The End of the Road is a 1919 American silent drama film produced by the American Social Hygiene Association.[1] The film was directed by Lieutenant Edward H. Griffith for the purposes of health propaganda. The plot follows the lives of two young women - one raised by "the right kind of mother" and the other by a mother that is judged to be wrong.[2] This film was targeted at young women with warnings about premarital sex and venereal disease and was notably produced during World War I.

The End of the Road
Newspaper advertisement for film
Directed by	Edward H. Griffith
Written by	Edward H. Griffith
Screenplay by	Katharine Bement Davis
Produced by	American Social Hygiene Association
Starring	Richard Bennett Claire Adams
Production company	American Social Hygiene Association / Famous Players-Lasky / United States Department of War
Distributed by	Public Health Films
Release date	February 16, 1919
Running time	7 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

A 15-minute clip of the film can be found online while the full movie can be accessed at the National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland.[3][4]

Plot

As described with colorful language in a film magazine,[5] Mary Lee (Adams), at the age of seven, is told the truth about life by her mother. Vera Lynch (Fair), her playmate, is deceived by her parents in the approved manner. At graduation time Mary is sought in marriage by Paul Horton, but she puts him off to study nursing. Vera's mother sends her off to New York City with instructions to make a money marriage. Mary also goes to New York City to work in a hospital and becomes acquainted with Dr. Bell, who falls in love with her. They rescue Vera from a drunken companion on one occasion, but are unable to prevent her from accepting the unlawful love of the same wealthy young man later on. When she develops a loathsome disease, they ensure that she receives proper medical care. Dr. Bell and Mary go to France for the war in the medical service. Paul Horton previously had made a disgraceful proposition to Mary, and she now accepts Dr. Bell's proposal of marriage. There are numerous subplots involving other characters in the film.

Cast

• Richard Bennett as the Doctor
• Claire Adams as Mary Lee
• Joyce Fair as Vera Lynch
• Raymond McKee
• Maude Hill
• Robert Cain
• Arthur Housman
• Alice Brady
• Helen Ferguson

References

External links

• The End of the Road at IMDb
• The End of the Road (Excerpt) on YouTube

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