An Easter Lily

Movie Synopsis
An Easter "Lily" was a silent film made in 1914. A film that takes on upstairs/downstairs race relations with childhood candor. Following his family’s African American maid to the laundry, Sonny Jim befriends her daughter Lily and shares his teddy bear. With Easter approaching, Mother Dear buys her boy a new outfit and readies her home for relatives. Sonny Jim talks about the coming festivities with his playmate. When he learns that she does not have holiday clothes, he appropriates the white frock of his visiting cousin and invites Lily to join his family for Sunday worship. Sonny Jim prepares to escort his newly bedecked, but hesitant, friend into church just as the film breaks off. While the ending unfortunately does not survive, we know what happens from the plot summary in Motion Picture World: “To the huge amusement of all, he (Sonny Jim) drags her (Lily) up the aisle into Daddy Jim’s pew. Daddy later asks Sonny why he did it, and he replies ‘Cause nobody ‘membered Lily at all.’ Sonny is forgiven.” The film closes with the family presenting Lily with a new gingham dress.

Film
The film is a quick 10 minutes and 25 seconds. Please note: Only surviving copy of the film is degraded and unfortunately it cuts off at the last part of the film. From the above you can read what the final outcome is. However, I still think many will find it of interest if only for historical purposes. I was very surprised at how the issue of race was handled considering this was a film made in 1914, told through the innocent eyes of a child.

Child Actors
Sonny Jim played by Bobby Connelly
Lily played by Ada Utley

Preservation
The film was preserved by the Library of Congress from an original nitrate release print discovered at the New Zealand Film Archive in 2010. The work was funded through the support of a Save America’s Treasures Grant secured by the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF).

An Easter Lily (1914) 10min:
www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/a...