Two Mothers is a 1916 American silent short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton.

Conflicting background stories emerge stirring up deep emotions in both women, but they resolve their issues to make for a happy ending.

Nina's husband had a son from a previous marriage, Richard (Dick) Angus Jr., and the couple has raised the 12-year-old boy as their own.

Their finances have taken a turn for the worst, and the family depends on Nina securing this job.

She explains her rival's name to be none other than Violetta Andree, the ex-wife of Richard and Dick's birth mother.

She sacrificed everything, including her son, to marry her current husband and continue her career.

Nina pondered over the sacrifices she had made, supporting her disabled husband and taking care of her stepson.

She further reflected on the wrong influence she thought the boy's birth mother would have on him before discovering the actual truth.

The card is a request from Mr. Richard Angus stating he would like to see her before the show's start.

The young man knows his family is suffering and how desperately his mother needs this job.

They chat awhile longer, and Dick tells Violetta that Nina became his step-mom when his birth mother had died.

[5] There was a recurring claim that Carl Laemmle was the longest-running studio chief resisting the production of feature films.

In 1914, Laemmle published an essay titled - Doom of long Features Predicted.

[c] Carl Laemmle released 100 feature-length films in 1916, as stated in Clive Hirschhorn's book, The Universal Story.

[16] Carleton arrived with impeccable credentials, having directed some 60 films for the likes of Thanhouser, Lubin, Fox, and Selig.

[17] Between March and December 1916, 44-year-old Lloyd Carleton directed 16 movies for Universal, starting with The Yaqui and ending with The Morals of Hilda.

Carleton was given the task by Carl Laemmle to determine if the Davenport-Johnson duo had the desired on-screen chemistry.

She was 31 years old when this movie was released based on a story she had published in the Saturday Evening Post.

On March 15, 1915,[34] Laemmle opened the world's largest motion picture production facility, Universal City Studios.

Copyright Office on May 24, 1916[37] and entered into the record as shown:[d] and officially released on June 1, 1916.

A brief synopsis along with release dates was the norm for a short film while reserving the full-page ads for features.

The other film was Ernest Shields, Harry Todd and his wife Margaret Joslin starring in the two-reel comedy production of It Can't Be True.

In the May 6, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World, Robert C. McElravy states:[36] "Certain unusual features of plot and presentation render this an appealing two-reel number, not so much from any extravagance of setting but because the main situation is quite original.

Dorothy Davenport handles the part of Violetta in an appealing manner, obtaining considerable pathos in the latter scenes.

"In the June 3, 1916 issue of the Motion Picture News, the review observes:[39] "This is a most unusual feature of life on the operatic stage, constructed in the original style and worked out effectively.