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1920s “MISS POKER FACE” TENNIS STAR HELEN WILLS FILM (1924)

1924 · Silent film · 12 min

  • Drama
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Synopsis

Closeup of Norwegian tennis player and seven-time champion Molla Bjurstedt Mallory. Wills and Mallory rally. Wills defeats Mallory in a straight-sets victory. At the age of 17, she was the youngest champion at the time. Wills received her nickname “Miss Poker Face.” 1:28 Wills facing the camera after the match. 1:30 Exterior shot of England. 1:34 The 1924 Wimbledon Championships. 1:36 King Alfonso XIII of Spain and King Manuel II of Portugal. Wills playing singles against American tennis player Katherine Winthrop McKean. 2:03 Wills smiling at the camera. 2:11 Text reads “U.S. National Singles, 1924,” “U.S. National Singles, 1925,” “U.S. Mixed Doubles, 1925” over a backdrop of Wills rallying. 2:27 A woman’s hand grabs a tennis racket. Slow motion shot of Wills’ forehand smash and backhand. 2:56 The Port of Cannes in the French Riviera. Wills plays French tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen in February 1926 at the Match of the Century, the Carlton Club tournament final. They stand next to each other, shaking hands and smiling. Men sitting on a rooftop. Crowds cheer in the stands. Lenglen and Wills engage in an intense match. They shake hands across the net. Closeup of Lenglen smiling at camera as she is given flowers. 4:03 The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Wills did not have a chance to play Lenglen again due to an emergency appendectomy during the French Championships. 4:11 Surgeon performs an appendectomy. The American Wightman Cup players stand holding a trophy. Montage of…

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Details

Running time
12 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive