Vintage original 8 x 10 in. US double-weight matte photograph from the teens silent film comedy, ALMOST MARRIED, released in 1919 by Metro Pictures and directed by Charles Swickard.
The image depicts the film's star, May Allison, as a barmaid who leads her patrons in a toast. It is in fine+ condition.
*"Almost Married is a lost 1919 silent film comedy drama directed by Charles Swickard and starring May Allison. It was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures."
*"The sale of E. V. Durling’s original story, His Father’s Wife, to Maxwell Karger, Director General of Metro Pictures Corp., was reported in the 5 Apr 1919 Motion Picture News. Karger selected the property as the next starring vehicle for actress May Allison. The 31 May 1919 Moving Picture Worldlater claimed that the story was written specifically for Allison. The start of principal photography was announced in the 9 Apr 1919 New York Clipper. Filming locations were identified in the 11 Apr 1919 Var and 12 Apr 1919 Motion Picture News as Pinecrest, CA, where snow scenes were shot, and the Metro studios in Hollywood, CA. Although the latter publication credited Henry Otto as director, that same day’s issue of Moving Picture World stated that Charles Swickard was assigned to direct. An article in the 17 May 1919 Motion Picture News noted that several members of the cast were already established in other areas of the entertainment industry, including stage actors Walter I. Percival and Frank Currier, opera singer Henry L. Rattenbury, and vaudevillian Hugh Fay. An item in the 25 May 1919 Camera identified C. S. Widom as costumer for the production. The film’s official title was announced as Almost Married in the 17 May 1919 Moving Picture World. The article also noted that Ralph D. Robinson’s Alpine Quintet, a touring music and dance company, appeared in the “Swiss Chalet” and mountain sequences shot in Pinecrest. A scene was added to the scenario in which the group, comprised of two men and three women, performed Swiss folk dances. Also appearing in the film were “musical attractions of the theatre and the roof-garden jazz,” along with Broadway showgirls, according to the 7 Jun 1919 Motion Picture News. The close of production was reported in the 24 May 1919 Motion Picture News. Almost Married was released on 2 Jun 1919, preceded by a 1 Jun 1919 New York City opening at the Loew’s New York Theatre, and followed by a 25 Jun 1919 Los Angeles, CA, opening at the Hippodrome Theatre. A review in the 14 Jun 1919 Moving Picture World listed “Jane Maher” as one of the scenarists, while other sources have credited June Mathis."
*(source: AFI Catalog of Feature Films)
3RB