Shirley Mason, William Thackeray, silent film, silent movie stars, free classic film, old movies, silent film streaming, silent era, archive films, rare films, silent drama, silent classics, classic images, classic films on line

   Shirley Mason

Directed by                     Eugene Nowland
Produced by                   Thomas A. Edison, Incorporated
Scenario by                    Charles Sumner Williams and Eugene Nowland
Based on                         the novel Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Starring                          Mrs. Fiske, Leonie Flugrath (Shirley Mason), Helen Fulton, Richard Tucker, Frank McGlynn Sr. and many others
Cinematography            Otto Brautigan
Distributed by                Kleine-Edison Feature Services
Release date                    October 6, 1915
Running time                  72 minutes
Country                           United States
Language                        Silent film, English intertitles

This film is part of our Silent Gems Collection and the DVD is available on Ebay.

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This film is part of our series 'Hidden Gems'. It can be watched by registered users who make a donation. For more details, please click here.

We have included this film in our program to illustrate the work and contributions of our star Shirley Mason.

"Vanity Fair" is a historical drama, based on the classic English novel written by William Thackeray.  Shirley Mason was 15 y.o. and played the role of the young Becky Sharp. Directors obviously took notice of her performance, because two years later she appeared in 17 feature films, in many of them playing the star role.

Viewers are advised to read the plot that follows before proceeding with the film.

Becky (Shirley Mason) studies at Miss Pinkerton's school for young ladies. She lives with her father, who is deeply in debt and likes to drink.  After one late night at the tavern he is brought home in a bad shape in need of a doctor.  Becky's only thought is "If he dies what will happen to me?"  So she guides his father's trembling hand to write a note to Miss Pinkerton, asking her to take care of his daughter after his death.  This note and the piety of the woman helps Becky install herself in Miss Pinkerton's home.

Twelve years later Becky (Mrs. Fiske) graduates and leaves school to live with her friend Amelia.  Becky is an opportunistic, manipulative and strong-willed woman determined to rise in society.  She tries to make Amelia's brother propose and marry her, but fails.  Later Becky is hired to take care of a certain nobleman's daughters. Soon he proposes to her only to learn in astonishment that she already married in secret his son, who is then deprived of inheritance.  Becky tells her husband sarcastically  "I could have been a nobleman's wife instead of having a penniless husband'.

In the meantime Amelia can't wait to get married to her beau George, to whom she has been engaged for many years.  The fathers of Amelia and George are long-term friends, but the friendship dies when Amelia's father loses his fortune.  George's father forbids his son to marry 'a pauper's daughter'. Amelia and George are married anyway and yes, George is then deprived of inheritance.

All these events occur under the shadow of the Napoleonic Wars.  George is killed in battle and later his son is born.  The widowed Amelia rejects for many years the affectionate advances of George's best friend William, cherishing the memory of her late husband.  At some point however, Becky tells Amelia that her husband declared his love to her.  Now Amelia must decide whether to respond to William's love.

Becky is not surprisingly a poor wife and mother, but she doesn't let her failures stand in the way of her drive up the social ladder.  In her path she uses, mistreats and leaves in the dust every man that she gets involved with.

   Shirley Mason 

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Below is a short preview of the film.

   Shirley Mason with a necklace and a nice smile

Silent Hall of Fame is looking for contributors to create an original biography for this star.

Shirley Mason, Leonie Flugrath, (June 6, 1900 – July 27, 1979) was an American actress of the silent era. She and her two sisters Edna and Virginia (Viola Dana) went on to pursue careers in the stage, through the insistence of their mother. Mason made her film debut at the age of 11 in the film The Threshold of Life (1911). As a child actress, she was not in very high demand, and it was not until 1915 that she played her next role in the film Vanity Fair. In 1917, her career saw a major advance as she was cast in thirteen films that year alone, and was given the title role in the movie The Awakening of Ruth. Mason continued a vibrant acting career through the 1920s, landing several major roles. In the 1929 film, The Flying Marine, she appeared in her final role (along with her sister Viola) capping her career at 109 films between the years of 1910 and 1929.

The Flugrath sisters were a talented trio, and all three graced the theatrical world with their work in the silent film industry. Edna Flugrath was the eldest daughter, born in 1893, and was the only sister to maintain her original name upon entering the cinematic world. Virginia, who later changed her name to Viola Dana, was born in 1897, followed by the youngest, Leonie, who would one day be Shirley Mason. The mother of the Flugrath sisters was the one who first dreamed of their stage careers, and at a very young age had them enrolled in dance classes. The sisters spent much of their childhood touring with companies at Coney Island, Elks Clubs and other venues.

Eventually, their mother's dreaming and planning paid off, as all three sisters were hired by Edison Studios. Viola met her husband, John Collins, at Edison, and the young director and actress became a successful husband-wife team. Edna also met her future husband at the Studios, and when Harold Shaw left to open the first British Film company, Edna accompanied him and shortly thereafter became his wife. Shirley had appeared in several films and had also met her future husband, Bernard Durning. Durning was a fellow actor and also director, and although eight years her senior, the two were married when Mason was only 16 years old. Mason and Durning enjoyed a very happy marriage, him directing films back East, and Shirley acting in them. All was well until 1923 when Bernard contracted Typhoid Fever and died, leaving 22 year old Shirley a widow. Mason was remarried once more in 1927 to director Sidney Lanfield. The two remained married until Lanfield died of a heart attack in 1972.

From Wikipedia

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Selected Filmography

   Shirley Mason on the cover of Theatre Magazine - April 1920.