Mama's Affair
| Mama's Affair | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper advertisement. | |
| Directed by | Victor Fleming |
| Produced by | Joseph M. Schenck |
| Written by |
Rachel Barton Butler (play) John Emerson Anita Loos |
| Starring |
Constance Talmadge Effie Shannon |
| Cinematography | Oliver Marsh |
| Distributed by | Associated First National Pictures (*later First National Pictures) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 60 min., 6 reels; 5,950 feet |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent |
Mama's Affair is a 1921 silent film by Victor Fleming, based on the play of the same title by Rachel Barton Butler. Cast members Effie Shannon, George Le Guere and Katherine Kaelred reprise their roles from the Broadway play.[1]
A print of this film survives in the Library of Congress.[2][3]
Plot
As summarized in a film publication,[4] a prologue, which explains where the author got her idea for the story, shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When the serpent tells Eve to bite the apple, Adam takes it away from her. The serpent then tells her to go into hysterics and Adam will give her the apple. Shifting to the modern story, Mrs. Orrin (Effie Shannon), Eve's (Constance Talmadge) mother, goes into hysterics at the thought of losing her daughter. Mrs. Orrin and Mrs. Merchant (Katharine Kaelred), who lives with them, have decided that Eve will marry Mrs. Merchant's son Henry (George LeGuere), an effeminate youngster with rimmed glasses. Fearing her mother's nerves, Eve is willing to marry Henry, so the four of them go to Mama Orrin's birthplace, where the wedding is scheduled to take place on her birthday. During the stay at the hotel Mama has one of her "attacks" and Dr. Harmon (Kenneth Harlan) is called in. He soon discovers the exact trouble and orders Mrs. Orrin to bed with instructions that she not even see her daughter. Mrs. Orrin disobeys these orders and then Eve's nerves give way, causing a second visit by the doctor. He takes Eve away from the mother, but after Henry accuses the doctor of being a fortune seeker, the doctor refuses to have anything to do with Eve. Finally, Eve's eyes are opened and she uses a "treat 'em rough" theory on her mother. Besides winning the love of her doctor, she cures her mother of her hysterics.
Cast
- Constance Talmadge - Eve Orrin
- Effie Shannon - Mrs. Orrin
- Kenneth Harlan - Dr. Harmon
- George Le Guere - Henry Marchant
- Katharine Kaelred - Mrs. Marchant
- Gertrude Le Brandt - Bundy
References
- ↑ Mamma's Affair as produced on Broadway at the Little Theatre January 19 1920 to April 1920, 98 performances; IBDb.com
- ↑ Mama's Affair at silentera.com
- ↑ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:Mama's Affair
- ↑ "Mama's Affair: Imagine Constance as a Quiet, Submissive Mama's Girl, If You Can". Film Daily. New York City: Wyd's Films and Film Folks, Inc. 15 (35): 17. Feb 6, 1921. Retrieved 2014-03-11.