Charles Hammond Movies

Pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith directed W.C. Fields in his first starring role in this silent comedy. When Mary Foster runs away from home to marry her sweetheart, a circus performer, she does so against the wishes of her socially prominent parents (Erville Alderson and Effie Shannon), who make no secret of their anger and disappointment. Mary begins travelling with her husband, and she makes friends with Prof. Eustace McGargle (W.C. Fields), a crusty but good-hearted cardsharp working with the carnival. When both Mary and her husband die, their daughter Sally is left in McGargle's care. Sally grows to adulthood (now played by Carol Dempster) and becomes a dancer with the circus; while McGargle has grown quite fond of the child, he wonders if she might not be better off with her grandparents, who can better provide for her and give her a stable home, though he's kept their identity a secret from her. While performing in the town of Green Meadows, Sally catches the eye of the wealthy and charming Payton Lennox (Alfred Lunt), but Sally must overcome the prejudices of Payton's parents, who do not consider a showgirl to be fit company for their son. However, a sympathetic local woman hires Sally to dance at an upcoming society recital -- not knowing that Sally is, in fact, her granddaughter. Sally of the Sawdust was based on a play that Fields had starred in on Broadway; he also starred in a sound remake entitled Poppy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Although it wasn't much more than a standard programmer, this society drama was well cast. When he loses both his wife and child, Montgomery Rogers (Charles C. Hammond) adopts his servants' little girl and raises her as his own. Completely unaware of her origins, Emerie (Florence Dixon) grows up to be a first class snob. Her socially ambitious aunt (Julia Swayne Gordon) takes her to Europe to become engaged to Brooks Fitzroy, an impoverished lord (Cyril Chadwick). On the voyage back she encounters a young man, Dick Clarke (E.K. Lincoln) who -- horrors! -- is working for his passage. He continues to haunt her life when he gets a servant job at the Rogers home. When Rogers dies, he wills his whole estate to his young wife, Eleanor (Hedda Hopper), and Emerie is shocked to discover that her real parents are the butler and cook (Richard Carlyle and Margaret Seddon, respectively). Eleanor promptly shoves her off to live with the servants who gave birth to her. But then a second will appears, which gives Emerie her fair share -- it was held back specifically to scare off the penniless nobleman. Naturally, the humbled Emerie winds up with the honest, hard-working Clarke. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Disillusioned by her own failed romances, a stern, aged aunt refuses to grant her niece permission to marry a young soldier who is preparing to fight WW I in France. To further convince her, the aunt brings forth her diary and hands it to the willful girl. Most of this silent melodrama tells the aunt's sad story. It began during the Civil War when she was a young bride. Her husband's brother is having an affair with a married woman. In order to stop the matter, the aunt's husband visits the woman. Unfortunately, her husband walks in and thinking that the fellow is the philanderer, shoots him dead. Meanwhile, the poor aunt, who knew nothing about the incident was left believing that her husband was cheating upon her. Utterly crushed, the aunt turns away from foolish notions of romance. She hopes she can prevent her niece from making the same mistake. Things look bleak until the niece finds an unopened letter that explains the whole situation and allows the ailing old aunt to die with her faith in true love restored. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi