Joanna (1925 film)

Joanna
Joanna
	Trade advertisement
Directed by	Edwin Carewe
Written by	Lois Leeson (scenario)
Based on	"Joanna, of the Skirts Too Short and the Lips Too Red and the Tongue Too Pert"; by Henry Leyford Gates
Produced by	Edwin Carewe
Starring	Dorothy Mackaill; Jack Mulhall
Cinematography	Al M. Green; Robert Kurrle
Edited by	Edward M. McDermott
Music by	Guy K. Austin
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release date	December 14, 1925 (United States);
Running time	80 mins.
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Joanna is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film produced and directed by Edwin Carewe and distributed by First National Pictures. The film was based on the short story "Joanna, of the Skirts Too Short and the Lips Too Red and the Tongue Too Pert" by Henry Leyford Gates.^[1] The film starred Dorothy Mackaill and Jack Mulhall and marked the first motion-picture appearance of Mexican actress Dolores del Río.

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine,^[2] Joanna (Mackaill), a poor saleswoman in a swell establishment, is suddenly notified that a million dollars has been placed to her credit. This gives her an entry into the fast wealthy set but results in alienating her real sweetheart, a struggling young architect. There follows an era of gay parties and reckless spending, and in a couple of years the million is gone. Her wealthy admirer (Nicholson) makes a proposal without mentioning marriage and she almost kills him. She then learns it was an experiment resulting from a discussion among wealthy men as to whether the modern girl would remain "good" in the face of temptation after acquiring a taste of luxury, and she was selected because one of the men who formerly loved her mother believed in her. This man adopts her as his daughter, and her sweetheart comes back to her.

Cast

Dorothy Mackaill as Joanna Manners
Jack Mulhall as John Wilmore
Paul Nicholson as Frank Brandon
George Fawcett as Anthony Eggleson
John T. Murray as Lord Teddy Dorminster
Rita Carewe as Georgia Leach
Dolores del Río as Carlotta de Silva
Lillian Langdon as Mrs. Roxanna Adams
Edwards Davis as Grayson
Bob Hart as The Chauffeur

Reception

A review noted that the film was similar to another that Mackaill had recently starred in. Both Chickie (1925) and Joanna deal with the experiences of a young woman with a regular job among the jazzy ultra-rich class, although the films tell the story from a different angles. Also, in both films Paul Nicholson was cast as the idle rich young man.^[2]

Preservation

With no prints of Joanna located in any film archives,^[3] it is a lost film.^[4]

References

^ White Munden, Kenneth (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1921-1930. University of California Press. p. 395. ISBN 0-520-20969-9.
^ ^a ^b Sewell, Charles S. (December 26, 1925). "Through the Box Office Window: Joanna; Dorothy Mackaill in Newspaper Serial of Girl Who Gets a Million, Is a Good Box-Office Bet". The Moving Picture World. 77 (8). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 807. Retrieved November 3, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Joanna
^ Joanna at Arne Andersen's Lost Film Files: First National Pictures 1925

External links

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[1] White Munden, Kenneth (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1921-1930. University of California Press. p. 395. ISBN 0-520-20969-9.

[MPW-2] Sewell, Charles S. (December 26, 1925). "Through the Box Office Window: Joanna; Dorothy Mackaill in Newspaper Serial of Girl Who Gets a Million, Is a Good Box-Office Bet". The Moving Picture World. 77 (8). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 807. Retrieved November 3, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[3] Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Joanna

[4] Joanna at Arne Andersen's Lost Film Files: First National Pictures 1925

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