''Widow by Proxy'' is a 1919 American silent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film produced by

Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...

and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. It is based on a 1913 Broadway play by

Catherine Chisholm Cushing Catherine Chisholm Cushing (April 15, 1874 — October 19, 1952) was an American writer of songs, librettos, and plays, best known for her 1916 stage adaptation of Eleanor H. Porter's ''Pollyanna''. Early life Catherine Chisholm was born in Mount ...

that starred

May Irwin May Irwin (born Georgina May Campbell; June 27, 1862 – October 22, 1938) was an actress, singer and star of vaudeville. Originally from Canada, she and her sister Flo Irwin found theater work after their father died. She was known for her per ...

Julia Crawford Ivers Julia Crawford Ivers (October 3, 1869 – May 8, 1930) was an American motion picture pioneer. Biography Born in Boonville, Missouri, in 1869, her family arrived a year later in Los Angeles. Her father was a dentist. Her mother died in 1876, wh ...

provided the scenario and her son

James Van Trees James Crawford Van Trees (August 13, 1890 – April 11, 1973)

was one of the cinematographers.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Widow by Proxy''
at silentera.com
/ref> It is not known whether the film currently survives.

Cast

Marguerite Clark Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time, Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. All but five of her films are consider ...

as Gloria Grey * Agnes Vernon as Dolores Pennington (credited as Brownie Vernon) *Gertrude Norman as Sophronia Pennington *

Gertrude Claire Gertrude Claire (July 16, 1852 – April 28, 1928) was an actress of the American stage and Hollywood silent motion pictures. Biography Claire was born in Chicago, Illinois, and began appearing onstage at the age of 16. She played minor roles i ...

as Angelica Pennington *

Nigel Barrie Nigel Barrie (5 February 1889, in Calcutta, British India – 8 October 1971, in South Africa) was an Indian-born British actor. Biography Barrie's background as a dancer and actor on legitimate stages and in vaudeville in both Great Britain an ...

as Lt. Steven Pennington * John Gilbert as Jack Pennington (credited as Jack Gilbert) *Al W. Filson as Alexander P. Galloway (credited as A.W. Filson) *

Rosita Marstini Rosita Marstini (September 19, 1887 – April 24, 1948) was a French dancer, stage personality, and silent and sound film actress from Nancy, France. Early life Rosita Marstini was born on September 19, 1887, in Nancy, France. She married ...

as Madame Gilligan

References

External links

*
AllMovie.comStill from the production
(University of Washington, Sayre collection) 1919 films American silent feature films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Walter Edwards American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films 1919 romantic comedy films 1910s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films {{1910s-US-film-stub