The Little Boss (1919)
Drama | 2 June 1919
Cast:
Bessie Love, Wallace McDonald , Harry Russell [ More ]Director:
David SmithWriters:
John B. Clymer, Rida Johnson YoungProduction Company:
Vitagraph Co. of AmericaPrincipal photography was underway in 20 April 1919, as stated in that day’s edition of Camera. The company was currently on location in Fresno, CA. Two weeks later, the 3 May 1919 Motion Picture News identified the exact location as Hume, CA, in Fresno County, and noted the participation of the Hume Lumber Co., which loaned the production a six-mile-long timber flume.
Articles in the 10 May 1919 issues of Motion Picture News and Moving Picture World reported the company’s return to Vitagraph Studios in Hollywood, CA, where interior scenes were filmed. Cast member Jay Morley was credited as “J. Morley.” Location shooting was completed over several weeks, according to the 17 May 1919 Motion Picture News, and included an excursion to a forested area near Eureka, CA.
The film’s original story by playwright and lyricist Rida Johnson Young was said to have been tailored for lead actress Bessie Love. It was Young’s only story written expressly for the screen. That same day, Moving Picture World revealed that co-star Karl Formes was also a member of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera Company. The 31 May 1919 issue noted that actual lumberjacks appeared onscreen as background actors. Doris Schroeder was listed in the 1920 Motion Picture News Studio Directory as a contributing writer.
Bessie Love later told the January 1930 New Movie Magazine that she had an epiphany during her stay among the California Redwoods. At the time, she was discussing her “feelings about the futility of existence” with co-star ...
Principal photography was underway in 20 April 1919, as stated in that day’s edition of Camera. The company was currently on location in Fresno, CA. Two weeks later, the 3 May 1919 Motion Picture News identified the exact location as Hume, CA, in Fresno County, and noted the participation of the Hume Lumber Co., which loaned the production a six-mile-long timber flume.
Articles in the 10 May 1919 issues of Motion Picture News and Moving Picture World reported the company’s return to Vitagraph Studios in Hollywood, CA, where interior scenes were filmed. Cast member Jay Morley was credited as “J. Morley.” Location shooting was completed over several weeks, according to the 17 May 1919 Motion Picture News, and included an excursion to a forested area near Eureka, CA.
The film’s original story by playwright and lyricist Rida Johnson Young was said to have been tailored for lead actress Bessie Love. It was Young’s only story written expressly for the screen. That same day, Moving Picture World revealed that co-star Karl Formes was also a member of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera Company. The 31 May 1919 issue noted that actual lumberjacks appeared onscreen as background actors. Doris Schroeder was listed in the 1920 Motion Picture News Studio Directory as a contributing writer.
Bessie Love later told the January 1930 New Movie Magazine that she had an epiphany during her stay among the California Redwoods. At the time, she was discussing her “feelings about the futility of existence” with co-star Wallace MacDonald when a little girl spontaneously handed her a violet. They continued their walk into the wooded area, where she was awestruck by the “majesty” of nature. Love described the moment as her “turning point from adolescent unrest to womanly, mature thinking.”
The Little Boss was released on 2 June 1919, followed by openings at the Isis Theatre in Denver, CO, on 14 June 1919, and at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, during the week of 7 July 1919. U.S. copyright records list the film as A Little Boss.
An unrelated feature, also titled The Little Boss, was released on the states’ rights market in 1927.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
Peggy Winston, who inherited a lumber camp from her father, is beloved by the lumberjacks in her employ. She becomes infatuated with Clayton Hargis, the son of a millionaire ship builder, who contracts for the camp's entire output. Although Peggy rescues him from dangerous waters, Clayton remains ignorant of her affection. She accepts an invitation from Clayton's sister to join them in the city, where she blossoms into a beautiful young woman. Upon learning that Clayton is engaged, Peggy leaves the Hargis estate and pawns her new clothes. In her absence, Old Farley, the former owner of the camp, plans to sell the property, keep the money, and flee to another country. While pursuing the thief, Peggy is kidnapped by Farley’s son, Pete. Clayton now realizes that he loves Peggy and comes to her rescue. Later, hostile lumberjacks take their revenge on Farley by locking Pete and Clayton in a cabin and planting dynamite underneath. After Peggy quells the riot, Clayton confesses his love and helps to reinstate her as the camp ...
Peggy Winston, who inherited a lumber camp from her father, is beloved by the lumberjacks in her employ. She becomes infatuated with Clayton Hargis, the son of a millionaire ship builder, who contracts for the camp's entire output. Although Peggy rescues him from dangerous waters, Clayton remains ignorant of her affection. She accepts an invitation from Clayton's sister to join them in the city, where she blossoms into a beautiful young woman. Upon learning that Clayton is engaged, Peggy leaves the Hargis estate and pawns her new clothes. In her absence, Old Farley, the former owner of the camp, plans to sell the property, keep the money, and flee to another country. While pursuing the thief, Peggy is kidnapped by Farley’s son, Pete. Clayton now realizes that he loves Peggy and comes to her rescue. Later, hostile lumberjacks take their revenge on Farley by locking Pete and Clayton in a cabin and planting dynamite underneath. After Peggy quells the riot, Clayton confesses his love and helps to reinstate her as the camp boss.
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