Sparrows (1926)

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Doc

DailyView: Day 300, Movie 425

I was about halfway through this movie this morning, Sparrows, a silent film from 1926 starring Mary Pickford, when the internet went out. That, of course, put the viewing of this movie, the first one from 1926 which leaves only 1924 as the year where I have not seen at least one film from during the DailyView sating back to 1915, on hold.

Later tonight, the internet finally came back and I was able to finish the silent picture.

Most of the silent pictures that I have watched during the DailyView have been comedies, from performers such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Sparrows, however, is not a comedy. It would be a drama, or perhaps a melodrama, where Molly (Mary Pickford) a young girl at a baby farm, has to help a baby (Mary Louise Miller) that had been kidnapped from her wealthy parent, Dennis Wayne (Roy Stewart).

Molly had been taking care of the crew of children at the Baby Farm, which was being run by the cruel Mr. Grimes (Gustav von Seyffertitz) and his wife (Charlotte Mineau). When the kidnappers brought the little baby girl to hide at Grimes’ baby farm, Grimes started to become nervous. He decided it would be a better deal to get rid of the baby by throwing her into the swamp.

This sent Molly into a protective state as she led the baby and all of the other children on an escape attempt from the baby farm.

There are actually a couple of harrowing scenes in the film, including several uses of alligators in the swamp. Mary Pickford created a character that was so easy to root for and would do anything to help these children. She was a hero who found herself in some over-the-top situations but who always did what she could to save the children.

Here are the children actors who played the parts (Source: Wikipedia)