Rita Jolivet Film Promotional Piece

[Jim Kalafus]

Here is the cover art for a Lest We Forget herald I picked up over on eBay. The motto above the title, 'What Her Eyes Have Seen Your Eyes Shall See' is only partially backed up by the stills printed in the inner fold....there is an interesting one of the lowering of the lifeboats, but the rest is lurid stuff not drawn from her life experiences.

"Affords onlookers more excitement in ten minutes than the average film thrills does in an hour. Replete with stirring incidents. Jolivet admirable as heroine."
-New York Evening World

"Jolivet's acting is as full of vivacity and power as her performances in the theatre. Strikingly dramatic, realistic and forceful."
-New York Telegraph

 

[Jim Kalafus]

One oddity - the graphic arts department at Metro chose to use clip art of what appears to be the Empress of Ireland or Britain at the bottom of the cover.

The rest of the herald is too intricate to reproduce well here, but if anyone would like scans or copies contact me through the ET board.

 

[Jim Kalafus]

One oddity - the graphic arts department at Metro chose to use clip art of what appears to be the Empress of Ireland or Britain at the bottom of the cover.

The rest of the herald is too intricate to reproduce well here, but if anyone would like scans or copies contact me through the ET board.

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

What a great acquisition, especially with that mystery ship on the bottom. I got a Theodora Slave Princess promotional piece on EBAY a while back. Rita was quite a dish in a smoldering siren sort of way!

 

[Jim Kalafus]

There is a print of Teodora preserved, but I've not had the chance to see it yet. 10 minutes of Lest We Forget survives in 'private hands.' I think that a couple of her Italian productions are still around.

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Cool stuff! I am all agog, or if "adrool" is a word, then that applies, too.

Thanks for sharing the images with us all, Jim.

As I've discussed with Jim lately as well as earlier with Eric Sauder, "Lest We Forget" may be the most interesting historically because of Jolivet's presence but "The Little American," directed by Cecil B. de Mille and starring Mary Pickford, was by far the most famous of contemporary films depicting the Lusitania disaster. The story was loosely interpreted but the public got the message. In fact the scenes of the sinking were some of the most powerful for audiences. Premiering as it did in the first months of the US entry in WWI, it could not fail to have a tremendous affect on public sentiment and opinion.

I have a number of press reviews of "The Little American" which reference Lusitania and it's resonance with audiences. I also am proud to own both an original programme and herald for the film, in addition to a collection of stills from the movie. My interest in Lusitania is matched (okay - surpassed!) by the fact that my other "Lucy Love," Lucile, was connected with this production, having dressed Mary Pickord in it.

Anybody interested in learning more about this movie might like to read de Mille's "Autobiography" and Pickford's "Sunshine and Shadow" for mentions of it's portrayal of the Lusitania tragedy.

Here is a link to cast and credits for the film:
The Little American (1917) - IMDb "The Little American" is available for purchase through Grapevine Video: Mary Pickford

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XPU4TO/?tag=encyclopediatita

Silent movie buffs will appreciate the trivia that Ramon Navarro had a bit part in the movie. He's actually in the dining room scene with Pickford when the "Veritania" is torpedoed.

Don't mean to take away from Rita Jolivet's movie by talking so much about Pickford's. Just wanted to add some things to compliment the great info provided here by Jim.

Randy