Alias Jimmy Valentine (1915)

Director:

Maurice Tourneur

Writers:

Paul Armstrong (play), O. Henry (story),

Stars:

Robert Warwick, Robert Cummings, Alec B. Francis

Cast

Credited cast:
Robert Warwick	...	Jimmy Valentine
Robert Cummings	...	Doyle
Alec B. Francis	...	Bill Avery
Frederick Truesdell	...	Lt. Gov. Fay (as Fred Truesdell)
Ruth Shepley	...	Rose Fay
Johnny Hines	...	Red Joclyn (as John Hines)
D.J. Flanagan	...	Cotton (as David Flanagan)
Walter Craven	...	Handler
John Boone	...	Blinkey Davis
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Thomas Mott Osborne	...	Himself

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

bank vault | cashier | betrayal | double life | sing sing prison new york | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1915 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Peerless Studios, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peerless Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The world premiere took place at Sing Sing prison in front of an audience of inmates.

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Connections

Spoofed in Get Smart: Maxwell Smart, Alias Jimmy Ballantine (1966)

User Reviews

well worth seeing

This movie has some fast-forwardable scenes, and also a few plot problems (some possibly due to missing footage), but its virtues make it very worthwhile. The photography and lighting are simply beautiful, and Tourneur creates some highly inventive shots. (The birdseye view of the heist is the most obvious example.) Most of the performers are excellent--especially Robert Warwick and the engaging John Hines--and even the bit characters, such as forger Blinkey Davis, are memorable. It's interesting to see how quickly silent-film acting progressed in its early years; the 1912 D.W. Griffith short on the same tape is much less sophisticated in that respect. The story of "Alias Jimmy Valentine" is a bit too "improving" for modern tastes, and the theme of Valentine's double life is not very well explored, but the film presents a fascinating look at "the underworld" in 1915.