American Girls

Summary

Beppie, Lola and Margie, the three talented daughters of the American millionaire James Brown, persuade their father to take them to Europe. As unexpected business matters prevent him from making the voyage, Mr Brown sends the girls off in the company of their governess and art-mistress Polly Dewar, saying that he will follow later.

On the ship the girls meet the film star Anny and her friend, the tenor Adelqui. Upon their arrival in Amsterdam the friends check in at Hotel Victoria. Polly is interested in painting, but the three girls are only interested in Adelqui. To see and hear him they go to the Rembrandt Theatre and afterwards to Café de Paris, where Anny and Adelqui are supping. Polly has to chaperon them, but to keep her occupied the girls bribe the head waiter, Janus Dommel, to pay her some attention. The girls provoke Anny into making a bet with them: each of the three is to attempt to win Adelqui from Anny within four weeks, after which they are to meet again in the café. For the ten thousand dollars at stake, Anny accepts, and makes the first move by moving with Adelqui to another hotel. Anny also engages a private detective to trail Adelqui: the man she inadvertently hires turns out to be Adelqui's manservant Tinus. Beppie is the first to try to win Adelqui's affections, by singing with him in an operetta in Rembrandt Theatre, but her attempt is foiled by Tinus who prevents the couple from meeting in Vondel Park and Café de Paris. Lola's attempt is no more fortunate.

At the bathing resort Zandvoort she and Adelqui visit, Tinus - disguised as bath-superintendent - spreads the rumour that Brown is ruined, convincing Adelqui that his hope of a rich marriage has come to nothing. It is now Margie's turn to try, and this she does with an Oriental dance. Just as Adelqui is about to embrace her, Mr Brown - warned by Tinus - arrives in Café de Paris and angrily sends his daughters away. Thus Anny, at the very last moment, wins her bet. Brown pays her the ten thousand dollars and decides to enjoy the rest of the evening in the café while his daughters think about their "sins".

Information

original title
American Girls
alternative title
Amerikaansche meisjes
production year
1918
release date
04-01-1919
preview date
04-11-1918
country
Netherlands
category
Fictional
genre
keywords
director
original distributor
production company

Images

Cast

Actor

Technical notations

original length
2157
sound
Silent
colour
Black & White
format
35mm
acts
5

Resources

G. Donaldson, Of Joy and Sorrow. A Filmography of Dutch Silent Fiction, Amsterdam (1997), pp. 181-182

Catalogus van Filmwerken - H.A.P. & BenS Film Comp., Den Haag (1923), p. 40

R. Bishoff, Hollywood in Holland, Amsterdam (1988), p. 91, p. 128

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 41, 5 juli 1918, p. 8

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 48, 23 augustus 1918; Bijlage van De Bioscoop-Courant

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 51, 13 september 1918; Bijlage van De Bioscoop-Courant

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 6, 8 november 1918, pp. 6-7

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 28, 11 april 1919; Bijlage van De Bioscoop-Courant

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 29, 18 april 1919, p. 34

De Bioscoop-Courant No. 37, 13 juni 1919, p. 8

De Film No. 13, 18 april 1919, p. 370

De Kinematograaf, No. 300, 18 oktober 1918, pp. 4076-4077

De Kinematograaf, No. 302, 1 november 1918, pp. 4102-4103

De Kinematograaf, No. 304, 8 november 1918, p. 4118, p. 4120

De Kinematograaf, No. 305, 22 november 1918, p. 4147

De Film-Wereld, No. 22, 6 juli 1918, p. 2

De Film-Wereld No. 40, 1918, pp. 4-6

De Film-Wereld No. 29, 1920, p. 11

Tooneel en Bioscoop No. 8, Jaargang IV, p. 32

Algemeen Handelsblad, 10 oktober 1918

Algemeen Handelsblad, 10 april 1919

Algemeen Handelsblad, 9 mei 1919

Kunst en Amusement No. 16, 1920

Kunst en Amusement No. 17, 1920

Kunst en Amusement No. 12, 1921

Kunst en Amusement No. 13, 1921

more information

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