September 26, 1918 - American Aristrocacy

Today Mary goes to the movies with Nellie Downey to see Douglas Fairbanks in American Aristocracy.  She comments: "for a drama it was more like a comedy."  In fact the American Film Institute categorizes it as a comedy-drama.  Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939) was an American born actor who acted in comedic roles early in his silent movie career, but was best known for his later swashbuckling roles in silent films.  During the 1918 Third Liberty Loan tour with Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, he and Pickford fell in love and were married from 1920 to 1936.  Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks and D.W. Griffiths formed United Artists with the intent on actors to control their own interests.

American Aristocracy is preserved at the George Eastman Museum and is available in its entirety on YouTube.  The film includes six year old Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who has his film debut as a newsboy.