Mary Pickford had been toying with the idea of going back to live theatre, and after one of her quarrels with D.W Griffith, she made the decision to go back. She called up William Dean, the manager for David Belasco, and a surprised William told her they had been hunting all over for her. In a shamed voice she told him, "I've been in motion pictures". She immediately went to the theatre and Mr.Dean asked her if she could remove the hairpins from her hair, allowing her curls to fall loose, as a surprise for Belasco. Surprised and pleased he was, and told her he wanted her for the part of the blind Juliet, the leading role in "A Good Little Devil". Thrilled, she raced back to the Biograph company and broke the rule of interrupting Griffith at rehearsal time. Annoyed he told her to wait, but she blurted out she had to start rehearsals for a play on Monday. With tears in his eyes, Griffith asked if she would make one more picture for him. The story's topic is so typical of Griffith, and was a lovely send-off film for Mary, as she responded with one of her best skillfully, understated and perfectly natural performances in "The New York Hat". Lionel Barrymore gives an equally charming and sympathetic performance. The Gishes, Mae Marsh and Bobby Harron were also in the cast, but are hard to find as the spotlight focuses entirely on Pickford. The film is slickly edited and there are many extensive closeups. "The New York Hat" is a perfectly pleasurable film to watch and a must see for fans of early silent cinema.