The Idol Dancer

The Idol Dancer is a 1920 American silent South Seas drama film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Richard Barthelmess and Clarine Seymour in her final film role. Seymour was a young actress Griffith was grooming for stardom. She died of pneumonia shortly after emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage on April 24, 1920, less than a month after the film premiered.^[2][3]

The Idol Dancer
The 1920 promotional posted for The Idol Dancer
Directed by	D. W. Griffith
Written by	Stanner E. V. Taylor
Based on	"Blood of the Covenants" by Gordon Ray Young
Produced by	D. W. Griffith
Starring	Richard Barthelmess Clarine Seymour
Cinematography	Paul H. Allen G. W. Bitzer
Edited by	James Smith
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release date	March 21, 1920 (1920-03-21) (U.S.)
Running time	104 minutes 92 minutes
Country	U.S.
Language	Silent (English intertitles)
Budget	$93,000[1]
Box office	$963,000[1]

The Idol Dancer

Clarine Seymour in the film

The film is based on the story "Blood of the Covenants" by Gordon Ray Young. The scenario was written by Stanner E. V. Taylor.^[4]

Plot

Mary (Seymour) is the daughter of a French man and a Javanese mother and enjoys dancing. She has two lovers. One is a beachcomber named Barthelmess, who was tossed off a passing ship for failing to work and only seeks to drink gin. The other, named Hale, is a sickly young American who came to the island in hopes of regaining his health and is staying with his missionary uncle, named MacQuarrie, and his wife, named Bruce.

While on the island, natives from a neighboring island attack. The beachcomber reforms, and Mary comes to love him.^[5]

Cast

• Richard Barthelmess as Dan McGuire, a beachcomber
• Clarine Seymour as Mary
• Creighton Hale as Walter Kincaid
• George MacQuarrie as Reverend Franklyn Blythe
• Kate Bruce as Mrs. Blythe
• Porter Strong as Reverend Peter
• Anders Randolf as the blackbirder
• Walter James as Chief Wando
• Thomas Carr as Donald Blythe
• Herbert Sutch as Old Thomas
• Adolph Lestina as black slave
• Ben Grauer as native boy
• Walter Kolomoku as native musician
• Florence Short as Pansy

Production

Griffith filmed exteriors for The Idol Dancer simultaneously with The Love Flower, including filming in Nassau, Bahamas in December 1919 and in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1920.^[6][7]

Status

A 35mm print of the film is preserved by the Cohen Media Group. 16mm prints of the film are held in private collections.^[2]

See also

• South Seas genre