Lost1911Thanhouser Company990 feetDrama

The Little Mother

Name: The Little Mother
Genre: Drama
Released: 1911-02-28

No copy you can watch online. No print is known to survive. What follows is what does: the release, the cast, the story, and what the trade press said at the time.

The story

“A poor widow who supports her two children, one a baby and the other girl of six, by scrubbing, weakens under her hard work, and finally dies. Marie, the ‘little mother,’ anxious that her home may not be broken up, calls on one of her mother’s employers and requests that she be given a chance to take the dead woman’s place. The artist, a wealthy, good-hearted man, pleased with the child’s pluck, laughingly employs her, and makes her believe that she is really doing all the ‘chores.’ The artist’s kindness, much to his surprise, brings him recompense one thousand fold. One of his models plots to fleece him. She calls at his studio, faints in his arms, and when her confederate rushes in with a policeman, she makes charges that lead to the arrest of the innocent artist. Just as the policeman is leading her benefactor away, the little scrub woman sees what is happening. She follows the party to the police station, but is afraid to enter. When the complainant and her husband come out, the child is impressed with the fact that they seem to be on the best of terms. Her suspicions are aroused, and she shadows them like a regular detective.

“What crook would ever imagine that a little girl, wheeling a baby carriage, was a sleuth? This pair certainly did not, for when they meet a new friend in the park, they stop to tell him how they successfully arranged to trim a rich artist, never doubting that he would pay liberally to have the case dropped. The little girl, from her place in hiding, heard the story. So the little girl found a policeman, and told him about it. And the policeman went with her to the hiding place, and heard enough to warrant him in making what he afterward described as a ‘two handed collar.’ The adventurous and her confederate were hailed to the police station and locked up, while the artist was set free in a hurry. The result is that there is now a ‘scrub woman’ whose duties are a sinecure although the wages are high, and the future of the ‘little mother’ and her baby are assured.”

Summary from The Moving Picture World · 4 March 1911

What the papers said

4 reviews

“There is too much of the made-to-order situations in this film, causing the spectator to stretch his imagination to the straining point. That a little tot can accomplish in a way of detective work the feat set to ‘kid’ actor in this film performs, is hardly logical. The acting of the Thanhouser tot is great, giving the picture the greater part of the interest it contains. The other players acquit themselves well.”

The Billboard · 4 March 1911

Read in full · 1 min

“Taken as a whole this is a pleasing production, telling a strongly appealing story of real life. It is inclined to be overdone, however, and the little girl, though one of the most remarkable children in the camera’s stage world, seemed a bit too precocious. An inconsistency was brought about by permitting the police lieutenant to release the artist and hear evidence in the case. On a charge he could not do this, and it would have been simple to have added one scene and show a police court with no more people involved.”

The Morning Telegraph · 5 March 1911

More reviews2 · 11 March 1911 – 8 March 1911

11 March 1911The Moving Picture World1 min

“While this picture possesses some elements of improbability, it is, nevertheless, interesting because it represents an unfortunate child triumphing over difficulties. The kindhearted artist who befriended her and was rewarded with being saved from ignominy and shamed through the machinations of an adventuress did quite right to accept the little girl and provide for her comfort. The audience made their feeling in the matter very plain. The acting is well done and the photography is clear in the main, only one or two weak places showing in the film.”

8 March 1911The New York Dramatic Mirror1 min

“There is a pretty little sentiment running through this picture, to which the acting of the little girl adds additional pleasure. The artist’s indifference to the model angers the young lady, and she departs in anger. The scrubwoman enters to clean the studio. She does not move much furniture or make much preparation to sweep and clean, but perhaps she is excusable, as she was sick. When she arrived home she fainted, and her little daughter brought her a glass of water, all in readiness. However, she died, and a hardhearted landlady threatened to put her out, which is somewhat a stretch on the imagination, as orphan children are sent to institutions. The little girl sought the artist and wanted to do her mother’s work, and soon she returned to the landlady with the rent. There was a general desire in this scene that the baby be comforted. Later while the child is at work the model enters and in a desire for revenge makes a scene to all appearance as if the artist had assaulted her. A friend [husband in the synopsis—Ed.] of hers enters, summons an officer, and vouches for the truth of her statements. The little girl, who has overheard all this from behind a screen, follows to the courtroom, but dares not go in, but when the model and the man who aided her came forth from their successful attempt to humiliate the artist she followed them, overheard them tell their adventure to a friend, summoned an officer, and brought them both to justice. The artist adopts the orphan in gratitude. The production is admirably staged and acted.”

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Cast and crew

Cast: Marie Eline as the “little mother”

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More about this film

From Volume II: Filmography of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. Read the history of 1911 →

Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “The Little Mother”. thanhouser.org/films/the-little-mother/

Where a print is held

Held by: No print known