''The Cradle'' is a 1922 American silent

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by Paul Powell and written by Olga Printzlau. The film stars Ethel Clayton, Charles Meredith,

Mary Jane Irving Mary Jane Irving (October 20, 1913 – July 17, 1983) was an American actress. She appeared in 58 films between 1917 and 1938. Biography Irving debuted in films when she was 2 years old. She "played a lot of baby roles, then disappeared fro ...

, Anna Lehr,

Walter McGrail Walter B. McGrail (October 19, 1888 – March 19, 1970) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1916 and 1951. Besides feature films, he appeared in ''The Scarlet Runner'', a 12-chapter serial. McGrail was born in ...

, and

Adele Farrington Adele Farrington (1867 - 19 December 1936) was an American actress of the stage and the silent film era. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Farrington had the lead in ''This Is the Life'' (1915) for the American Film Company. She also did he ...

. The film was released on March 4, 1922, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. The film is preserved in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

collections.

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 ...

, Margaret Harvey's (Clayton) husband, physician Dr. Robert Harvey (Meredith), is won away from his home by an attractive patient. A divorce follows and the doctor marries the patient. Margaret marries an old admirer, and the child Doris (Irving) is assigned to the custody of both parents for alternate periods of six months each. Both the step-mother and step-father resent the child's presence in their homes, and estrangement disturbs both households. The serious illness of the child results in the realization that the bond of parentage is stronger than man-made marriage, and the film closes with two more divorces and the prospect of a remarriage.

Cast

* Ethel Clayton as Margaret Harvey * Charles Meredith as Dr. Robert Harvey *

as Doris Harvey * Anna Lehr as Lola Forbes *

as Courtney Webster *

as Mrs. Mason

References

External links

* 1922 films 1920s English-language films Silent American drama films 1922 drama films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Paul Powell (director) American black-and-white films American silent feature films American films based on plays Surviving American silent films 1920s American films Films based on works by Eugène Brieux English-language drama films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub