Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
to
to
Exclude
Only includes titles with the selected topics
to
In minutes
to
1-50 of 35,082
- "A glove contest between trained cats. A very comical and amusing subject, and is sure to create a great laugh." (by Edison Films)
- A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
- A magic spell has turned a handsome prince into a hideous and repulsive beast, and only the love of a beautiful woman can change him back.
- The first scene shows a beginner going up in a balloon with a companion. It soon rises to a good height, but the grapnell is trailing and, as the balloon passes over a police station, the point catches through the coat of a constable who is gaping at the sky, and swiftly drags him into the air. In scene two the man in blue is gently dropped, splash, into a canal. Meanwhile the balloon continues its career of destruction and hoists up newspaper kiosks, a perambulator with a child therein, a kennel and its canine occupant, and other articles, all of which fall to the ground and are smashed to pieces. Meanwhile an indignant crowd of injured persons collects. The balloon falls foul of the chimneys on a near-by-house and sends them among the crowd of pursuers, but when it finally grounds they take an adequate revenge on the aeronaut.
- Pathé's factory is the scene of the action. The interior of the huge laboratory comes into view, the employer and foreman, apparently in wry intimate relations, passing through on an inspection tour. Several different news of the works follow, after which the employees are shown departing, their day's labor over. One of these going out walks up to the foreman standing nearby, and there is a heated argument because the foreman has accused the laborer of committing a number of thefts which have puzzled everybody. The naughty foreman repeats the accusation, and the laborer, indignant and furious, knocks him down with a blow. The foreman gathers himself together and promises to even accounts, while the worker's comrades restrain him from inflicting further punishment. Complainant and accused now appear before the head of the concern to settle the dispute, and the employer sides with his faithful foreman; as a result, the laborer is discharged. Now the foreman is seen as he really is. Under cover of darkness, when all have left the factory, he steals back and pushes aside a huge door which leads to the yard. Stealthily he makes his way to the office building, and soon, with the aid of keys with which he is entrusted he is in his employer's private room. He seems to be unobserved as he opens the safe, taking therefrom valuable papers, which he places in his pocket. This done, he sneaks out of the office to a corner of the yard. here he heaps up a pile of rubbish, and from a can which he has brought for the purpose, soaks it with oil, and applies the torch. In a moment the yard is ablaze, and the tongues of flame are shooting high into the air; the firebug runs to an alarm box, turns in a fire call and then hastens to summon his master. The scene now shifts to the fire station. As soon as the alarm comes in the men are at their posts and there follows a fine run to the blaze, in which auto fire trucks figure. Arrived there, numberless hose are turned on and the fighting of a truly raging fire is shown. Portion after portion of the building collapses, the unsuspecting employer being cheered only by his traitorous foreman. But the fire finally plays itself out, and the next picture shows a consultation in what is left of the office of the concern, between the now unfortunate manufacturer and the police, as to the cause of the conflagration. Suddenly the police chief notices that the safe has been opened, and a further investigation shows that it had been ransacked. Following quickly on this, the employer is confronted with a cap which the thief and incendiary had unwittingly left in the room, and he identifies it as that of his foreman, who is immediately summoned. The rascal enters the room entirely at ease, and when he is asked confidentially to what he attributes the origin of the blaze, he promptly lays it on the shoulders of the man who was discharged on his account, and two officers are sent out, with him, to find the suspect. They come upon him as he is idly lounging by the riverside, and he is taken up by the police, who ignore his protests. At the office the police chief now questions him, but he insists that he is innocent, when, turning for a second, the official suddenly confronts the foreman with the cap found near the safe. The man is dumbfounded and collapses, for with another quick movement the chief has snatched the missing papers from his pocket. The man's employer is amazed, but nevertheless orders the police to do their duty, and they carry him off, a prisoner. Turning to the falsely accused workman, the deceived employer promises him a fine position, causing the laborer to throw his hat up and do somersaults in his joy.
