User Reviews

Based on a magazine serial that appeared in "Snappy Stories" in 1920, this made a nice showcase for the beauteous Florence Vidor who came to Hollywood with her then husband King Vidor. This was typical romantic flapper fare - while Helen Merrimore's father is planning to take Wall Street by storm, he has no doubt that his daughter will make a splash in society but all his obvious wealth succeeds in is making her the laughing stock of 5th Avenue.

While racing home to comfort his daughter he collides with a young society blade Schuyler Livingston (the all purpose leading man Malcolm McGregor) - both of them swerving to miss a little ragamuffin on the road. The father finds Schuyler's sympathy and understanding with the little chap very touching but dropping the young man home he finds that the family has lost everything - thanks to the panic that Merrimore started on the exchange a week before!!

Bessie Eyton was discovered by Selig in 1910, who thought her beautiful chestnut hair would photograph magnificently for the camera. Strangely this was her last movie, after which she disappeared from Hollywood and not even her own brother succeeded in ever tracking her down. She was terrific in this movie as the villainess!! When Merrimore proposes to give the young man $100,000 if he can win the hand of his daughter, Schuyler is appalled but his mercenary sister goads him into accepting because the money is desperately needed to help her sick little boy!!

Meanwhile Helen is determined to try to be accepted for herself and not for her name so when she is invited to a weekend party she attends as Helen Wheeler, a poor country cousin. Of course Schulyer attends as well and falls in love with Helen, fully intending to return Merrimore's cheque because he has now found his true love - but his sister puts so many obstacles in his way, even organizing him to be found in a compromising position with the party giver's wife who is throwing herself at him!! Helen steps in and manages to convince the irate husband that Schuyler is engaged to her - then of course never wanting to see him again!!

With only 10 minutes to go, there's still plenty of time for a mine cave in and a last minute rescue!!

A dime novel script if ever there was one, serves its duty as a vehicle for Florence Vidor. Anyone conversant with dime novels will be able to forecast future plot developments without any difficulty until we somewhat hastily come to the climax. I won't spoil it by retailing just how preposterous that climax is, but I guess if the story has drawn you in thus far, you'll probably have no trouble relating to these "exciting" developments which manage to tie up all the strings in the plot. All the romantic hesitations, refusals and agreements are gloriously solved and picturegoers are set free with the certain knowledge that even the richest darlings of Society have problems that money can't buy. Fortunately, Hollywood has decreed that Fate is always on the side of the rich and famous, so no matter how unlikely or absurd, all ends happily for just about everyone.

The players, led by Florence Vidor and Malcolm McGregor go through their motions under the stolid direction of John Ince. At least the cut-down version that has survived and is now available on an Alpha Video DVD moves fast. Even a scene with the heroine and her nanny confidante has been removed.

THE GIRL OF GOLD is a fast-paced programmer (lasting about 50 minutes) that emphasizes melodramatic plot over any pretense of incisive character development or the ethical dilemmas presented by the story. The direction by John Ince (older brother of Thomas and Ralph) is workmanlike and largely unremarkable; the production design rather generic but not cheap-looking.

Having made his fortune in the western gold mines, Lucius Merrimore (Charles French) moves to New York with his daughter Helen (a blonde Florence Vidor). While Merrimore's successes continue as a result of ruthless Wall Street maneuvers, Helen quickly finds herself ostracized as a parvenu by the established social class who dub her "the Girl of Gold." Helen tells her father she wants to escape from her life of privilege--in which men see her only as a dollar sign--and marry the first man who loves her just for herself. This rash outburst inspires Merrimore to concoct a plan involving Schuyler Livingstone (Malcolm McGregor), a young man whose family fortune has recently been wiped out by Merrimore's manipulation of the financial markets. Merrimore feels a pang of guilt when he learns the plight of Schulyer's now destitute sister (Bessie Eyton) and her ailing son, and decides to offer $100,000 if Schulyer will marry Helen. Schulyer is outraged at such a proposal, but his sister convinces him to agree.

Meanwhile, ignorant of her father's deal with Schuyler, Helen has accepted an invitation to attend a weekend house party in Newport, seeing this as her opportunity to shed her "girl of gold" image and present herself instead as a poor cousin. When Schuyler and his sister inevitably show up at the same house party, he is of course enchanted by "Helen Wheeler," while his sister reminds him of his obligation to marry "Helen Merrimore" (whom he has never seen) and secure the $100,000. It doesn't help matters that the hostess of the party is an old flame of Schuyler's and that she is married to an extremely jealous husband...

This being melodrama, the plot continues at break-neck speed, with one twist and revelation after the next. The climax occurs in a night club built somehow into a gold mine. Of course there is never any doubt about whether all of this will end well for "the Girl of Gold," and for 50 minutes the journey is quite enjoyable. This film asks nothing more.

On February 16, 1925, THE GIRL OF GOLD, the last Regal Picture, was released by Producers Distributing Corporation. Regal Pictures was actually an umbrella for a series of lower-budget movies produced by Thomas Ince, at his studio, but without putting his name on the movies, as I note in my Ince biography. Kate Corbaley adapted the 1920 Snappy Stories magazine serial, with Eve Unsell supplying the scenario; Thomas Ince's elder brother John Ince directed the six reel production.

Florence Vidor, veteran of many of Thomas Ince's bigger budget personal productions, plays Helen, the daughter of a mine owner who is snubbed by New York society. Using an assumed name so her wealth will remain secret, she falls in love with an impoverished member of an elite family. He is seduced into meeting a married friend at a roadhouse, but Helen lies to maintain his honor. She learns that her father had wanted the poorer man to marry her, but refused when it was merely an arrangement. Trapped by a mine cave-in, they realize their true love and are rescued.