Bab's Diary (1917)
62 mins | Comedy | 7 October 1917
According to the 15 September 1917 Exhibitors Herald, the scenario was based on the short story, “The Sub-Deb” by Mary Roberts Rinehart, published in the 4 March 1916 Saturday Evening Post. However, other sources have claimed that it was based on “Her Diary,” which appeared in the 17 February 1917 issue. Whether the scenario was based on one or both stories could not be determined.
The screen version, titled Bab’s Diary, marked the first in a series of “Sub-Deb” pictures featuring Rinehart’s adolescent protagonist, “Barbara ‘Bab’ Archibald.” The term, “sub-deb,” refers to a girl who is not yet of age to be a debutante. A news item in the 29 August 1917 New York Clipper suggested that the picture was likely filmed after its successor in the series, Bab’s Burglar (1917, see entry), but released at an earlier date in keeping with the publication of the original stories.
Bab’s Diary was released on 7 October 1917. Openings occurred that same week at the Strand Theatres in Providence, RI, and New York City. A chart in the 1 December 1917 Motion Picture News indicated that the feature was attracting large audiences throughout the U.S., particularly in the Western region.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
...
According to the 15 September 1917 Exhibitors Herald, the scenario was based on the short story, “The Sub-Deb” by Mary Roberts Rinehart, published in the 4 March 1916 Saturday Evening Post. However, other sources have claimed that it was based on “Her Diary,” which appeared in the 17 February 1917 issue. Whether the scenario was based on one or both stories could not be determined.
The screen version, titled Bab’s Diary, marked the first in a series of “Sub-Deb” pictures featuring Rinehart’s adolescent protagonist, “Barbara ‘Bab’ Archibald.” The term, “sub-deb,” refers to a girl who is not yet of age to be a debutante. A news item in the 29 August 1917 New York Clipper suggested that the picture was likely filmed after its successor in the series, Bab’s Burglar (1917, see entry), but released at an earlier date in keeping with the publication of the original stories.
Bab’s Diary was released on 7 October 1917. Openings occurred that same week at the Strand Theatres in Providence, RI, and New York City. A chart in the 1 December 1917 Motion Picture News indicated that the feature was attracting large audiences throughout the U.S., particularly in the Western region.
The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
Returning home from boarding school for the Christmas holidays, Bab finds herself treated as a little girl while the family concentrates upon the impending wedding of her older sister, Leila, to Carter Brooks. To remedy the situation, Bab seizes upon a photograph of an actor and invents her own suitor, Harold Valentine. Carter recognizes the photo and induces the actor to present himself to Bab under his fictitious name. When he appears at her door during a party being thrown in her honor, the bewildered and frightened Bab decides that her sole means of deliverance lies in the recovery of her letters from the actor's apartment. Bab blunders into his residence, sets off a burglar alarm, and is arrested. She is taken home, and after learning her lesson, is promptly sent back to boarding ...
Returning home from boarding school for the Christmas holidays, Bab finds herself treated as a little girl while the family concentrates upon the impending wedding of her older sister, Leila, to Carter Brooks. To remedy the situation, Bab seizes upon a photograph of an actor and invents her own suitor, Harold Valentine. Carter recognizes the photo and induces the actor to present himself to Bab under his fictitious name. When he appears at her door during a party being thrown in her honor, the bewildered and frightened Bab decides that her sole means of deliverance lies in the recovery of her letters from the actor's apartment. Bab blunders into his residence, sets off a burglar alarm, and is arrested. She is taken home, and after learning her lesson, is promptly sent back to boarding school.
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