- Bud Noble, a handsome specimen of manhood, is foreman on the Circle "D" ranch outside of Circle City, Idaho, and our opening scene pictures Bud as the cowboy roping and tying a steer. With its bucking bronchos, pitching mustangs, bucking steers, and the biggest novelty ever, the acme of all thrillers, "see Bud bulldog a steer." Only three men have successfully accomplished this feat and lived to tell about it. Then Bud receives a shock. The local operator appears with a telegram. "Your Uncle John dead. You are sole heir to his estate valued at several millions. Come to Chicago at once." The astounded cowboys tumble over with sheer amazement. Bud buys and the scene closes with a characteristic rush for the bar. "One year later" Bud tires of society. We see Bud and his new wife entertaining and our cowboy shows plainly that he is desperately weary of the effete East, then Bud goes to the club and the men he meets there and their conversation is getting on his nerves. "After the theater" a return home and Bud longs for the fresh air of the vast West. As he sinks wearily into a chair a Remington painting catches his eye. It is one he had recently purchased, a broncho buster and his locoed horse. The artist had caught the wild spirit of his subject, and as Bud's mind returns to scenes of a similar nature, a happy inspiration comes. "By Jove, I'll do it." He seizes a telegraph blank, rings for his butler, and sends the following message: "Col. Dalton, Foreman Circle 'D' Ranch, "This high-brow life is killing me. Am sending you special train. Bring the whole outfit, band, horses and all. This town needs excitement. Come and help wake it up. BUD." A few days later we see the boys at a swell suburban depot: Bud and his wife in their auto, and the punchers in chaps and sombreros soon create a world of excitement on the city streets. Then Bud takes the boys yachting; next to see a melodrama, where the Colonel takes exceptions to the villain's heartless treatment of "Bertha, the Sewing Machine Girl." "Bud, either send those horrid creatures back where they came from or I get a divorce," declares Mrs. Bud. So the boys are next seen in a palatial café car homeward bound. The Colonel gets into an argument with the colored cook and that worthy dives through an open car window to escape the cowboy's wrath. Our closing scene is in the cozy home of the millionaire. He and his wife are enjoying a quiet tete-a-tete when the butler bands in a telegram. It reads; "On root. Everybody enjoyin' theirselves. The Colonel sure some happy, he just shot a coon. Will send the bill to you. THE BOYS." Bud laughs heartily. The wife joins and as she nestles up to her big manly husband, says: "You won't ever want to be a cowboy again, will you, Bud?" Bud turns slowly; looks at the Remington painting which has been the innocent cause of their recent quarrel, and walking over, he turns the picture to the wall, holds out his arms to his wife, and as her head nestles against his shoulder, we plainly catch his words, "Never Again."
- Some wood choppers start out on a cold winter day and drive into the forest to get some fire wood. They take a little boy with them and arriving at a remote spot they alight from the sleigh and build a bonfire, leaving the little fellow in charge of the horse and their belongings they go a long distance into the woods to cut trees, The little fellow allows the fire to go out, and it being extremely cold he keeps moving about in order to keep his blood in circulation, but finally becoming impatient he gets into the sleigh and starts out to find the men. He drives quite a distance out of the track and a blinding snowstorm comes up which makes it difficult for the child to find his way. Finally becoming numb with the cold he tries to warm himself with the old horse's breath, but this proves ineffective, and the little fellow falls to the ground, exhausted. The old horse, realizing that something has happened, retraces his steps to the place where the men left him, arriving there just as they come back and are showing great alarm at the child's absence. The horse starts out and the men follow, and soon he leads them to the spot where the little fellow fell, and there, to their great surprise, they find the child covered with snow and nearly frozen to death. They are not long in reviving him and when he realizes all that he owes the animal, his childish demonstration of affection for the faithful old horse is effusive.
- A man drops a string of wet cotton onto a photographic plate, and it proceeds to create designs and drawings, rather like an ancient Etch-a-Sketch.
- A young girl looking for work, is hired by a farmer's wife to work as a maid. A smooth talking peddler comes by the farm, and flirts with the young maid. He gives the naive girl an engagement ring and promises to marry her. When the peddler runs up some gambling debts, he visits the maid again and tells her they cannot marry until he has enough money to pay off his debt. While the farmer and his wife are asleep, the maid foolishly steals their money. The peddler takes the money and leaves on a train to get out of town. Overcome with guilt, the young maid runs away from the farm. Meanwhile the peddler gets into a fight and is thrown off the train. The maid stumbles upon him by the railroad tracks. She finds the money on the peddler and returns it to the farm couple before they even knew it was missing.
- A Confederate soldier shames his mother and sister by going AWOL during battle. His sister takes his place, with tragic results, leaving him to live out his life in shame, hiding to protect his family name.
