Petticoat Camp

Petticoat Camp

(One reel of approximately 1,000 feet, released November 3, 1912)
Print source: Library of Congress, 14 minutes, 50 seconds
Cast: Florence LaBadie, William Garwood, the Jordan Sisters (divers).
Original organ score composed and performed by musician Andrew Crow.

Early "women's lib" with a comedy twist!

This comedy capitalizes on the booming pastime of a newly mobile American middle class — fishing and camping. Not only is the woodsy lakeside photogenic, but it also provides a charming locale for a light-handed battle-of-the-sexes comedy.

With a fresh and energetic attitude, the story portrays several married couples vacationing on an island. The boys play and the girls work. The girls rebel and move to an island of their own. The boys scheme to show how necessary they are as protectors, but the plan backfires and a truce is reached.

The accomplished swimmers in one commercially appealing scene were non-actress stand-ins who performed as the Jordan Sisters in aquatic shows.