The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith (writer)
Anita Loos (writer)

Release Date:

31 October 1912 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

One good turn deserves another.

Plot:

A young wife and her musician husband live in poverty in a New York City tenement. The husband's job requires him to go away for for a number of days...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Silent Film | Melodrama | Independent Film

Cast

Elmer Booth	...	Snapper Kid, Musketeers gang leader
Lillian Gish	...	The Little Lady
Clara T. Bracy	...	The Little Lady's Mother
Walter Miller	...	The Musician
Alfred Paget	...	Rival Gang Leader
John T. Dillon	...	Policeman
Madge Kirby	...	The Little Lady's Friend / In Alley
Harry Carey	...	Snapper's Sidekick
Robert Harron	...	Rival Gang Member / In Alley / At Dance
W.C. Robinson	...	Rival Gang Member (as Spike Robinson)
Adolph Lestina	...	The Bartender / On Street
Jack Pickford	...	Rival Gang Member / At Dance
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gertrude Bambrick	...	At Dance
Lionel Barrymore	...	The Musician's Friend
Kid Broad		(as 'Kid' Broad)
Kathleen Butler	...	On Street / At Dance
Christy Cabanne	...	At Dance (as W. Christy Cabanne)
Donald Crisp	...	Rival Gang Member
Frank Evans	...	At Dance
'Harlem Tom' Evans
Dorothy Gish	...	Frizzy-haired woman in street
Walter P. Lewis	...	In Alley / At Dance
Walter Long
Antonio Moreno	...	Musketeers Gang Member / At Dance
Marie Newton	...	At Dance
J. Waltham	...	In Alley

Runtime:

17 min (16 fps)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Biograph Company

Trivia:

Most likely the first film to ever use follow-focus. D.W. Griffith convinced his most trusted cameraman, 'G.W. Blitzer' , to fade out the background when the three gangsters walk towards the alley in the opening scene. During this era a cameraman was judged on how sharp and clear his picture was, so Griffith had to take him to an art museum and show him how the background was out of focus and the characters were in focus to convince him to do the effect on the shot. The focusing method is still used today.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years at the Movies (1994) (TV)

Griffith Makes Crime Pay

Early crime film directed by D.W. Griffith. Hyped in the subtitle as "Unparallel drama inspired and played on the streets of the American city - Bold - Truthful"! Lillian Gish lives with her musician husband Walter Miller near Pig Alley, an area frequented by gangsters. The head Musketeer is Elmer Booth. Gangster Booth tries to put the make on Ms. Gish, and mugs Mr. Miller as he returns home with his hard-earned pay. Stumbling into a gang shootout, Miller recognizes Musketeer Booth as his mugger. What will he do?

Here, in "The Musketeers of Pig Alley", Gish and Miller are better than when they are threatened by the temptress in "The Mothering Heart" (1913). The acting is more natural, and you really sympathize with the couple. Booth is an endearing "Little Caesar". The shootout is lively, and the thugs creeping along the alley walls into close-ups is quite memorable. The ending is played more for humor; it's not bad, but it breaks the mood of the movie.

****** The Musketeers of Pig Alley (10/31/12) D.W. Griffith ~ Lillian Gish, Walter Miller, Elmer Booth