''Easy Money'' is a 1917 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 ...

directed by

Travers Vale Travers Edmund Vale, born Solomon Flohm, was an English-born silent film film director, director. Raised primarily in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, he worked as a photographer, playwright and theatre manager there and in New Zealand pri ...

and starring

Ethel Clayton Ethel Clayton (November 8, 1882 – June 6, 1966) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early years Born in Champaign, Illinois, Clayton attended St. Elizabeth's school in Chicago. Career Clayton debuted on stage as a professional a ...

, John Bowers and Frank Mayo. It was shot at

World Film The World Film Company or World Film Corporation was an American film production and distribution company, organized in 1914 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Short-lived but significant in American film history, World Film was created by financier and f ...

's Fort Lee studios in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. An impoverished art student becomes married in-name-only to a man who stands to inherit a large fortune.

Plot

Lois Page, is ambitious to become a sculptor, but her uncle sends her a letter notifying her that he cannot continue to pay for her schooling. At that moment, her art instructor invites her to Richard Chanslor's party, where the wealthy young man becomes infatuated with Lois. He is to inherit a fortune from his grandfather when he marries, and proposes to an opera singer. Grandfather will not accept the lady as his grandson's wife, and disinherits him. Richard learns Lois' story and, recognizing that her beauty and temperament will please his grandfather, proposes that they become married in name only. By this plan, Richard will secure his fortune and Lois her education. Lois consents, but struggles to keep the ruse up, as the actress and her art instructor insert themselves back into their lives. Richard's alcoholism makes him forget himself and he tries to express his attraction in improper ways. His attentions drive Lois away from him and she contacts her art instructor, who lures Lois to a secluded roadhouse. Her husband has tracked them down and steps in at the nick of time to save Lois from an assault, and afterwards, they are overjoyed to learn that they have learned to love one another.

Cast

as Lois Page * John Bowers as Richard Chanslor * Frank Mayo as Robert Hildreth * Louise Vale as Lily Lorraine *

Jack Drumier Jack Drumier (1867–1929) was an American film actor of the silent era.Beauchamp p.444 Filmography Films * '' The $5,000,000 Counterfeiting Plot'' (1914) - Chief of the Secret Service * ''The Woman in Black'' (1914) * ''Beyond the Wall'' (1916) ...

as Peter K. Chanslor * Charles Morgan as Sidney McCall * Eugenie Woodward

Reception

Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

reviewer Edward Weitzel gave the film a positive review, praising the acting of the whole cast, and found the story interesting despite it not being "particularly novel."

Photoplay ''Photoplay'' was one of the first American film fan magazines, its title another word for screenplay. It was founded in Chicago in 1911. Under early editors Julian Johnson and James R. Quirk, in style and reach it became a pacesetter for fan m ...

's review was negative, describing the World Film as having "committed one of its regular melodramas." Wid's Films published a mixed review of the film, where they described the whole production as being "somewhat short on atmospheric beauty" as there were very few exteriors and the camera work was "just straight stuff." There was criticism leveled at an unintentionally hilarious scene where Lois Page struggles with the windows and doors after being locked inside, but her husband comes along and calmly opens the shutters that were previously locked. The reviewer found the characters likable and Ethel Clayton's acting to be "very pleasing."

References

Bibliography

* Rita Ecke Altomara. ''Hollywood on the Palisades: a filmography of silent features made in Fort Lee, New Jersey, 1903-1927''. Garland, 1983.

External links

* 1917 films 1917 drama films 1910s English-language films American silent feature films Silent American drama films Films directed by Travers Vale American black-and-white films World Film Company films Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey 1910s American films English-language drama films {{1910s-drama-film-stub