- It is the evening of a reception given by Mr. and Mrs. Stamford in honor of their daughter's birthday. The house is beautifully decorated and one of the features is the antique room. In this room stands a figure in a suit of armor of value. During a skylarking between the butler and maid this figure is knocked over and broken. In terror the butler, fearful of the consequences, rushes out to get someone to stand in the suit instead. Happy Jack, the rover, passing by at the time, takes the job on the promise of a good feed. There have been a couple of sneak thieves operating in society circles, and they, learning of the affair, plan to attend. In evening suits, they present themselves and while the butler is engaged with one of them, the other pilfers two invitation cards, which gain them admittance. The daughter is presented by her father with a beautiful diamond and pearl necklace. During the evening the crooks nip it, and going to the antique room to examine their spoil, espy an open safe. This is easy, and they at once begin to help themselves. This is done under the eye of Jack, whom they think a stand of armor. When their work at the safe is about complete. Jack discloses himself, holds them up and hands them into custody. You may imagine his reward now amounts to something more than a feed.
- John Rogers, a young chemist, is sincerely loved by the eldest of two sisters, but in a state of infatuation prefers the younger girl, fascinated by what he would call vivacity, but which is nothing less than frivolousness. He marries her, and she soon tires of a life of domesticity. He tries to interest her in his chemical experiments but they simply bore her, although they are interesting to the sister, which interest is born of a pure love which she still holds. While he is working in his laboratory, the wife is either entertaining or being entertained by friends. She is in her element at a dinner party, when an explosion takes place in her husband's laboratory, apparently destroying his sight and hearing. It is a sad house she returns to after her evening's pleasure. There is her husband, deaf and sightless. You may imagine her lot is now more repugnant, as his helplessness annoys her, so she eagerly accepts diversion. This comes in the form of an offer from one of her friends, a theater manager, to shine on the comic opera stage. She accepts the offer and on the persuasion of this friend decides to leave her husband and get a divorce, leaving her wedding ring on the table for her sister or father-in-law to find. The sister sees her action, and tries to dissuade her, but in vain. The thought of this second and worse blow to the young man moves the sister to wear the ring, deceiving him until his affliction has passed, for the doctor is sure of restoring his sight and hearing. This deception is easy, as he can neither see nor hear and is ever under hands of the nurse. The operation promises to be successful, so the sister goes to the green room of the theater to bring the wife back. After a heated argument the wife consents to go and see him at least, arriving just as he is placed in a darkened room to have the bandage removed. When the bandage is taken off, the young man sees in the dim light of the room the figures about him. He turns from one to the other until he sees his wife and makes a move towards her, but she with guilty mien recoils and as she does, clutches the portieres nervously. Down they come, letting in a fatal flash of light from the outside, striking the poor fellow's eyes, causing now incurable blindness. Realizing what she has done, she rushes horror-stricken from the house. The young man's hearing unimpaired, he learns the truth and now feels in his heart what he failed to see with his eyes.
- A clown and his donkey perform circus tricks and stage magic. A circus monkey serves as an assistant to the clown.
- After her mother's death, Ruth struggles to support herself as a seamstress. While Ruth delivers shirts to the factory owner, the owner's son steals some money and Ruth is accused of the crime. She flees the ghetto of New York's Lower East Side and hides in the country where a young farmer takes her in and they fall in love.
- Pretty Molly is afflicted with a peculiar nervous disease and after having tried many doctors is finally referred to a certain great specialist, who has had success with cases similar to her own. To briefly describe Molly's ailment would be in stating that the muscles of her throat and neck were uncontrollable, causing her to throw back her head in a way resembling a person beckoning to another. Molly goes to see the doctor, who expresses himself able to cure the case and prescribes certain medicine. But as Molly turns to go the unruly head is thrown back and the old M.D. is almost convinced the young lady is flirting with him. As Molly passes through the reception room where one or two young gentlemen are waiting to see the doctor, the peculiar nod is again repeated and the young fellows, each believing the nod to be an invitation, rise and precipitately follow her out. On the street Molly causes more excitement when she appears to solicit the company of a dignified lawyer, who, nevertheless, likes her looks and starts off after her until he is summarily dismissed with the threat of arrest for annoying a perfectly respectable young lady. An innocent mail man is the next victim, and he is similarly dispensed with. An old chap in the company of his wife is also beguiled by the unfortunate girl's peculiar nod and receives a sound berating not only from her but from his watchful spouse. Even Hans, the little bass drummer of the German band, is bewitched by the involuntary Circe and gets his drum smashed for his trouble. The climax comes when Officer O'Rourke falls a victim to the young lady's nod and is told that his services as a protector are certainly not needed. During the argument the captain, O'Rourke's superior, comes on the scene and orders the patrolman on his way. The girl has reached home and she thanks the captain for his protection. But as she opens the door those unruly muscles work again and the captain accepts the invitation. This is the last hope, and the poor girl slams the door in the captain's face.
