Name: Melissa of the Hills
Released: 1917
Cast: Mary Miles Minter, Spottiswoode Aitken, Allan Forrest, George Periolat, Perry Banks

Cast & Crew

Film Details

Release Date

Jul 23, 1917

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

American Film Co.

Distribution Company

Mutual Film Corp.; Mutual Star Productions

Country

United States

Synopsis

In the Tennessee hills, the feuding Allison and Watts families pay no heed to the preachings and sacrifices of Jethro Stark, a self-styled evangelist, whose motherless daughter Melissa dispels quarrels among children of the feuding families, takes care of her father, and invents money-making schemes to relieve their poverty. While struggling young lawyer Tom Williams and Melissa are in love, she is loved by miserly octagenarian Cyrus Kimball, whose crabbiness Melissa dissipates. When Melissa reads in the newspaper that Mrs. Sanders, a society lady, has offered to give clothes to a deserving girl, she writes a letter requesting a party dress for herself and a new coat for Jethro for the annual revival meeting. Mrs. Sanders visits and her husband recognizes Jethro as a fugitive wanted for murder. When deputy sheriff Sam Allison goes to arrest Jethro, Melissa gets help from the Watts faction, and a battle ensues. After Jethro is killed trying to stop the fighting, his innocence is confirmed, and the feuding families reconcile. Melissa thanks God that Jethro never knew that he was under suspicion.