Amateur Orphan (1917)

Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Janiss Garza

Girlish Gladys Leslie doesn't exactly imitate Mary Pickford in this Thanhouser film, it's more like she personifies the cliché idea of what Pickford was thought to be: effervescent and overly childish. In reality, Pickford's characterizations were far more varied and interesting than anything Leslie offers here. Marcia (Leslie) can't stand Quincy (Isabel Vernon), her stern governess. When her parents (Thomas Curran and Jean Arthur) go on a trip abroad and leave her behind, Marcia doesn't want to be left alone with Quincy, so she changes places with the governess' orphaned niece, Jane. Jane goes to boarding school while Marcia goes to an orphanage, where she is adopted by Benton (Justus Barnes), a farmer. His son, Dave (Ray Hallor), the family black sheep, becomes her pal and a romance blossoms. Dick (Chester Morris), a friend from the city, comes to visit and he and Dave become rivals for Marcia. She finally chooses Dave. She uses her wiles to keep him from winning a promotion at work that would send him to the big city because she prefers life on the farm.