- Benjamin Franklin is seen in deep study trying to evolve a suitable design for the banner, when he dreams he sees Freedom pluck the stars and stripes from the skies and lay them at his feet. With this inspiration he gives the design to Betsy Ross, who makes the flag and presents it to Washington and his staff. It is accepted and adopted as the standard of the struggle for independence. Again we see "Old Glory" floating triumphantly after the surrender of Cornwallis to Washington at Yorktown, waving its graceful folds in acknowledgment of the greetings and cheers of the people. In the War of 1812 nothing could be more inspiring than the capture of the British frigate "Macedonia" by Commander Decatur. The scene presents a picture most realistic, the boom of the cannon and protruding bodies of the seamen from the port holes, the lapping of the ship's hull by the restless waves as Decatur and his men scale the sides of the vessel and take possession of the prize. The Mexican War brings the American flag prominently before us as the American army storms the heights of Chapultapec, hauls down the Mexican flag and raises "Old Glory" above the conquered turrets of the stronghold of Santa Anna, who was President of Mexico. Upon the addition of each state to the union we see the stars twinkle in the new constellation of the flag. Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation strikes deep into the spirit of "Old Glory," the emblem of Freedom. This is a marvelously realistic and impressive scene which presents the martyred President signing the Emancipation Proclamation surrounded by Seward, Stanton, Johnson, and all the members of the cabinet, with a vision of slavery, suggestive of the spirit of the motive which leads us up to the surrender of General Lee to Genera Grant at Appomattox, "The Union Forever" and the reunion of the Blue and the Gray under the protecting folds of "Old Glory" and the brotherhood of man. Once more we are reminded of "Old Glory's" progress and power at the storming of San Juan Hill, with Teddy Roosevelt in command, the surrender of the Spanish outpost and the hoisting of the Grand Old Flag on the summit of the hill, a beacon of hope and cheer. At this point we are brought to the grand climax: the Star Spangled Banner waving in all his majesty and glory o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave, calling forth responsive thrills of inborn patriotism that can only find relief in an outburst of irresistible and uncontrollable applause.
- At the opening of the story we find Alice Paulton incurring the extreme displeasure of her father by rejecting the suit of the favored young man of her father for one of her own choice. Determined to marry this man she is disowned by her father, and so leaves his roof and is married. Mr. Paulton, being a widower, at first grieves over the loss of his daughter's love, but later becomes a monomaniac, money being his only thought, and to hoard this his only aim. He becomes a veritable tyrant, grinding his debtors most unreasonably. Thus things go on for several years. Meanwhile a girl child has blessed the young couple, and at the end of ten years the young father is in the last stage of consumption, with little strength left to work. Dire poverty reigns in the household, and in desperation the wife goes to her father to implore his aid. He is now in the extreme of money madness, and almost throws her from his house. The worst is to come, and it comes soon; the young father dies. Here the poor woman is left destitute, with her little girl to care for. Her attempts to secure employment are in vain and starvation stares them in the face. But the little child has faith in prayer. The old man's temper has now gotten worse and his niggardliness more excessive, until finally he sells his home that he may add the returns to his hoard and moves into cheaper quarters. Fate leads him to engage the squalid room directly above his own daughter and granddaughter, although he is quite unaware of it. He is at a loss to find a place to hide his money until he espies a stove-pipe hole in the chimney wall. This he reckons a safe bank, so here he keeps it. On the floor below we see the poor woman despairing, until when she leaves for the next room, the child kneels and prays for aid. At the same moment the old man is replacing his gold in his chimney bank, and shoving it in too far, down the chimney it falls, striking the fireplace below and rolling out in front of the kneeling child. She at once believes it came from the Heavenly Father, and so kneels in thanksgiving. The old man becomes a raging demon at the loss of his money, and when the janitor directs him to the apartment beneath he bursts in and snatches the money from the child's bands. The confusion brings in the mother, and a recognition occurs. The old man is adamant, however, and still refuses aid to his daughter. While in the hall on his way to his own apartment, the thought of the little child on her knees praying with such faith impresses him, and changes his entire nature Well, he returns to his daughter and granddaughter for good.
