''The Delicious Little Devil'' is a 1919 American silent

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

starring Mae Murray and

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

. A 35 mm print of the film is housed at the EYE Film Instituut Nederland,Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Delicious Little Devil''
at silentera.com Nederlands Filmmuseum. The Delicious Little Devil lobby card

Plot

Mary McGuire (Mae Murray) is a working-class young girl who lives in a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

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and supports her mother and her shiftless father and uncle. Two items in the March 27, 1919 edition of ''The New York Star'' catch her attention. The first is a news item about the famous dancer Gloria du Moine going into hiding over a scandal involving her relationship with the Duke de Sauterne. (This was Murray in a thinly disguised portrayal obviously mimicking fellow real life dancer/star Gaby Deslys who had an affair with the

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the ne ...

before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fight ...

). The second is a classified ad for the Peach Tree Inn, a nightspot that aims to be the "snappiest roadhouse this side of

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

." The Peach Tree's ad seeks a female hostess and dancer: "A Good Future For A Girl With A Past." Mary applies for the job. To help cinch the deal, Mary tells Peach Tree manager Larry McKean (

William V. Mong William V. Mong (June 25, 1875 – December 10, 1940) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1910 and 1939. His directing (1911–1918) and screenwriting (1911–1922) were mostly for ...

) that she's really Gloria du Moine. Larry asks her why she's dressed so shabbily. Mary replies that her servant absconded with all of her clothing, leaving her to wear the servant's clothes. Mary—or rather, Gloria—gets the job, and the Peach Tree Inn promotes its grand opening night, featuring Gloria du Moine. In the audience for Gloria du Moine's Peach Tree opening night is Jimmy Calhoun (

), scion of the millionaire contractor Michael Calhoun ( Edward Jobson). The young Calhoun meets Gloria and finds her enchanting. He tells his father he'd like to propose to her. Michael Calhoun arranges a small, private dinner party at the Peach Tree Inn in honor of Gloria. The elder Calhoun hopes that Gloria will make some sort of ''faux pas'' that will discourage his son from seeking her hand in marriage. Meanwhile, the Duke de Sauterne (

Bertram Grassby Bertram Grassby (23 December 1880 – 7 December 1953) was an English actor. He appeared in more than 90 silent era films between 1914 and 1927. Grassby was married to American actress Gerard Alexander. He was born in Lincolnshire, England a ...

) has arrived in New York from Europe and noted the press announcements touting Gloria du Moine's performances at the Peach Tree Inn. The duke sets out to see her at the roadhouse, and his arrival coincides with Michael Calhoun's dinner party. The duke is escorted into Calhoun's private room. He gives no indication that Gloria du Moine is an imposter. At sunrise, the dinner party guests are still at the Peach Tree Inn, sleeping off the drinks they consumed during the evening. Gloria/Mary wakes up and hurries upstairs to her lavish private suite. The duke also wakes up and follows her, and Jimmy follows him. Jimmy and the duke get into a fight, and the duke sends Jimmy tumbling down the staircase. Mary runs outside, gets into a car and heads for her family's tenement apartment in New York City. The duke and Jimmy follow her separately in their own cars. The duke arrives first, follows Mary up the stairs to the apartment and forces his way in. He grabs Mary and tries to kiss her. Jimmy arrives and engages the duke in another fight. A detective arrives and apprehends the duke for deportation to Europe on accusations of being a swindler. Jimmy's father arrives, notes Mary's humble surroundings and grants his blessing for Jimmy to marry her.

Cast

* Mae Murray - Mary McGuire * Richard Cummings - Uncle Barney *

Harry Rattenbury Harry L. Rattenberry (December 14, 1857 – December 9, 1925) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1913 and 1925. He was born in Sacramento, California and died in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Wil ...

- Pat McGuire * Edward Jobson - Michael Calhoun, Jimmy's father *

- Jimmy Calhoun * Burt Woodruff - Musk, Peach Tree Inn proprietor *

Martha Mattox Martha Mattox (June 19, 1879 – May 2, 1933) was an American silent film actress most notable for her role of Mammy Pleasant in the 1927 film '' The Cat and the Canary''. She also played a role in '' Torrent'' (1926). She died from a hear ...

- His Wife *

- Larry McKean, Peach Tree Inn manager * Ivor McFadden - Percy, neighborhood butcher boy and Mary's friend *

- Duke de Sauterne * Gertrude Astor - Woman with the talcum powder (uncredited) *

Alice Knowland Alice Knowland (1879-1930) was an American actress active during Hollywood's silent films, silent era. She specialized in playing motherly roles. Biography Knowland was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, to Herbert Knowland and Fannie Warren. She ...

- Undetermined Role (uncredited)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delicious Little Devil, The 1919 films 1919 comedy-drama films 1910s English-language films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Films set in New York City Universal Pictures films 1910s American films Silent American comedy-drama films