My Best Girl marked Mary Pickford’s last silent film.
The 6 May 1927 Motion Picture News announced an untitled Mary Pickford film as one of United Artists Corp. releases for the 1927—1928 season, to be directed by Sam Taylor. Principal photography was set to begin on 1 June 1927 at the United Artists Studios (a.k.a. the Pickford-Fairbanks Studios) in Hollywood, CA. The story was based on Kathleen Norris’s soon-to-be-published 1927 novel, My Best Girl, which first appeared as a serial that year in Collier’s.
The casting of leading man, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, was reported in the 13 May 1927 Motion Picture News, along with the chosen title, My Best Girl. The 17 May 1927 Film Daily stated that the picture was originally titled Paradise Alley.
According to Kevin Brownlow’s Mary Pickford Rediscovered (1999), Pickford prepared for her role as a shop girl by posing in disguise at a department store, where she reportedly went unrecognized.
Principal photography began earlier than expected, on 25 May 1927, according to the 10 June 1927 Motion Picture News. A large-scale department store was constructed on the UA lot, and 100 “shop girls” were cast. According to the 5 August 1927 Motion Picture News, art director Jack Schulze created elaborate sets for the feature, including two city blocks, complete with street-cars and traffic signals, where close to one thousand background actors and 200 vehicles convened. Additionally, a reproduction of the “famous” New York City Georgian-style home of Willard D. Straight, located at 1130 Fifth Avenue, was constructed in detail. The rare antique Colonial furnishings were reportedly borrowed from Mary Pickford’s personal collection, including her “prized” dining room chairs.
The 8 July 1927 Motion Picture News indicated that production was in its fourth week, and would be completed in August 1927. Isabelle Sheridan was named as a cast member, and an 8 October 1927 release date was anticipated.
The 2 September 1927 Motion Picture News announced that the three-month shoot completed the week before, following the filming of steamship sequences in Los Angeles harbor. Editor Allen McNeil, who only received credit for adapting the screenplay, was reportedly “cutting the reels.”
The world premiere of My Best Girl was held in Kansas City, MO, on 28 October 1928, with Charles “Buddy” Rogers in attendance, according to the 9 November 1927 Variety, which deemed the “high class” production a “clean, wholesome, family type of fun,” and praised the naturalistic performances of Rogers and Pickford.
The 19 October 1927 Film Daily stated that the picture was scheduled to be the premiere attraction at the newly constructed United Artists Theater, a 1,600 seat movie-palace at 933 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Various modern sources indicated that Pickford’s film was the first feature to screen at the theater’s opening on 26 December 1927.
My Best Girl was fully restored by The Film Foundation, an organization founded in 1990 by director Martin Scorsese.