The Spreading Dawn

America's greatest emotional actress -- A famous and nationally-popular author -- A powerful and widely advertised story --- The Goldwin standard of production --- What a combination!

The Spreading Dawn — Plot

Georgina asks permission from her old aunt, Patricia Mercer Vanderpyl, to marry Capt. Nugent before his departure for France. Patricia refuses and, in reply to Georgina's questioning, gives her a diary from her own girlhood to read. The diary unfolds the story of Patricia's marriage to soldier Anthony Vanderpyl. Returning on furlough after the outbreak of the Civil War, Anthony suddenly leaves Patricia to visit Mrs. Le Roy, an old flame, and is killed by her jealous husband. Positive that Anthony had been unfaithful to her, Patricia refuses to open the letter that her husband sent her on the day of his death. Georgina now opens it and discovers that Anthony had gone to Mrs. Le Roy to end the affair that his brother Bentley was having with her. With this revelation, Patricia sanctions her niece's marriage, then dies, joining Anthony in "the spreading dawn".

• Release date
• October 21, 1917
• Runtime
• 50 min
• Genres
• Drama, Romance
• Director
• Laurence Trimble

The Spreading Dawn — Cast

Jane Cowl Patricia Mercer Vanderpyl Orme Caldara Anthony Vanderpyl

H

Harry Spingler Bentley Vanderpyl Florence Billings Mrs. Cornelia Le Roy Henry Stephenson Mr. LeRoy

A

Alice Chapin Mrs. Mercer

H

Helena Blair Young Lizzie

C

Cecil Owen Colonel Lee