''My Old Dutch'' is a 1915 British silent drama film directed by

Laurence Trimble Laurence Norwood Trimble (February 15, 1885 – February 8, 1954) was an American silent film film director, director, screenwriter, writer and actor. Trimble began his film career directing Jean (dog), Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine ...

and starring

Albert Chevalier Albert Chevalier (often listed as Albert Onésime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis Chevalier; 21 March 186110 July 1923) was an English music hall comedian, singer and musical theatre actor. He specialised in cockney related humour based on life as ...

and

Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by h ...

. A film version of Chevalier's internationally renowned

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, it was seen by millions in Great Britain during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was also a success in the United States.

Plot

Described as "an unashamed tear-jerker" by film writer

Clive Hirschhorn Clive Hirschhorn (born February 20, 1940) is a South African writer and critic known for his long tenure as film and theater critic for the British ''Sunday Express'' newspaper and as the author of several books. Early life and journalism Born i ...

, ''My Old Dutch'' is the story of a devoted marriage over 40 years—from the couple's meeting until their rescue from a gender-segregated

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

in their old age. The screenplay was inspired by Albert Chevalier's celebrated song, " My Old Dutch" (1892). The title is a

Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

colloquialism Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...

for a partner or friend—or, in this case, wife.

Cast

as Joe Brown *

as Sal Gray * Henry Edwards as Herbert Brown * Harry Brett as 'Erb 'Uggins * Arthur Shirley as Doctor * Richard Cotter as Nipper * Amy Lorraine *

Minnie Rayner Minnie Rayner (2 May 1869 – 13 December 1941) was a British stage and film actress. In 1889, while in Cape Colony, she acted in the comic opera '' Falka'' as Edwige, the fiery Gipsey girl and sister of the brigand chief. The play was stage ...

Production

''My Old Dutch'' is considered the most important film in which American film star

worked while heading her own independent film company in England. The film was produced by Turner Films and financed by the

Ideal Film Company The Ideal Film Company (often known as Ideal Films or simply Ideal) was a British film production and distribution company that operated between 1911 and 1934. History The company, based in Soho, London, was started by the two Jewish brother ...

, Britain's largest distributor of motion pictures. Ideal commissioned the film to showcase the revered

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

comedian, singer and actor

, whose 1892 song " My Old Dutch" was internationally renowned. Turner received second billing, but she received the same fee, £500, that was paid to Chevalier, making her the highest-paid woman in British film. Director

said that the film had "a universal appeal, something striking deep in human nature, not dependent upon race or prejudice and comprehensible to both old and young. The theme in this instance is idyllic love." File:My-Old-Dutch-1915-Turner.jpg, Florence Turner as Sal File:My-Old-Dutch-1915-Chevalier.jpg, Albert Chevalier as Joe File:My-Old-Dutch-Ad-1915.jpg, Advertisement (12 June 1915) File:My-Old-Dutch-1915-Cotter.jpg, Richard Cotter as Nipper File:My-Old-Dutch-1915-1.jpg, Henry Edwards,

and

Reception

''My Old Dutch'' was a great success in Britain. Booked into 1,600 theatres by 1918, the film was seen by an estimated five million people over the course of the

. ''My Old Dutch'' was also well received in the United States after its release by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

on 22 November 1915. ''

The 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. ...

'' called it "a rare picture, great in its simplicity, strong in its appeal, and splendidly played by its two principals. It is wholesome. It is a story that might have come from between the covers of a Dickens—with its sunshine and shade, its quaint types, its Life." "It is almost a profanation to find fault with anything in these five wonderful reels," wrote ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''. "But the worst that can be said of it is that Albert Chevalier looks too old in the early portion and Florence Turner too young in the later section."

Survival status

The survival status of ''My Old Dutch'' is unknown.

Remake

Director

initiated a 1926 Hollywood remake of his own 1915 British version of ''My Old Dutch'' to feature its star,

. Actor James Morrison recalled Trimble telling him that Turner hoped to get back into films, and he asked him to help in a screen test that could be shown to

. "He got a little company together—the people who were in it worked for nothing, because we loved Flotie—and we did scenes from ''My Old Dutch''," Morrison said. Universal approved the project but cast

May McAvoy May Irene McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent-film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in '' The Enchanted Cottage'', Esther in '' Ben-Hur'', and Mary Dale ...

, not Turner, in the starring role.

References

External links

*
My Old Dutch
' at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's Film and TV Database * {{Laurence Trimble 1915 films 1915 drama films Silent British drama films Films directed by Laurence Trimble British silent feature films Films set in England Universal Pictures films British black-and-white films 1910s English-language films 1910s British films English-language drama films