The Make-Believe Wife

1918 American film

November 17, 1918 (1918-11-17)

Running time

50 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Make-Believe Wife is a lost^[1] 1918 American silent comedy film starring Billie Burke and directed by John S. Robertson. Based on an original story for the screen, it was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.^[2]^[3]

Cast

Billie Burke as Phyllis Ashbrook
Alfred Hickman as Roger Mason
Ida Darling as Mrs. Ashbrook
David Powell as John Manning
Wray Page as Anita Webb
Isabel O'Madigan as Mrs. Harbury
Frances Kaye as Eileen Harbury
Bigelow Cooper as Mr. Ashbrook
Howard Johnson as Donald Ashbrook
F. Gatenbery Bell as Mr. Harbury

Reception

Like many American films of the time, The Make-Believe Wife was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 4, of the five intertitles "Marian?", "Ethel?", "Daisy?", "Louise, Mabel, Irene," etc., and "Oh, Geraldine", scene of man looking at picture and at woman's underwear and nodding head, and the two intertitles "I give you my word that I don't know who is in that room" and "I thought my past was dead".^[4]

References

^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Make-Believe Wife
^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Make-Believe Wife(Wayback)
^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Make-Believe Wife at silentera.com
^ "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald. 7 (24). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 42. December 7, 1918.