A First National Release
February 1924 - 7 Reels
Produced by Sol Lesser
Directed by Edward F. Cline

FEATURED CAST
John Bowers
Marguerite De LaMotte
and
June Marlowe (as Kitty Reid)

When Sol Lesser signed June, he decided the first order of business, besides putting her in a major motion picture, was changing her given name of Gisela Goetten to something more "befitting" an emerging film star. How Gisela Goetten became June Marlowe was related by Harry Carr, who was an associate editor for the Los Angeles Times. He wrote a series of articles with anecdotes of the times he worked for a number of studios during the silent era.

Here is an excerpt from one of his articles regarding the renaming of Gisela Goetten to June Marlowe:

"I was studio manager or something for Sol Lesser.  We were making a picture from one of the novels of Harold Bell Wright.  While making the picture, we discovered a new star.  One day I saw a little extra girl in a one-reel prize-fight picture and persuaded Mr. Lesser to send for her.  She said her name was Grizelda Gotten (sic). With the exception of Lucille Langhanke, this was the most unpromising name I had ever heard for screen purposes.  Miss Langhanke changed her name to Mary Astor; we changed Miss Gotten's (sic) for her to June Marlowe. She proved to be one of the most charming girls I have ever worked with in any studio, although like Fay Wray, Carol Dempster and several others, her great problem at first was to learn to let herself go."

It is said the name Marlowe was taken from the great stage actress of the time, Julia Marlowe.  Scott Johnson relates that June's mother preferred "June" keep Gisela Goetten as her screen name.  Photoplay magazine even played along, answering a fan's query in their December 1925 issue that June Marlowe was indeed her given name!  Ah, Hollywood.

John Bowers and June, from a newspaper advertisement.

The film itself appears to be a typical western melodrama which resembled the novel it was based upon in name only.  June was cast as a rancher's daughter who is spurned by the hero towards the end of the final reel (he'd been in love with someone else all along).
June's role was supporting, but she had a large amount of screen time in the mid portion of the film.  Reviewers, although finding the film itself mediocre at best, found June's performance admirable.  Variety, in it's February 7th 1924 issue stated: "June Marlowe has the 'fat' (as in screen time and character) role among the women and did well with it..."

For more information about Hollywood during the silent era, visit Bruce Long's Taylorology (http://www.silent-movies.com/Taylorology/") site.  It deals with the life and death of noted director William Desmond Taylor, and in doing so relates other stories concerning the movie colony of the times. The above article is an excerpt from the Taylorology Issue #44 and is the second of a two part article.

Thanks to Bruce Long and Scott Johnson for their help and research on this film.

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