Auntie's Portrait

When rich Ethel Lee sends her nephew Sidney Drew and his wife a portrait of herself, they decide the best place to display it is in the attic. A few days later, however, the old lady shows up at the house.

When people think of silent comedy, they usually think of slapstick. There were many situation comedies, and few were as deservedly popular as the Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew comedies, first from Vitagraph and later from their own company. Their comedies were well-written films which made fun of the foibles of the middle class, often written by Mrs. Drew and endlessly ornamented by Mr. Drew's fine stage business. He was an elder member of the Drew-Barrymore clan, an uncle of Lionel, Ethel and John.

In this one, Mr. Drew's highly amusing reactions to his aunt -- the type of woman who is referred to in my family as "strong-willed" -- reminds me of how I used to feel about certain elderly relatives.

Because of their age, not many of these comedies survive.Those which do are frequently in poor condition. This one is in decent shape and can be viewed at the Harpodeon.com site.

There is a wonderful amount of real comedy contained in this picture, of the natural sort and everybody is kept busy entertaining auntie. They do not particularly want her, but they want her money. This is really one of the best comedies the Vitagraph has produced for some little time. Sidney Drew, Jane Morrow and Ethel Lee have the leading roles, supported by a splendid cast. - The Moving Picture World, January 16, 1915