Frances Miller

Gentle Julia is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film based on the popular novel Gentle Julia by Booth Tarkington. Directed by Rowland V. Lee, the film starred Bessie Love.

West Indian born Corinne La Force, who is biracial, is raised by Henry Hasbrook after her father's death. Corinne loves Hasbrook's nephew, Arnold Curtis. When Hasbrook tries to prevent the match because of her heritage she murders him. Arnold is arrested though Marcia Fleming, a married woman who is Arnold’s mistress and her mother-in-law fall under suspicion. Defending Arnold John Fleming discovers the affair and renounces his wife. Arnold is about to confess in hopes of saving Marcia's reputation when Corinne admits her guilt and stabs herself.

Vesta Wheatley is the daughter of a Virginia physician; John Randolph is a New Yorker who buys a tract of land from her father. Vesta and John fall in love, get married, and move to New York. They are followed, however, by a persistent old flame of Vesta's, Dick Mortimer. He tracks her down to a mountain cabin, where she is alone. A burglar breaks in on the two, and Dick is killed trying to protect Vesta. The burglar blackmails Vesta until she finally becomes desperate and shoots him in her own home.

'While youthful, innocent love blossoms between bashful Stew Kennedy and Elizabeth Gilbert, Dorothy Kennedy falls in love with Jack Conover, completely under the domination of his "aunt," who later proves to be his mother. Though he loves Dorothy, Jack resists making a marriage proposal because he thinks he is illegitimate. Meanwhile, Dorothy becomes pregnant, and efforts to inveigle her into an abortion are thwarted by Dr. Remington, the family doctor, who notifies her mother of her condition. When Jack discovers his true parentage, he offers to marry Dorothy; and ultimately she accepts.' (AFI)

Heroine Fidele Tridon has grown up with the knowledge that her father has promised her in marriage to Baron Kurt Badeau. When Fidele comes of age, the Baron shows up expecting to claim his young bride. In the interim, however, Fidele has fallen in love with wealthy horseman Philip Collett.

Olivia Dangerfield and her brother are hired as servants in the household of the meticulous Mrs. Falkner. When another pair of servants is detained by the law, Olivia decides to pose as a master cook, though she knows little about the culinary arts. Meanwhile, Burton Crane, the boyfriend of Mrs. Falkner's daughter, becomes attracted to the "wonderful cook" at the Falkner home.

Cherry, the youngest daughter of Dr. Strickland, marries Martin Lloyd; and Peter, a neighbor who was in love with her, unhappily begins a world tour. Returning home, Peter finds that the doctor has died, leaving the older daughter, Alix, alone; and he marries her out of desperation. Cherry, unhappy with her marriage, leaves her husband and comes to live with her sister and Peter; learning that Peter still loves her, Cherry agrees to run away with him, but they are discovered by his wife and upbraided. Martin is injured in a logging camp accident, and Cherry, realizing that she still loves her husband, goes to him. Peter resolves to free Alix, but she forgives him and they agree to start anew.

Dick Allison comes to the aid of Mary Ann Hubbard, a young, dispossessed woman in the South, and the two become close friends. Dick leaves the South to move to New York, and Mary soon finds herself in dire financial straits. She decides to ask her friend Dick in New York for help, and travels there to see him. Unfortunately, she arrives at Dick's place on the evening of his bachelor party, but Dick persuades his fiancée, Betsy Caldwell, to put up Mary for the night. Mary soon finds out something about Betsy that Dick does not know.

Eleanor Leavenworth (Seena Owen) is about to be arrested for the murder of her rich bachelor uncle, and suspicion is cast on each member of the Leavenworth household until Raymond (Bradley Barker), an attorney in love with Eleanor, solves the mystery and produces the culprit, who confesses and falls to his death while trying to escape.

Amy Spencer is engaged to artist Heath Desmond, a nature-worshipper who shuns organized religion. James Bartlett, a minister in love with Amy, influences her against Heath, and they break up. Cousin Kate Curtis, a novelist whose views on love are considered by her relatives to be unconventional, is called in to smooth matters over. She meets Heath on the train, and the two, not knowing each other's identity, apparently fall in love.

Babs Marvin loves David Darrow, a young lawyer. Babs' father, the powerful Senator Marvin, is supporting Eben Sprague for a seat in the State Legislature. Darrow discovers that Sprague is a crook and threatens to expose the candidate unless the senator agrees to switch his support to him. Babs opposes Darrow's decision, fearing that it will ruin his promising law career. Determined to defeat Darrow, she promotes the candidacy of the village pauper, Hank Dawes, and contrives an elaborate campaign based upon the slogan that Dawes' election would remove him from the welfare rolls. Dawes wins the election, but Darrow is consoled with Babs's love and the senator's support of his law career.

After her husband's death in the West, Mrs. Lehr, a young widow who grew up in Cuttleback, decides to return there with her two daughters, Jane and Katherine, and make her home on the old family estate which had been looked after in her absence by Job Jenkins, a caretaker who had been in the Lehr family's employ since boyhood, and by now he has been the estate's sole occupant for so many years that he regards it as part of his life, and is disturbed when his mistress returns with her children.

While her eccentric father perfects his latest invention, Nancy Fane wonders how she will clothe her brothers and sisters, and Mammy contemplates stealing the neighbor's chickens for dinner. One day Nancy hears a noise in the abandoned house next door and summons the sheriff, who reveals that the intruder is really Dick Ives, the house's owner.

Dick Mentor's wife is killed in an auto accident while deserting her husband for another man. Soon after, their child dies, which leaves Dick a confirmed woman hater. Betty, an attractive flirt, learns that Dick is coming to visit and bets Hugh, an admirer, a kiss against a horse that she can win the misogynist's love. By masquerading as a charming twelve-year-old, Betty captivates Dick, but in the process, falls in love with him and is afraid to admit the hoax.