Her Purchase Price (1919)
Drama | 1 September 1919
Director:
Howard HickmanWriters:
Harvey Thew, M. B. HaveyProducer:
Bessie BarriscaleProduction Company:
B. B. Features, Inc.The title was announced in the 21 Aug 1919 Wid’s Daily as the next starring vehicle for actress Bessie Barriscale. According to the 23 Aug 1919, 30 Aug 1919, and 6 Sep 1919 issues of Motion Picture News, the film’s original story was written specifically for the actress by Maie B. Havey, who was listed as M. B. Havey. Lillian Langdon was included among the cast and Eugene Gaudio was credited as a member of the camera crew. Production took place at Robert Brunton Studios in Hollywood, CA. The completed picture was screened at the studio on 15 Aug 1919, suggesting that it may have been filmed during the previous month. An article in the 27 Sep 1919 Motion Picture News revealed that Barriscale was currently producing her films under the name of B. B. Features, Inc., with her husband, Howard Hickman, as director. Although multiple sources have credited the scenario to Harvey Thew, the 6 Sep 1919 ETR attributed the picture’s “continuity” to Hickman.
Her Purchase Price was released on 1 Sep 1919, preceded by a 28 Aug 1919 opening at the Academy of Music in New York City. Other openings followed on 17 Sep 1919 at the T. and D. Theatre in Oakland, CA, and on 5 Oct 1919 at the Symphony Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Long after the initial release, a review in the 11 Feb 1921 Variety described the picture as “entirely innocuous” as compared to its suggestive title. The critic also suggested that the plot was inspired by the ...
The title was announced in the 21 Aug 1919 Wid’s Daily as the next starring vehicle for actress Bessie Barriscale. According to the 23 Aug 1919, 30 Aug 1919, and 6 Sep 1919 issues of Motion Picture News, the film’s original story was written specifically for the actress by Maie B. Havey, who was listed as M. B. Havey. Lillian Langdon was included among the cast and Eugene Gaudio was credited as a member of the camera crew. Production took place at Robert Brunton Studios in Hollywood, CA. The completed picture was screened at the studio on 15 Aug 1919, suggesting that it may have been filmed during the previous month. An article in the 27 Sep 1919 Motion Picture News revealed that Barriscale was currently producing her films under the name of B. B. Features, Inc., with her husband, Howard Hickman, as director. Although multiple sources have credited the scenario to Harvey Thew, the 6 Sep 1919 ETR attributed the picture’s “continuity” to Hickman.
Her Purchase Price was released on 1 Sep 1919, preceded by a 28 Aug 1919 opening at the Academy of Music in New York City. Other openings followed on 17 Sep 1919 at the T. and D. Theatre in Oakland, CA, and on 5 Oct 1919 at the Symphony Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Long after the initial release, a review in the 11 Feb 1921 Variety described the picture as “entirely innocuous” as compared to its suggestive title. The critic also suggested that the plot was inspired by the novel, Stella Maris by William J. Locke.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of October 2020.
Hamid-Ali, an Arab chieftain and bandit, captures an infant British girl during a raid on a caravan. The child is named Sheka and raised in a harem to be sold into slavery. Years later, Sir Derek Anstruther falls in love with Sheka during a visit to Egypt. Derek wins Sheka at auction and they are married at the British consulate. The couple relocates to England, where Sheka has great difficulty conforming to English customs of dress and manner. Her plight is further intensified by the scheming of Derek's former sweetheart, Diana Vane. When Derek is beset by financial difficulties, Sheka offers herself to the libertine Duke of Wryden for 10,000 pounds. Derek learns of Sheka’s plan and rushes to the duke's home. He arrives to learn that Sheka is the duke’s niece and the heir to a large estate. ...
Hamid-Ali, an Arab chieftain and bandit, captures an infant British girl during a raid on a caravan. The child is named Sheka and raised in a harem to be sold into slavery. Years later, Sir Derek Anstruther falls in love with Sheka during a visit to Egypt. Derek wins Sheka at auction and they are married at the British consulate. The couple relocates to England, where Sheka has great difficulty conforming to English customs of dress and manner. Her plight is further intensified by the scheming of Derek's former sweetheart, Diana Vane. When Derek is beset by financial difficulties, Sheka offers herself to the libertine Duke of Wryden for 10,000 pounds. Derek learns of Sheka’s plan and rushes to the duke's home. He arrives to learn that Sheka is the duke’s niece and the heir to a large estate.
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