''Clothes'' is a 1920 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

produced and distributed by the

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a Film, motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at le ...

company. It is based on a 1906 Broadway play, ''Clothes'', by Channing Pollock and

Avery Hopwood James Avery Hopwood (May 28, 1882 – July 1, 1928) was an American playwright of the Jazz Age. He had four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920, namely "The Gold Diggers," "The Bat" and "Spanish Love" and "Ladies' Night (In a ...

. The play starred

Grace George Grace George (December 25, 1879 – May 19, 1961) was a prominent American stage actress, who had a long career on Broadway stage and also appeared in two films. Biography George was born on December 25, 1879. She married producer William A. ...

with a young supporting player named

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...

. A 1914 silent film was produced and is now lost. This 1920 version from Metro starred

Olive Tell Olive Tell (September 27, 1894 – June 8, 1951) was a stage and screen actress from New York City. Biography Tell was educated in several cities in Europe. She and her younger actress sister Alma Tell, Alma graduated from the American Academy ...

. By all accounts this version is lost as well.

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 ...

, Olivia Sherwood (Tell), an orphan whose supposed father has left her nothing but a block of worthless mining stock, spends a fortune on clothes, her greatest weakness. Arnold West (Chadwick), who pays Olivia her income, deceives her into thinking the money is hers, scheming and hoping that one day Olivia will be his, whether he marries her or not. However, Arnold's income dwindles so fast that he is forced to tell Olivia that her income is much smaller than she thinks it is and that she will have to go slow. Mrs. Cathcart (Tilbury) advises Olivia to marry as the simplest and easiest way to settle the matter, but to marry a wealthy man. That man is Richard Burbank (Kent), a wealthy Canadian visiting relatives in New York. Olivia meets him at an affair, and immediately he is in love. A week later he proposes to her in a roundabout way, and by the time he is through hemming and hawing, in walks Arnold. Richard says that he will be back in an hour and Olivia should be alone. Arnold attempts to press his attentions on Olivia, but she repulses him. He then tells her that she is marrying Richard for money, but that he is more honorable than she as he tells the truth. Arnold apologizes for his hasty words and leaves. Arnold returns, but now Olivia is thinking of the error of her ways, so she refuses him. Arnold, wishing to disillusion Richard, cunning arranges for him to be at his house when Olivia calls on him for a business matter. Richard naturally thinks the worse of her. Several days later Olivia learns that the stock her father left her is worthless. Arnold, who has been drinking, tells her that he has been keeping her, and unless she comes to him, he will tell everyone plus a little imagination. She shrinks from him in horror and slowly climbs the stairs, and he lurches after her. At the top step he lunges at her, but she fearfully dodges, and the momentum of this upsets him and he falls down the stairs. Richard, having heard everything, rushes to her side and forgives her.

Cast

as Olivia Sherwood *

Crauford Kent Crauford Kent (12 October 1881 – 14 May 1953) was an English character actor based in the United States. He has also been credited as Craufurd Kent

as Richard Burbank *

Cyril Chadwick Cyril Chadwick (11 June 1879 – 3 November 1955) was an English actor of the silent era. He appeared in 70 films between 1913 and 1938. He was born in Kensington, London. Partial filmography * ''Doc'' (1914) - Eastman * '' Mrs. Black Is ...

as Arnold West *

Zeffie Tilbury Zeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury (20 November 1863 – 24 July 1950) was an English-American actress.
profile at Cinemorgue. < ...

as Mrs. Cathcart *Ray Allen as Mrs. Watling (credited as Rae Allen) *

Frank Currier Frank Currier (September 4, 1857 – April 22, 1928) was an American film and stage actor and director of the silent era. Career Similar to Theodore Roberts, Kate Lester, Ida Waterman, and William H. Crane, Currier had a long and succe ...

as Horace Watling *Mary Beaton as Miss Mazie

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0011062 1920 films American silent feature films Lost American drama films American films based on plays Metro Pictures films 1920 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films 1920 lost films 1920s American films