Friendless Mae Marsh has been left, as a baby, at "The Clarissa Parker Orphanage", on Friday the thirteenth. Due to the superstitions associated with the date, she becomes known as "Hoodoo Ann". Still, she "lives in sweet unconsciousness of her unhappy lot." Young artist Robert Harron (as James Vance) lives in the same town, on Peaceful Street. One day, Ms. Marsh steals Mildred Harris (as Goldie)'s doll, which seems to trigger some "hoodoo" (bad luck) in the form of a fire; actually, the fire is caused by stepping on matches. Obviously, they are the self-striking kind of matches. Although Marsh hides the doll under a dirty mop, it cleans up well. The fire sequence is well done; and Marsh becomes a heroine. This leads to her eventual adoption.
After riding in a very cool looking early 1900s Ford automobile, Marsh is taken in by a kindly couple. "You are going to stay here and be our little girl," they explain, dressing her in a very funny looking outfit. Marsh gratefully begins to scrub chairs. As luck would have it, Marsh discovers Mr. Harron is her new neighbor, and they begin to date. Harron takes Marsh to see a western move, which they enjoy; oddly, the other members of the audience seem bored. Then, a shooting incident makes Marsh think her "hoodoo" has returned
The director of record is Lloyd Ingraham; but, it's a safe bet D.W. Griffith, who also wrote the scenario, helped out behind the camera. The story is rather absurd; it's difficult to accept the legend of "hoodoo" based on Marsh's arrival date, and the superstitious palm-reading of "Black Cindy" (Madame Sul-Te-Wan). The cast performs well, considering; notably, young Mildred Harris caught Charlie Chaplin's eye. The folks running that orphanage must have had a parallel place, where they kept the older boys and younger girls. Though "Hoodoo Ann" has charms, they're much better presented in Griffith's similarly-themed, and highly recommended, 1918-19 films.
****** Hoodoo Ann (3/26/16) Lloyd Ingraham, D.W. Griffith ~ Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Mildred Harris
After riding in a very cool looking early 1900s Ford automobile, Marsh is taken in by a kindly couple. "You are going to stay here and be our little girl," they explain, dressing her in a very funny looking outfit. Marsh gratefully begins to scrub chairs. As luck would have it, Marsh discovers Mr. Harron is her new neighbor, and they begin to date. Harron takes Marsh to see a western move, which they enjoy; oddly, the other members of the audience seem bored. Then, a shooting incident makes Marsh think her "hoodoo" has returned
The director of record is Lloyd Ingraham; but, it's a safe bet D.W. Griffith, who also wrote the scenario, helped out behind the camera. The story is rather absurd; it's difficult to accept the legend of "hoodoo" based on Marsh's arrival date, and the superstitious palm-reading of "Black Cindy" (Madame Sul-Te-Wan). The cast performs well, considering; notably, young Mildred Harris caught Charlie Chaplin's eye. The folks running that orphanage must have had a parallel place, where they kept the older boys and younger girls. Though "Hoodoo Ann" has charms, they're much better presented in Griffith's similarly-themed, and highly recommended, 1918-19 films.
****** Hoodoo Ann (3/26/16) Lloyd Ingraham, D.W. Griffith ~ Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Mildred Harris