The Reckless Lady (1926)
Melodrama | 24 January 1926
Director:
Howard HigginWriter:
Sada CowanCinematographer:
Ernest HallerEditor:
Paul F. MaschkeProduction Designer:
Robert M. HaasProduction Company:
First National Pictures, Inc.According to an 11 October 1925 Los Angeles Times brief, producer Robert Kane initially sought to cast Pauline Frederick in this screen adaptation of Philip Hamilton Gibbs’s 1924 novel, The Reckless Lady. On 24 October 1925, Exhibitors Herald announced that Howard Higgin had been hired to direct. Belle Bennett and Lois Moran, who had recently played a mother-daughter pair in the 1925 film, Stella Dallas (see entry), were cast as the mother and daughter characters, “Mrs. Fleming” and “Sylvia Fleming.” Shooting began in late October or early November 1925 at Cosmopolitan Studios in New York City, as indicated by contemporary sources including the 24 October 1925 Motion Picture News. The completion of principal photography at Cosmopolitan was announced in the 13 December 1925 Film Daily.
Dorothy Sebastian was listed as a cast member in a 25 November 1925 Variety item.
The picture opened to mixed reviews on 24 January 1926. The 27 January 1926 Variety and 31 January 1926 Film Daily both likened the story to that of Stella Dallas. In late January or early February 1926, the film was broadcast by the WJZ radio station in New York City, as part of First National Pictures, Inc.’s weekly Thursday-night radio broadcast program, as stated in the 6 February 1926 Motion Picture News.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included the picture on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021. ...
According to an 11 October 1925 Los Angeles Times brief, producer Robert Kane initially sought to cast Pauline Frederick in this screen adaptation of Philip Hamilton Gibbs’s 1924 novel, The Reckless Lady. On 24 October 1925, Exhibitors Herald announced that Howard Higgin had been hired to direct. Belle Bennett and Lois Moran, who had recently played a mother-daughter pair in the 1925 film, Stella Dallas (see entry), were cast as the mother and daughter characters, “Mrs. Fleming” and “Sylvia Fleming.” Shooting began in late October or early November 1925 at Cosmopolitan Studios in New York City, as indicated by contemporary sources including the 24 October 1925 Motion Picture News. The completion of principal photography at Cosmopolitan was announced in the 13 December 1925 Film Daily.
Dorothy Sebastian was listed as a cast member in a 25 November 1925 Variety item.
The picture opened to mixed reviews on 24 January 1926. The 27 January 1926 Variety and 31 January 1926 Film Daily both likened the story to that of Stella Dallas. In late January or early February 1926, the film was broadcast by the WJZ radio station in New York City, as part of First National Pictures, Inc.’s weekly Thursday-night radio broadcast program, as stated in the 6 February 1926 Motion Picture News.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included the picture on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
Mrs. Fleming, a young wife and mother, has an affair with Feodor, a Russian scoundrel who has paid off her gambling debts. Her husband discovers the liaison and divorces her. Mrs. Fleming then goes to Monte Carlo with her daughter, Sylvia, and supports herself by careful gambling. Several years pass. Feodor comes to Monaco and meets Sylvia, who arouses his lustful nature. Mrs. Fleming learns of his interest in her daughter, but Feodor threatens to reveal her past if she stands in his way. Mrs. Fleming tries to win enough at the gambling tables to get Sylvia out of the country, but she loses everything. She is about to kill herself when her former husband fortuitously arrives and prevents her from doing so. Mrs. Fleming finally tells Sylvia of the past, and the girl becomes immediately disgusted with Feodor. The elder Flemings are reunited, and Sylvia settles her affections on a fine young fellow named ...
Mrs. Fleming, a young wife and mother, has an affair with Feodor, a Russian scoundrel who has paid off her gambling debts. Her husband discovers the liaison and divorces her. Mrs. Fleming then goes to Monte Carlo with her daughter, Sylvia, and supports herself by careful gambling. Several years pass. Feodor comes to Monaco and meets Sylvia, who arouses his lustful nature. Mrs. Fleming learns of his interest in her daughter, but Feodor threatens to reveal her past if she stands in his way. Mrs. Fleming tries to win enough at the gambling tables to get Sylvia out of the country, but she loses everything. She is about to kill herself when her former husband fortuitously arrives and prevents her from doing so. Mrs. Fleming finally tells Sylvia of the past, and the girl becomes immediately disgusted with Feodor. The elder Flemings are reunited, and Sylvia settles her affections on a fine young fellow named Ralph.
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