- Molly Finney was captured by some supposedly friendly Indians and taken to Quebec and there sold at auction. She was bought by n French Grandee as a servant and companion for his daughter. On the way from her native village on a long canoe trip, Molly managed to drop into the water a message written on birch bark. This message was found by Captain McLellan, who, in his sloop, The Rose, went to Quebec and succeeded in locating the Puritan girl where she was being held in slavery. His rescue of the girl forms the dramatic climax of the film and is an exceptional strong and thrilling situation.
- A man dons magic boxing gloves and smashes motorcars.
- Red Shield, a Cheyenne, is madly enamored with the daughter of a Sioux chief, which love is reciprocated by her. But the Sioux and Cheyennes were ever bitter enemies and a marriage between them is not to be thought of, so when he offers ponies and fur robes for the hand of the maid he is promptly refused by her father, who informs him that at no price can he marry his daughter. Big Bear Claw, himself a Sioux chief, is the successful suitor for the girl's hand, and she is then given to him. Red Shield, however, follows on their trail, and on a dark night quietly awakes her and together they fly. Big Bear Claw and his braves soon take up the pursuit, and when Red Shield and the squaw take to the river in their canoe they soon follow in their fleet of canoes. After a long chase downstream they are unable to catch up, but when Red Shield takes again to land he is hindered by the girl, who is becoming fatigued, and is soon overtaken. Big Bear Claw, wishing to be generous to the girl, offers Red Shield that they fight for her, and after a long knife and wrestling fight Red Shield is victorious, and taking the squaw in his canoe sets out with her for the home of his people.
- Mrs. Thurston, a socially ambitious widow, is holding one of her famous Bohemian parties. To these functions are invited the leading lights of the several professions, actors, artists, musicians, etc. Surrounded by these men and women of art and letters, she was at first entertained, but they soon palled and bored. On this evening in particular, she is especially possessed of ennui, until the appearance of Raymond Hartley, a wealthy young bachelor, who is introduced into the circle by a newspaper man. An attachment immediately springs up between the widow and Raymond, and it must he said that the latter is more sincere than the former, for Raymond calls upon her and proposes marriage, which she is only too willing to accept. His friends, however, upon finding out the seriousness of the situation, go and warn him against her, accusing her of being a flirt. He, of course, will not believe until he himself later finds their accusation true. His friend and chum suggests a stay in the country to cure him of this ominous infatuation. Selecting a quiet out of the way place they go, enjoining the valet to keep secret their whereabouts. Almost upon their arrival, he meets Grace, the daughter of the farmer. Her simple, artless manners, with her rustic beauty, fairly captivate him and make him forget the widow entirely. He now experiences a higher and holier love, so he sends word to his valet to send on his trunks as he intends protracting his stay indefinitely, and later proposes to Grace and gains consent. The widow, meanwhile, has waxed uneasy, as she is most anxious to make this rich match, realizing what Raymond's wealth would do for her. At his residence she gets little information from the valet, but espying the trunk tagged, she slyly notes the address. Off she goes in her auto, and funds Raymond on the roadside in a state of elation over his prospects. Feigning illness, she elicits his sympathy, and soon the old infatuation possesses him. Back to the city he goes with the widow, after dispatching a note to Grace of his departure. What a shock this is to the poor girl, and her little sister, while she doesn't quite understand why, feels that the return of Raymond is urgent. The trunks have arrived and the little one finds the return stub still intact. Getting her toy bank, she extracts her savings and finds she has sufficient to pay the fare to the city. Surreptitiously she starts, and when in the city a policeman directs her to Raymond, whose valet states he is at the widow's. Here the child enters into the midst of a Bohemian gathering. The look into the child's sweet face, so much in contrast to the features around him, and but the sound of one word of her pleading, is enough to decide him, so picking up the child in his arms he dashes from the place, hurling aside the widow, who would detain him. Back to the farmhouse he rushes and throws himself appealingly at the feet of the poor heart-crushed Grace.
- An artist scares his neighbour by pretending to stab a clay figure.
