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Joanna (1925 film)

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Joanna
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Directed byEdwin Carewe
Written byLois 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 byEdwin Carewe
StarringDorothy Mackaill
Jack Mulhall
CinematographyAl M. Green
Robert Kurrle
Edited byEdward M. McDermott
Music byGuy K. Austin
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
Release date
  • December 14, 1925 (1925-12-14) (United States)
Running time
80 mins.
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Joanna ad

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

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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

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Reception

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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

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

See also

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References

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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.
  2. ^ 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. Public Domain 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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