One Hundred Percent American

100% American (1918)

*** (out of 4)

This here is another WW1 short trying to get American's to donate money but the big difference here is that the film uses Hollywood talent. Mary Pickford, Loretta Blake and Monte Blue lead the cast for this Famous-Players production. The film shows Pickford cutting back on spending habits so that she can give that money for war bonds instead. Instead of buying an ice cream she just settles for water. Instead of buying a new dress she simply wears an old one and so on. This film here uses a lot of humor to get its message across and this can be seen in Pickford's performance, which comes off very good and quite funny. The scene with her in the store lusting over the ice cream was incredibly funny but the ending to the film is pretty weak. The movie runs 14-minutes and is entertaining throughout, although the message is repeated one too many times.

100 PERCENT American isn't a "real" movie - it's a war bond drive short told in dramatic form so don't expect it to be as entertaining as a bona fide Mary Pickford movie. It IS however quite charming and one of the best done films of this nature, even up against later "talkie" examples. Mary Pickford stars as a small town girl who while originally flippant upon hearing of the necessities of saving money and investing in war bonds, nevertheless denies herself luxuries like new dresses, ice cream sundaes, and even trolley tickets to save for war bonds. Her friend, however isn't quite so self-sacrificing.

There is quite a bit of light humor in this effective little piece of patriotism and it's biggest asset is Mary Pickford at perhaps the most beautiful I have ever seen her. Mary plays a young woman her own age, twenty-something, and she is absolutely a vision in lovely clothes, especially her first scene in a fetching outfit complete with cap. And I love one of the opening screen boards reading "Americans are extremists...what we earn in six days, we spend in two hours" suggesting at least some things never change even after almost 100 years.

Mary Pickford was originally Gladys Louise Smith from Toronto, Ontario. Americans didn't care and we've always welcomed our Canuckistani neighbors since we've settled that pesky matter over the 49th Parallel. Miss Pickford, Charley Chaplin (from England, naturally) and Douglas Fairbanks (he, at least, was born here) toured the country, raising money for the First World World, aka the 4th Liberty Bond. They also produced short subjects, exhorting movie audiences to buy bonds. This is Mary's.

It's a simple story of a young girl, out at an amusement park, exhorted to buy bonds. So she practices a few economies, like forgoing an ice cream soda and walking home instead of taking the trolley, and in less than a minute of screen time, she has her own bond in hand.

Miss Pickford is adorable and silly and compassionate and sad..... all the emotions and a couple of nice gags. There's little in this movie, but it's fun to see America's Sweetheart mugging it up. Even if she was from another country, we Americans like a taste of the exotic.