- Willie Nutt, an aspirant to athletic honors, thinks he sees some easy money when he reads Professor Brawn's notice in the lobby of a theater offering $100 to anyone who will put him on his back. Willie resolves to make a try, and passing a book store observes in the window a volume labeled, "How to Wrestle." No sooner seen than bought, and Willie immediately goes into training. Willie reads the book as he walks home, and becomes interested in the passage, "grab your opponent by the calf of the left leg and force him on his knee." Willie wants to experiment, and a passing Chinaman, with a bundle of wash on his back, is the victim. The two are soon struggling together, and a lively match ensues until the Chinaman breaks away and runs down the street yelling "murder" and "police." Willie's next victim is an automobilist, stretched out under his machine, hammering at a loose bolt. Willie drags the chauffeur from under the machine, throws down a blanket for a mat and proceeds to lay about the surprised fellow for all he is worth. The autoist resents the attack, however, and Willie is somewhat the worse for the encounter when he is kicked on his way. Willie's other victims are a chap scrubbing a walk, a woman beating a carpet and a young fellow washing windows. Willie gets off comparatively easy with the two former, but when the window washer gets him he hurls him through the window onto a dining table, demolishing an excellent repast. He does not linger long, however, but is hurled out the window again, bruised and sore. After other adventures Willie feels he has had sufficient training and goes to the theater to meet the champion. When the usual invitation is extended the audience, Willie is on his feet and with his valuable book in his hand goes to meet the champion. The following scene is one of the funniest ever. Willie constantly consults his book, and is an easy mark for the big wrestler. The latter finally takes him by the neck, hurls him around his head several times and deposits him on the mat, flat on his back. After some time Willie is able to arise and then and there makes the solemn resolve: "Never again!"
- Papa Foy is in love with Mrs. Grant, a charming widow, who doesn't need to be held from jumping into matrimony, but Nell and her brother, Jim, his two children, think he needs to be held, and when they conceive that he is going to marry the widow they don't know want to do to save him. Dick Hardy, Nell's sweetheart, sees father and Mrs. Grant on the beach, sitting under an umbrella. They run to get some shells to throw at them, but when they return, father and Mrs. Grant leave and two colored lovers are sitting in the shade of the umbrella. Nell and Dick throw the shells; they see Rastus and Mandy and beat it. In the afternoon, when father and Mrs. Grant are bathing, Jim, Dick and Nell conceive the brilliant idea of stealing father's clothes and leaving him in the bath house until he will capitulate and promise never to marry. He will not promise, and they leave him without even his bathing suit, telling him they will be back in one hour. Father's cries are beard by Mrs. Grant. She comes to the rescue. She buys him a pair of overalls and jumper. In this father and Mrs. Grant go right off and get married.
- The maxim, "'Tis darkest just before dawn," was certainly verified in the case of the despairing prospector who is the subject of this Biograph story. All his searching for the coveted yellow ore has been fruitless, and he starts out to make his last effort to find pay dirt. The privations he has suffered do not affect him as much as the hardships endured by his patient wife with their little child, a boy of ten years. To see them subjected to hunger and exposure almost drives him mas, and this final effort is almost maniacal. As usual, his endeavors seem to be in vain, until in a fit of rage he hurls his pick away from him and sinks despairingly on the ground. Here he sits hopeless, when he sees something shining in the earth that the pick's point had upturned when he hurled it from him. He is dazed, and can scarcely believe his sight. However, a pan of the dirt taken to the brook and washed proves he has at last struck pay dirt. Wild with joy, he rushes to his camp to give the news to his wife. She reminds him of the importance of filing his claim at once, and to this end the three, man, wife and child, go back to the place and he stakes the claim, guarding it, while the wife hurries to the agent's office to file it, she taking the little boy with her. Two mountain reprobates from a distance see the staking of the claim, and knowing that the first one filing the claim may secure it, try to reach the agent before her, but as she is on horseback and they on foot, she reaches there first. When she arrives she finds the office not yet open and a line of prospectors awaiting the agent's arrival. The two scoundrels now scheme to get the wife's place in the line, and to effect this they play upon her sympathy by getting an unconscionable old woman to feign illness and ask to be assisted to her home. This the wife does, the scoundrels following and locking her in a room with her little boy. They go back to the agent to secure his recognition of their claim. After futile efforts to burst the door, the wife lets the baby through the transom on a rope, telling him to run for help. This the little fellow manfully does, and after a time engages the attention of a couple of ranchers, who release the poor woman, rushing her to the land agent's office just as he is about to sign the claim of the scoundrels. The agent listens to the woman's story, backed up by the ranchers and the baby, and signs the claim, handing it to her, at the same time pushing a pistol in the scoundrels' faces with the injunction, "Now, git," and they very wisely "got."
