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With Sparrows, Mary Pickford once again gave her audience what they wanted by playing "the hoyden, the protector, the fighter." Mary stars as the oldest of a dozen children held hostage at what was then called a "baby farm" where children of unwed mothers or deserted wives were deposited and then sold illegally to adoptive parents or as slave labor. By creating an empathetic melodrama that pulled on the heart strings, Pickford helped put a spotlight on this evil and increased public awareness and outrage. Directed by William Beaudine, with a stunning set created by Harry Oliver and filmed by three world class cinematographers, Charles Rosher, Karl Struss and Hal Mohr, Sparrows is a beautifully stylized epic, completed just as the industry neared the end of the silent era. Mary's acting is not only superior, but this is her least glamorous role ever; she had to be a very confident actress to play such a character.
Original Release
09/06/1926
US Release
09/19/1926
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Roy Stewart | Dennis Wayne |
Mary Louise Miller | Doris Wayne (the baby) |
Gustav von Seyffertitz | Mr. Grimes |
Charlotte Mineau | Mrs. Grimes |
Spec O'Donnell | Ambrose |
Lloyd Whitlock | Bailey |
Billy Butts | One of the children |
Monty O'Grady | Splutters - One of the Children / Splutters (One of the Children) |
Jackie Levine | One of the Children |
Billy 'Red' Jones | One of the Children |
Directors
William Beaudine, Tom McNamara
Writers
Winifred Dunn, George Marion Jr., C. Gardner Sullivan
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Roy Stewart | Dennis Wayne |
Mary Louise Miller | Doris Wayne (the baby) |
Gustav von Seyffertitz | Mr. Grimes |
Charlotte Mineau | Mrs. Grimes |
Spec O'Donnell | Ambrose |
Lloyd Whitlock | Bailey |
Billy Butts | One of the children |
Monty O'Grady | Splutters - One of the Children / Splutters (One of the Children) |
Jackie Levine | One of the Children |
Billy 'Red' Jones | One of the Children |
Muriel McCormac | One of the Children |
Florence Rogan | One of the Children |
Mary McLain | One of the Children |
Sylvia Bernard | One of the Children |
Seessel Anne Johnson | One of the Children |
Cammilla Johnson | One of the Children |
Mark Hamilton | Craddock, The Hog Buyer |
A.L. Schaeffer | Bailey's Confederate |
Mary Pickford | Molly |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Mary Pickford | Producer |