The Love Auction (1919)
Drama | 9 February 1919
Director:
Edmund LawrenceWriters:
Raymond L. Schrock, Julia Burnham, Edmund Lawrence, May EdgintonProduction Company:
Fox Film Corp.The scenario was based on the 1916 short story, "He That is Without Sin" by May Edginton, which first appeared in the March and April issues of Live Stories magazine.
Principal photography began in December 1918 at Fox Studios in Fort Lee, NJ, under the official title, The Love Auction, as stated in the 27 December 1918 Wid’s Daily. The 18 January 1919 Motion Picture News indicated that the film had initially been named after Edginton’s original story. Although reviews in the 9 February 1919 Wid’s Daily, the 15 February 1919 Billboard, and the 22 February 1919 Motion Picture News attributed the scenario to Raymond L. Schrock, his name was crossed out in U.S. copyright records, which credited Julia Burnham and Edmund Lawrence.
The Love Auction was released on 9 February 1919, and opened that same day at the Sun Theatre in Omaha, NE. The Billboard review, a portion of which was titled “The Woman’s Point of View,” condemned the weakness of the female protagonist, played by Virginia Pearson, noting that she did not “represent women as a class.”
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
...
The scenario was based on the 1916 short story, "He That is Without Sin" by May Edginton, which first appeared in the March and April issues of Live Stories magazine.
Principal photography began in December 1918 at Fox Studios in Fort Lee, NJ, under the official title, The Love Auction, as stated in the 27 December 1918 Wid’s Daily. The 18 January 1919 Motion Picture News indicated that the film had initially been named after Edginton’s original story. Although reviews in the 9 February 1919 Wid’s Daily, the 15 February 1919 Billboard, and the 22 February 1919 Motion Picture News attributed the scenario to Raymond L. Schrock, his name was crossed out in U.S. copyright records, which credited Julia Burnham and Edmund Lawrence.
The Love Auction was released on 9 February 1919, and opened that same day at the Sun Theatre in Omaha, NE. The Billboard review, a portion of which was titled “The Woman’s Point of View,” condemned the weakness of the female protagonist, played by Virginia Pearson, noting that she did not “represent women as a class.”
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
In New York City, Lea Montrose marries wealthy Dorian Vanderveer, rather than Jack Harley, the man she truly loves. After a happy honeymoon, Dorian returns home one night in a state of inebriation, and Lea soon makes the awful discovery that her husband’s habitual drunkenness is hereditary. Although Dorian promises to reform, his many failures cause Lea to lose hope. She joins a spiritualist cult led by Dr. Studholm Charters, but only finds solace when Jack returns to the city after becoming a successful engineer. The birth of Lea's child prompts Dorian to seriously attempt a cure. Dr. Charters realizes that Jack is the father and demands that Lea sleep with him in exchange for his silence. Dorian ultimately learns the truth, and after a drinking binge, he kills the doctor. He then forgives Lea and commits suicide, freeing her to marry ...
In New York City, Lea Montrose marries wealthy Dorian Vanderveer, rather than Jack Harley, the man she truly loves. After a happy honeymoon, Dorian returns home one night in a state of inebriation, and Lea soon makes the awful discovery that her husband’s habitual drunkenness is hereditary. Although Dorian promises to reform, his many failures cause Lea to lose hope. She joins a spiritualist cult led by Dr. Studholm Charters, but only finds solace when Jack returns to the city after becoming a successful engineer. The birth of Lea's child prompts Dorian to seriously attempt a cure. Dr. Charters realizes that Jack is the father and demands that Lea sleep with him in exchange for his silence. Dorian ultimately learns the truth, and after a drinking binge, he kills the doctor. He then forgives Lea and commits suicide, freeing her to marry Jack.
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