Lady Harriett, and to his nephew and niece, Gerald Knowlton and Lady Clara, his entire estate, provided his brother, Charles, who years before had severed his family connections and gone to America, has not left a legal heir. Out in Texas, Charles Wilshire had renounced his title, bought a ranch and, upon his death the estate was operated by his daughter, Ellen, who rode with her cowboys, superintended the work and bossed the establishment. Martin Saunders, who had been her father's lawyer, harbors a grudge against the girl. The mail brings a letter from a London attorney advising her that she is heir to her uncle's estate and to come to England with legal identification. Knowing that her father had left the necessary papers with Saunders, she goes to him with the letter. Saunders knows of a girl in a London music hall whom he intends to palm off as the heiress and he tells Ellen that her father had left no papers with him. Ellen starts for London, and she is followed by Saunders on the next steamer. Arriving at the Wilshire estate her titled relatives are shocked at her style and manners, but at a reception the next evening, attired in borrowed finery, she becomes the centre of attention. Gerald Knowlton is especially interested in the girl, but the next day a bombshell is exploded when Saunders arrives with the music hall girl, properly dressed! for her new role, and presents his papers proving that the girl is the daughter of Charles Wilshire. In her desperation Ellen decides t» return home for more adequate proof of her identity, but finds her funds low. Knowing that Saunders had been anxious to buy her ranch, she proposes to sell him an option on the property for money enough to make the trip. He falls into the trap. They go to a notary where the option is executed. Ellen leaves for America, but the following day the notary, in conversation with the Wilshire attorney, is introduced to the chorus girl who is posing as Ellen Wilshire, and informs the lawyer that it is not the Ellen • Wilshire who had executed a paper in his office the previous day. This raises a doubt in the attorney's mind and he advises the family to go to America to get first hand proof as to the Wilshire heiress. Ellen gives them a taste of American ranch life and has no difficulty in establishing her identity, especially to Gerald Knowlton. ADVERTISING DISPLAY LINES Clothes do help. An evening gown transformed a little girl fresh from a cattle ranch into the favorite at an exclusive function among English nobility. See Edith Roberts in "The Daring Duchess." Her titled English relatives all turned up their noses when she arrived from Texas, where she had been raised. Some feminine noses were still up when she became a social favorite of the nobility. But that's a long story. See it all in "The Daring Duchess." There were two heiresses from Texas claiming the estate of the Duke of Wilshire. So the English went to straighten it out. There was also nobility in Texas. See Edith Roberts in "The Daring Duchess." The cowboys wanted to settle the dispute over the duke's estate in true Texas fashion. It wouldn't have gone well in an English court. But Edith Roberts, as the rightful heiress, wins out in "The Daring Duchess."