An even earlier Pickford outing, available as a bonus on the 10/10 Milestone DVD, Heart o' the Hills, is the delightfully comic western, M'liss (1918), in which Mary is supported by Thomas Meighan. In fact, it's rather surprising to find a movie as sophisticated as this at such an early date. The acting is natural yet heartily ingratiating with wonderful performances from the whole cast, particularly Pickford, Theodore Roberts (her dad), Charles Ogle (the stage driver, Yuba Bill), Tully Marshall (the judge), Val Paul and Winifred Greenwood (the villains), and William H. Brown (the sheriff). Writer Frances Marion not only delivers fully rounded characterizations, but some really deft insert titles. One note of caution, however, is that director Marshall Neilan and his cutter use a grammar which some people may find difficult to master. I had to switch the movie off halfway through and watch it again from the beginning, as I'd missed half the information the director was so deftly putting across to audiences who were paying attention. None of this pandying to boobs and idiots that modern movies go for, with essential information constantly repeated. If you don't store the M'liss info the first time you read or see it, you'll miss out. That's the way to make a picture! Lavishly produced, beautifully photographed and set, M'liss is both a revelation and a delight.

M'Liss is the quintessential feisty, self-sufficient adolescent girl, that Mary Pickford naturally played the best. This story is about a bold and sassy girl, more mother than daughter to her alcoholic father, who is killed leaving the girl to fend for herself. M'Liss is also an amusing parody on Westerns, with the brazen girl holding up stagecoaches with a slingshot and romping around the countryside like a wildcat. Theodore Roberts is adorable as her drunken father , with his sole asset Hidegarde, the chicken he guards so lovingly as her eggs are traded for whiskey. All the supporting actors are very good in their roles. I especially enjoyed Charles Ogle, as Yuba Bill who cares for M'Liss in a fatherly fashion. Mary plays M'Liss with her usual combination of charm and pluckiness. There is a scene in the film in which M'Liss carries a snake into a classroom, causing some turmoil. Pickford found out later that the scene, which was not in the script, was a result of a bet between director Mickey Neilan and the crew. Neilan came up with the idea of working a snake into the story and the crew told him Mary would never agree. He laid a bet, and he won. All the exterior scenes were filmed very artistically on location, near Boulder Creek in Northern California, by the outstanding cinematographer Walter Stradling. Though not considered one of Pickford's best films, M'Liss is still very enjoyable to watch.

Not surprisingly, Mary Pickford plays a teenager in this film, though at the time she was 28. She played a young girl or teen in most of her movies of the period and the audiences of the day ate them up--making her the biggest film star of the day. While today you might laugh at the idea of a woman playing such childish roles, they were often very, very good--such as in "Sparrows" and "Daddy Long Legs". This one, however, is very far from her best. While it's enjoyable enough to make it worth seeing, the film lacks the charm of most of her other full-length films.Mary plays a "Tom boy" in this film--again, a pretty familiar role. However, seeing her running about shooting everyone with a slingshot and the infusion of so much humor (or, attempted humor) make this one a bit harder to enjoy.Her father is an alcoholic who she loves despite this. Oddly, after drinking heavily, the film says he is having a case of the D.T.s--like it is funny! First, D.T.s occur when you are withdrawing from alcohol--not when you are intoxicated. Second, the condition often resulted in death! Not exactly a funny topic for the film! In another part of the country, a rich man has just died. However, his servants are evil and conspire to locate the long-lost heiress (the simple poor girl, Mary Pickford) and steal her fortune. And, in the process, they end up framing the poor old school teacher--and the locals are thrilled with the idea of a hanging! Will the nice school teacher escape the crazed mob? Will Mary get what's rightfully hers? Will the town get some sort of "necktie party" to give them what they want? Tune in to see.The film has a few problems other than Mary's penchant for using her slingshot. First, the way the innocent school teacher got convicted seemed a bit silly. Second, there is a romance at the end between Mary and the school teacher that seemed to come from out of no where--plus it seemed a bit inappropriate due to her age and his position as her teacher. Overall, a bit of a disappointment. Whatchable but not especially good or deep.

It may not be Pickford's best movie, but it's definitely her cutest. I can't help but be a little biased, however: I always felt that her melodramas were a little too dated, and the ones that really last are these scantily plotted, silly comedies that don't take themselves too seriously.It's priceless to see her "hold up" a stagecoach with a sling shot, or wonder what "-??-" means when put between "none of your" and "business." (They already showed a willingness to print "damn," so that narrows it down.)The inter titles are funny, although in a silent film they don't have to be, and the supporting characters are just as fun to watch as Mary. It's on the "Heart o' the Hills" DVD that came out in '05 as only a special feature, but it's the more enjoyable of the two.