Director Robert G. Vignola adapted "When Knighthood Was In Flower" (twelve reels) from a work by Charles Major. The 1922 film stars Marion Davies with actresses Ruth Shepley, Theresa Maxwell Conover and Flora Finch.
In her autobiography WHen Movies Were Young, Linda Arvidson, D.W. Griffith's wife, includes a publicity still from "When Knights Were Bold", a "tabloid version" of the play, claiming that Cosmopolitan and Marion Davies had produced a remake with "When Knighthood was in Flower", a remake which she noted had "a remarkable cast of eighteen principal characters representing the biggest names in the theatrical and motion picture world.", Arvidson seeing it as a compliment that Hollywood had returned to the subjects of theater from before Hollywood had moved from the East Coast.
Lillian Gish under D.W. Griffith, in her autobiography The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me, recalls being at the Biograph Film Company, "His wife was also acting at Biograph using her name Linda Arvidson. They played together in a couple of versions of 'When Knighthood Was in Flower' and they kept their marriage a secret to avoid criticism from other actors who might resent rwo Griffith's on one payroll."
The Best Moving PIctures of 1922-1923 gave its account of the writing of the film's scenario as an early example of its genre. "Charles Major's novel 'When Knighthood Was in Flower' was obtained by Mr. Hearst only after a death struggle with Mary Pickford, who controlled the rights. Miss Pickford wanted to produce it herself, but finally relinguished her hold, and it became a vehicle for the hitherto unrecognized art of Marion Davies".
Silent Film
Robert Vignnola
