
Young stenographer Chickie Bryce dreams of marrying a millionaire. Until then, though, she is content to carry on with Barry, a lawyer from a nearby office.


The 1920s cinematic landscape was often preoccupied with the 'working girl'—a figure of both aspiration and cautionary moralizing. In the 1925 feature Chickie, we find perhaps the most crystallized version of this trope. Directed with a keen eye for the spatial politics of the era, the film transcends its melodramatic ...

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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.

John Francis Dillon

John Francis Dillon
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"The 1920s cinematic landscape was often preoccupied with the 'working girl'—a figure of both aspiration and cautionary moralizing. In the 1925 feature Chickie, we find perhaps the most crystallized version of this trope. Directed with a keen eye for the spatial politics of the era, the film transcends its melodramatic roots to offer a scathing yet sympathetic portrait of social climbing. Dorothy Mackaill, portraying the titular Chickie Bryce, delivers a performance that is as much about the twit..."
Elenore Meherin, Marion Orth
United States

