The Half-Way Girl

The Half-Way Girl is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by John Francis Dillon that was filmed around the Jersey Shore.[1]

The Half-Way Girl
Lobby poster
Directed byJohn Francis Dillon
Produced byEarl Hudson
Screenplay byJoseph F. Poland
Earl Snell
Story byE. Lloyd Sheldon
StarringDoris Kenyon
Lloyd Hughes
CinematographyGeorge J. Folsey
Edited byMarion Fairfax
Production
company
Distributed byFirst National
Release date
  • August 16, 1925 (1925-08-16)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

Doris Kenyon plays Poppy La Rue, an actress who winds up stranded in Singapore when her theatrical troupe goes bust. She winds up in the red-light district where she works as a "hostess" (generally a silent film era euphemism for prostitute), where she meets Philip Douglas, a down-at-the-heels Brit (Lloyd Hughes).

While drunk, he kills a man in self-defense, and Poppy helps him to escape. Jardine (Sam Hardy), a plantation owner, is determined to have Poppy, and when she wants to escape from the Oriental underworld, he offers to help, provided she accompanies him to Penang. They board a ship. Douglas is also on board and when a fire breaks out in the hold, he rescues Poppy from Jardine's advances. They manage to get in a lifeboat just before the ship explodes, and are picked up by a passing vessel. Douglas' father (Hobart Bosworth) wants the couple to separate, but finally he accepts Poppy as his daughter-in-law.

Cast and crew
  • Directed by: John Francis Dillon
  • Cinematography by: George J. Folsey (as George Folsey)
  • Film Editing by: Marion Fairfax
  • Art Direction by: Milton Menasco

Writing credits

Cast (in credits order)

Production

The spectacular fire aboard an ocean liner was shot in color, and to make it even more exciting, a leopard also breaks free on the ship. The Corvallis, a 270-foot wooden-hulled cargo ship that was surplus from World War I, was purchased from the United States Government by First National Pictures for a fraction of her original cost.[2] First National Pictures bought her for the sole purpose of blowing her up in The Half-Way Girl. In June 1925, under the supervision of the United States Coast Guard, the Corvallis, now renamed for the film as the Mandalay, was towed 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) offshore, loaded with dynamite, and blown up while the cameras rolled. After the explosion, the stern remained afloat and had to be sunk by the United States Coast Guard. It was claimed that blowing up an actual ship saved $25,000 over the cost of creating the scene using miniatures.[2]

Preservation status

This is a lost film with no archive holdings.[3][4]

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References
  1. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Half-Way Girl
  2. Cushing, Charles Phelps (October 25, 1925). "Reviews: Dynamiting the Mandalay". Picture-Play Magazine. New York City: Stree & Smith Corporation. 23 (1): 97, 112.
  3. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Half-Way Girl
  4. The Half-Way Girl at Lost Film Files: Lost First National Films - 1925
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