- Leave it to wifey, she'll fix things for you. Her schemes are so subtle that there doesn't seem to be the slightest chance of their falling down. However, when Mrs. Knowit suggested a plan to her husband, Ezra, by which his services would be the better appreciated by his employer, docile Ezra had his doubts, yet dare not oppose. This plan was to invite his boss to dinner and give him the feed of his life. She argued that the way to reach a man's good nature was through his stomach. To Ezra's surprise, the boss accepts the invitation with avidity. Ezra telephones, what he feels, the ominous intelligence, and so wifey prepares. That she may make a great showing, she starts on a borrowing expedition. An evening dress from one of her neighbors, cut glass from another, silverware from the next. In fact, various sorts of furnishings, even a maid to wait at the table. Everything in readiness, she feels proud of the layout. Ezra and the boss appear, and dinner is at once served. The boss is rather suspicious as he regards the elegance with which his employee's dining-room is fitted, and he indulges in a bit of mental calculations. Wifey is self-satisfied for she fancies she has made a great hit. The boss upon leaving expresses himself as having enjoyed himself, but upon returning to the office, he writes a note and dispatches one of his clerks to the Knowit domicile. Mrs. Knowit seizes the note, sure that it contains news of a boost. The note: "Dear Sir: I can't have men in my employ who live beyond their income. You are discharged." Collapse of the Knowit family.
- A whimsical farm girl writes a message on an egg that finds its way to a city restaurant where it is served to a young man. Intrigued, the young man sets out to locate the message-writer. He makes the long and arduous trip by train to the country and confronts the young woman, who, much to his dismay, doubles up her fists and hits him. The next scene shows the young man boarding a train, and the young woman on her knees beseeching him to return to her.
- The first scene finds the engineer in his home surrounded by his happy family. He is departing for his task of guiding the overland "flyer" with its precious freight across the continent. A few days later a delegation from the railroad engineers' union find that their demands for an increase are peremptorily refused by the superintendent, and a strike is declared. The next day, as the idle engineers are standing around the deserted roundhouse, the superintendent approaches and begs and implores one of them to carry him to a distant town, where his little one lies dangerously ill. Engineer Thomas, unable to refuse the appeal of the suffering father, takes out the engine amidst the curses and cries of a "scab." We see them rushing through the crowds of desperate strikers that line the tracks and on out into the quiet country. Arriving at his home station, the superintendent learns that his child is out of danger and sets out on the return trip. Meanwhile a friendly call-boy has overheard the plot of the strikers to burn up the trestle over which the superintendent and Engineer Thomas must run. He informs the wife and summons the aid of the militia, who hastily mount a handcar and go speeding toward the trestle. The heroic wife follows the strikers even to the dizzy top of the trestle. From their position in the cab of the flying engine the engineer and superintendent with horrified eyes see the strikers applying their torches to the kindling wood. Unable to stop the engine in time, Engineer Thomas throws on full speed, and as he dashed through the rolling smoke and scorching flames he catches sight of his daring wife, who is endeavoring to stop the strikers in their dastardly work. Quickly bringing the engine to a stop, the engineer and superintendent rush back to the aid of the wife, now in the hands of the infuriated mob. They themselves are quickly overpowered, when, just in the nick of time, the militia arrive. Soon the strikers are fleeing, and Engineer Thomas lifts his now fainting wife into his arms, while the superintendent holds a prisoner, the desperate agitator who urged on the mob of strikers.
