''A Poor Relation'' is a 1921 American silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Clarence G. Badger Clarence G. Badger (June 9, 1880 – June 17, 1964) was an American film director of feature films in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. His films include '' It'' and ''Red Hair'', more than a dozen features and shorts starring Will Rogers, and two feat ...

and written by

Bernard McConville Bernard McConville (October 16, 1887 – December 27, 1961) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 90 films between 1915 and 1946. He was born in Denver, Colorado and died in Los Angeles County, California. Partial filmograp ...

. It is based on the play ''A Poor Relation'' by Edward E. Kidder. The film stars

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklaho ...

, Sylvia Breamer,

Wallace MacDonald Wallace Archibald MacDonald (5 May 1891 – 30 October 1978) was a Canadian silent film actor and film producer. Biography MacDonald was born in Mulgrave, Nova Scotia, Canada, and attended school in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He started as a mess ...

Sidney Ainsworth Sidney Ainsworth (born Charles Sydney Ainsworth, often credited as Sydney Ainsworth; December 21, 1872 – May 21, 1922), was a screen and stage actor who appeared in his first movie in 1909. He was born in Manchester, England and died in Madison, ...

, George B. Williams, and Molly Malone. The film was released in December 1921, by

Goldwyn Pictures Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, 1 ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, shabby and lovable old inventor Noah Vale (Rogers) shares his attic room with Rip (DeVilbiss) and Patch (Trebaol), two orphans he has befriended. His lifetime ambition is centered in an invention he has slaved to perfect. In the meantime he tries to keep Rip, Patch, and himself from starving by selling copies of '' The Decline and Fall of Rome'' door to door. He is dispossessed and Scallops (Malone), a neighbor's child, gives them shelter. Vale has a distant relative, a wealthy manufacturer by the name of Fay (Williams), and when he writes him for aid in putting the invention to market, Fay's daughter (Breamer) takes a deep interest in the case. Fay's partner Sterrett (Ainsworth) tries to steal a model of the invention, but returns it when he finds that it is worthless. Johnny Smith (MacDonald), secretary to Fay, is discharged but secures work at a newspaper, and gets a position for Vale as a column writer. Vale gives up inventing and when Johnny marries Miss Fay, they provide a home for Rip and Patch.

Cast

as Noah Vale * Sylvia Breamer as Miss Fay *

as Johnny Smith *

as Sterrett *George B. Williams as Mr. Fay * Molly Malone as Scallops *Robert DeVilbiss as Rip *Jeanette Trebaol as Patch *Walter Perry as O'Halley

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poor Relation 1921 films 1920s English-language films Silent American comedy films 1921 comedy films Goldwyn Pictures films Films directed by Clarence G. Badger American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1920s American films