Ella Cinders is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Alfred E. Green, starring Colleen Moore, produced by her husband John McCormick (1893-1961), and co-starring Moore’s most popular co-star, Lloyd Hughes. The film is based on the syndicated comic strip of the same name by William M. Conselman and Charles Plumb, which in turn was based upon the millennia-old folk tale of Cinderella.

In 2013, Ella Cinders was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Plot
In the house of late father in the town of Roseville, Ella Cinders (Colleen Moore) works for her shrewish stepmother Ma and two stepsisters, Prissy Pill (Emily Gerdes) and Lotta Pill (Doris Baker), who are beloved in the town but abusive toward Ella. She finds support from the local iceman, “Waite Lifter” (Lloyd Hughes). The Gem Film Company has a contest in which the winner gets an all-expense-paid trip to Hollywood and a film role. Stealing an acting book from Lotta, she works on facial expressions. A photograph is needed to enter, so Ella spends three nights babysitting to raise $3 for the photo session.

The photographer unwittingly takes a picture of her looking cross-eyed at a fly on her nose which turns out to be the photo entered in the contest. Entrants must go to a Town Hall ball, but Ella’s stepmother and stepsisters won’t allow her to go. Waite sees her crying on the front steps and tells her he will take her to the ball. She says she has nothing to wear, so he convinces her to use one of her stepsisters’ dresses. At the judges’ table, her stepsisters react violently when they see the dress. The embarrassed Ella flees the ball, losing one of her slippers. She heads for an employment agency hoping for a new start, only to be placed right back with Ma, who vows to punish her severely.

Later, the judges come to the house and tell Ella that she is the winner because they were amused by the cross-eyed photo and were looking at someone capable of comedy (much to Ella’s disappointment at first, and Ma’s fury). Ella heads for Hollywood, where she is disappointed to discover the contest was a fraud. Fearing what would happen if she tried to return to Roseville, she decides to stay in Hollywood and break into the industry as an actress the hard way; after substantial rejection and failed attempts to literally break into a studio lot, she succeeds, landing a contract to play the lead role in a rags-to-riches story similar to her own life.

Waite turns out to be football hero and wealthy heir George Waite, who runs to Hollywood, sweeps Ella off her feet on the set, and marries her. The two have a child and live happily ever after.

Cast
Colleen Moore – Ella Cinders
Lloyd Hughes – Waite Lifter
Vera Lewis – Ma Cinders
Doris Baker – Lotta Pill
Emily Gerdes – Prissy Pill
Mike Donlin – Film Studio Gateman
Jed Prouty – Mayor
Jack Duffy – Fire Chief
Harry Allen – Photographer
Alfred E. Green – Director
D’Arcy Corrigan – Editor
E.H. Calvert – Studio Actor (uncredited)
Russell Hopton – Studio Actor (uncredited)
Harry Langdon – Harry Langdon (uncredited)
Chief Yowlachie – Indian (uncredited)