- The old father in this Biograph story was possessed of such unreasonable pride as to cause much misery and heartache. We cannot consistently call it pride, but rather, narrow prejudice. Mr. and Mrs. Sonthcomb dearly loved their only daughter Ann, but, being Quakers, had set ideas. Ann was a pretty girl of twenty, bright, vivacious and romantic, and loved her parents devotedly, but she chafed under what she deemed almost parental despotism. They decried any ebullition her youth might induce, and frowned into silence her joyous ringing laughter. This condition told on her and she longed for life's radiant sunshine, love. It comes at last. Allen Edwards, a concert singer, while driving his auto in the neighborhood of the old Quaker's farm, meets with a serious accident, and is carried to the Southcomb homestead. He is in such a condition that he cannot be removed to his home for some time, and hence is cared for by the Southcomb family, although the old man openly expresses his aversion for the young man on account of the profession. An attachment springs up between Ann and Allen which ripens into sincere love. The old man is beside himself with rage when they broach the subject of marriage. But Ann is decided and the old man, though he loves his daughter, haughtily drives her from the house, for when pride begins love ceases. He stubbornly refuses to have anything further to do with her. He becomes so bitter that he erases her name from the family Bible. To him she is as dead. Many a heartache does the young wife suffer, though Allen has tried time and time again to effect a reconciliation, until one day they receive word that the old Sonthcomb farm had been seized for debt and the couple were forced to go to the poorhouse. What a shock this is to the young couple! It is the old story of pride defeating its own end by bringing the man who seeks esteem into contempt. The young people make their way to the poorhouse, where the old father is seen scrubbing floors, while the mother bends over a washtub. They are brought to the office to interview their disowned daughter, but the old man is still adamant and while the mother is inclined to accept Ann's protection the father stubbornly refuses, going back with hauteur to his scrub pail. Ann now realizes that something more than bare persuasion must be resorted to, and as she views through the half open door her parents' sad plight, an idea strikes her. Seating herself at the organ, she plays and sings her father's favorite hymn. The sound of the music halts the old man in his work, and he crawls sobbing to the door to hear the better. Ann continues to play and sing until it at last he staggers up to be folded in her arms. He now realizes how unreasonable he has been, not only to her, but to her mother and himself.
- The next time Jenks purchases a new hat he will have it screwed to his pate so that he and the lid will be absolutely inseparable, for his most recently procured Kelly cost him both money and trouble in abundance. On his way to his office one morning, he decides to get a new straw hat. With his bead topped with this new crown he looks quite debonair. Lunch-time arriving, he goes to appease the cravings of his pneumo-gastric nerve, and here his trouble begins when an exchange of hats is made, someone taking his new sky piece leaving in its stead a woolly creation of masculine millinery, with a surface like a bath mat. Towering with rage, he returns to his office, where he receives a telegram calling him out of town in a hurry on business. Dispatching word to his wife he hustles off. Meanwhile, the purloiner of his lid, while walking along the seashore loses it overboard, and it is carried out to sea to be driven back on the shore by the returning tide, where it is picked up by a neighbor of Jenks, who finding the name and address on the band, takes it to whom he now assumes to be Widow Jenks, a most natural conclusion. Instanter the mourning of the dear departed (?) is precipitated. Fancy his surprise and their amazement when he returns. It is with difficulty he persuades all hands that he is material and not ethereal. The undertaker, however, is insistent and Jenks pays for a funeral he hadn't the chance of enjoying.
- Will Talbot, a miner, is severely injured in an explosion of dynamite on his claim and his life is saved through the aid of his faithful Indian servant. The Indian carries him to their shack and rides to town for the doctor. When the latter arrives he finds that Talbot has not only suffered severe face burns, but seems to have also lost all knowledge of his identity, a species of insanity occasionally the result of a violent shock. The doctor sets about picking the bits of stone and powder from his patient's face, when to his surprise he finds among the fine particles a few grains of god dust. Talbot has made a strike! The scheming doctor plans to cheat the stricken miner out of the rich claim, but his inquiries from the Indian result in failure. Later the doctor returns with a following of town bullies who endeavor to wring a confession from the Indian through torture. Knocked down by a stiff blow from the butt end of the doctor's revolver he rises again, his memory restored. Single-handed, he fights the bullies and wins, driving them from the house. The incident results in Talbot giving the faithful Indian a partnership in the valuable claim.
- A combination of scenic and spectacular subjects most unusually and originally set forth. Romantic scenes on the banks of mountain streams revealing fresh beauties of majestic nature at every turn. The chiseling and modeling of rain and frost continuously presented in wonderful arched and fantastic designs. Nestling among the trees at the foot of great hills are the picturesque huts of peasants and ruins of old castles. A film which makes the audience wish it were of greater length.
- This film presents a series of remarkably colored, interesting views of native life in one of the largest cities of the Indian Empire. Interesting street views, gaily garbed natives, modes of transportation, and caravans of camels starting on a journey are successively shown. The training of the sacred monkeys in their mountain home is presented, and a number of scenes showing a native fakir exhibiting his troop of animals, which includes an intelligent monkey, a marvelously agile goat, a little bear cub, and several other interesting beasts. The entire film is colored with great care.