''M'Liss'' is a

1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...

American silent

comedy drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

directed by

Marshall Neilan Marshall Ambrose "Mickey" Neilan (April 11, 1891 – October 27, 1958; also credited Marshall Neilon) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, whose work in films began in the early Silent film, silent era. Early life Born ...

, written by

Frances Marion Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens; November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...

and based on a

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

story. The film was made previously in 1915 and was remade again in 1922 as ''

The Girl Who Ran Wild ''The Girl Who Ran Wild'' is a 1922 American comedy-drama film directed by Rupert Julian. It is a black and white silent film released by Universal which is based on the 1863 novella ''M’liss: An Idyll of Red Mountain'' by Bret Harte. It is a r ...

'', starring

Gladys Walton Gladys Walton (April 13, 1903 – November 15, 1993) was an American silent film actress. Early life and career Born in Boston, Massachusetts and educated in Portland, Oregon, Gladys Walton debuted in films at the Fox Sunshine comedy stud ...

. Another same-titled remake was released in 1936, starring

Anne Shirley Anne Blythe () is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel ''Anne of Green Gables'' by Lucy Maud Montgomery, L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic Anne of Green Gables#Related works, book series, which revolves ...

Plot

The film takes place in the mining town of Red Gulch in the High Sierra. M'Liss (

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

) is one of the inhabitants whose father "Bummer" (

Theodore Roberts Theodore Roberts (October 8, 1861 – December 14, 1928) was an American film and stage actor. Early life Roberts was born in San Francisco, California. He was a cousin of the stage actress Florence Roberts. His choice of a career disap ...

) lost his fortune in the gold mines. Now his only investment, which pays a dividend, is his chicken Hildegarde. M'Liss regards herself as a crook and robs Yuba Bill's stage coach. Yuba, however, is fascinated by the young lady and does not mind. M'Liss is the only person in Bummer's life as his brother Jonathan, a wealthy pioneer, lives in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. One day, Jonathan turns his face toward the Sunset Trail. Clara Peterson (

Winifred Greenwood Winifred Louise Greenwood (January 1, 1885 – November 23, 1961) was an American silent film actress. Early life Born in 1885 in Geneseo, New York, Greenwood studied to be a teacher but left New York Normal School to perform in vaudevil ...

) has been his nurse for over three years and her brother Jim (

Val Paul Vaughn Archibald "Val" PaulPark, Ham (January 25, 1952)"The Senator from Sandpit: Show Business" ''The Salt Lake Tribune''. p. 14. Retrieved December 5, 1952."California, Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearc ...

) finds out they will receive $500 each for their services after his death. He is outraged they will get only that small amount of money. Charles Gray (

Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he made ...

) is the school teacher who wants M'Liss to go to school as well. M'Liss isn't interested in an education. Charles keeps on pursuing her and she finally decides to go. He demands her to mind her manners when she's at school. She talks back to the boards members and is expelled. Charles, however, is charmed by the brave young girl. That same day, Bummer gets stabbed in the back by an unknown person. The sheriff suspects Charles, since he was the last person to visit Bummer. When M'Liss is informed, she is crushed. She is invited to visit the murderer in jail and is shocked to find out it's Charles. Three weeks later, a murder trial starts. M'Liss is the only one believing in Charles' innocence. Clara Peterson reaches town to visit Bummer, finding him dead, she declares herself his long lost widow and asserts her claim to the will. M'Liss refuses to believe she is her mother. Finally, Charles is sent to jail for 60 years. M'Liss helps him escape, but the police follow him. M'Liss witnesses them shooting Charles, but does not know they went after the wrong guy and actually shot Jim. Jim and Mexican Joe, with the help of the sheriff, admit they killed Bummer for his will. The fortune now belongs to M’Liss, who reunites with a now free Charles.

Cast

as Melissa 'M'liss' Smith *

as John Benson "Bummer" Smith *

as Charles Gray *

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

as Judge Joshua McSnagley * Charles Ogle as Yuba Bill *

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

as Mexican Joe Dominguez *

as Clara Peterson * Helen Kelly as Clytemnestra Veronica McSnagley *

as Jim Peterson * William H. Brown as Sheriff Sandy Waddles * John Burton as Parson Bean * Charles A. Post as Butch Saunders *

Guy Oliver George Guy Oliver (September 25, 1878 – September 1, 1932) was an American actor. He appeared in at least 189 silent film era motion pictures and 32 talkies in character roles between 1911 and 1931. His obituary gives him credit for at least ...

as Snakebit Saunders

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''M'Liss'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required cuts, in Reel 5, of the intertitle "Say, sheriff, how about a little necktie party" and the scene of the sheriff looking up tree and dropping rope.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:M'liss (1918 Film) 1918 films 1918 drama films American black-and-white films American silent feature films Remakes of American films Articles containing video clips Censored films Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Frances Marion Films directed by Marshall Neilan 1910s American films Silent American drama films 1910s English-language films Films based on works by Bret Harte English-language drama films