The Lonedale Operator (1911)

When her father becomes ill, a young woman takes over the telegraph at a lonely western railroad station. She soon gets word that the next train will deliver the payroll for a mining ... See full summary »

Stars:

Verner Clarges, Guy Hedlund, Jeanie Macpherson

Cast

Credited cast:
Verner Clarges	...	In Payroll Office
Guy Hedlund	...	On Train
Jeanie Macpherson	...	In Payroll Office
W.C. Robinson	...	In Payroll Office

Storyline

When her father becomes ill, a young woman takes over the telegraph at a lonely western railroad station. She soon gets word that the next train will deliver the payroll for a mining company. The train brings not only the money, but a pair of ruffians bent on stealing it. All alone, she wires for help, and then holds off the bad guys until it arrives.

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Plot Keywords:

train | payroll | telegraph | daughter | thief | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1911 (USA)

Also Known As:

A lonedale-i távírászlány

Filming Locations:

Inglewood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

17 min 17 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Careful observation of the marks on the wainscoting reveal all the sets were constructed from the same flats.

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Goofs

Since the movie was shot on an open-air set, the wind blows the paper's on the desk in the office as well as the clothes of the actors and Blanche Sweet's hair.

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Connections

Remade as The Girl and Her Trust (1912)

User Reviews

Very Good Drama With A Fine Performance By Young Blanche Sweet

This is a very good drama with a fine performance by Blanche Sweet who, almost unbelievably, was only 15 at the time. If D.W. Griffith had not remade it the following year (as the fine feature "The Girl and Her Trust), then Sweet and "The Lonedale Operator" might be better remembered.

The story is very similar to that in the better-known remake, with Sweet playing the daughter of a telegraph operator, who takes over when her father becomes ill, only to find herself thrust into a highly dangerous situation. The scenario was written by Mack Sennett, which makes it very interesting to imagine Sennett and the somber Griffith working together. It's surprisingly tight, and only a funny bit at the end (which works well) breaks the tension.

If you've seen and enjoyed the remake, this one is also well worth watching. It's less complex, but it's quite good in its own right. Sweet gives the heroine a different nature than does Dorothy Bernard in the remake, and both of them are quite good in the role, with no need at all to choose one or the other as the 'best' of the two performances.