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Sally of the Sawdust

Play trailer Poster for Sally of the Sawdust Released Aug 2, 1925 1h 31m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
When her circus mother dies after being disowned, young Sally (Carol Dempster) is raised by Professor Eustace McGargle (W.C. Fields), a juggler and small-time con man. McGargle trains Sally to dance for his opening act, and the pair joins a carnival based in Green Meadow, Conn. Sally's grandparents, the Fosters, still live in the area, but neither the young girl nor stern Judge Foster (Erville Alderson) and his wife (Effie Shannon) know they are related.

Critics Reviews

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TIME Magazine Just about the most amusing comedy that you will recall this year. Aug 19, 2013 Full Review Variety Staff Variety D.W. Griffith is down to common picture making in this one. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Time Out Its interest would be no more than historical were it not also the movie that launched WC Fields. His show-stopping performance as Eustace McGargle, conman and sideshow juggler, contains the seeds of all his later glories. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Robert E. Sherwood LIFE It is not pleasant to think that the man who made Intolerance and Broken Blossoms could affix his name to anything so utterly bad as Sally of the Sawdust. Oct 6, 2021 Full Review Iris Barry The Spectator Griffith again lays on the mother-sentiment too thickly in places. But, all in all, Sally of the Sawdust is good entertainment. May 8, 2018 Full Review TV Guide Sally of the Sawdust is a victim of the same sloppy editing (by the same sloppy editor) that had marred Griffith's Way Down East five years earlier. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 19, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member wc's first starring role Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member emotionally wracking at times, and equally manipulative. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A fantastic, heartfelt, and funny dramatic film with a great cast and a somewhat simple, yet very exciting emotional story. I really liked it. It has that suspense of the audience knowing that this girl really belongs to a rich family but this guy is pretending to be her father to keep her in the circus business. You're not sure to have sympathy for him or not throughout, but the ending is very good. I recommend this movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member The more I see of Griffith, the more I realize why he is called the father of film. He was the first to make pictures like practically everyone else that came after him made. He was the man that not only created the formulas, but did it in a unique nand interesting way. Most Hollywood productions are not recognizable to us as Hollywood until he came around. This isn't one of his masterpieces, but it is a well well constructed and entertaining story, even if the performance from the title character is a bit ridiculous. I imagine she may have been good in bed, but she is less than spectacular on the screen. One could probably learn just about everything one needs to know about film just from watching Griffith pictures. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sally of the Sawdust

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Sally of the Sawdust

Sally of the Sawdust (1925) Sally of the Sawdust (1925) Sally of the Sawdust (1925) Sally of the Sawdust (1925) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When her circus mother dies after being disowned, young Sally (Carol Dempster) is raised by Professor Eustace McGargle (W.C. Fields), a juggler and small-time con man. McGargle trains Sally to dance for his opening act, and the pair joins a carnival based in Green Meadow, Conn. Sally's grandparents, the Fosters, still live in the area, but neither the young girl nor stern Judge Foster (Erville Alderson) and his wife (Effie Shannon) know they are related.
Director
D.W. Griffith
Producer
D.W. Griffith
Screenwriter
Dorothy Donnelly, Forrest Halsey
Distributor
Grapevine Video, United Artists, Image Entertainment Inc., Reel Media International [us]
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Comedy
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 2, 1925, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Feb 16, 1999
Runtime
1h 31m
Aspect Ratio
Academy (1.33:1), 35mm