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1915Thanhouser CompanyOne reelDrama

$1,000 Reward

No copy you can watch online. No print is known to survive. What follows is what does: the release, the cast, the story, and what the trade press said at the time.

The story

“Madeline’s mother is a widow, and her twin sister, Marion, is crippled. Mrs. Goddard takes in sewing, and Madeline sells newspapers. The daughter of a wealthy man becomes interested in the little newsgirl, and on further acquaintance, May Gordon persuades her father to pay for an operation on Marion Goddard’s hip. They take Marion home to their beautiful house to recuperate. Meanwhile, Red Hogan, wanted for burglary, breaks into the Gordon mansion with Whitey, his pal. Marion blocks his operations and effects his arrest. Mr. Gordon has offered $1,000 for Hogan’s capture and this he now insists upon awarding to Marion. But she will not take the money. Mr. Gordon retaliates by making Mrs. Goddard and both Madeline and Marion members of his own household.”

Summary from Reel Life · 20 February 1915

What the papers said

2 reviews · 2 advertisements

“The rich Mr. Gordon becomes interested in the little news girl, Madeline. He has an operation performed on her crippled sister Marion. Marion effects the capture of a burglar who enters the Gordons’ house and she gets the $1,000 reward offered by Mr. Gordon.”

The Morning Telegraph · 21 February 1915

“A fairly strong offering, introducing the Fairbanks twins. One of the girls is lame and taken to the home of some wealthy people to recover from an operation. While there she saves the house from being robbed by holding up the porch climbers. This does not develop a great deal of feeling, but is quite pleasing.”

The Moving Picture World · 6 March 1915

Advertisements2 · 20 February 1915 – 27 February 1915

20 February 1915Reel Life1 min

“How a clever girl captures a desperate burglar and his pal and rescues her widowed mother and crippled sister from want. Madeline and Marion Fairbanks, the ‘Thanhouser Twins,’ Mrs. Frank Farrington, Minnie Berlin and other popular Thanhouser favorites are included in the cast.”

Note: The preceding differs from the synopsis in that the synopsis states that the crippled girl, Marion, effects the capture of the burglar.

27 February 1915The Moving Picture World1 min

“This fascinating production depicts the chain of thrilling events by which a brave girl ‘newsie’ saves the home of her wealthy benefactress from robbery by one of her old underworld enemies, and gains comfortable independence for herself and her family.”

Have you seen this film, or a print of it?

Prints of films thought lost still turn up in attics, private collections and archives. A record like this one is how the next one gets found.

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Cast and crew

Director
John Harvey
Cast
Carey L. Hastings
Ernest C. Warde as Red Hogan
Fannie Hoyt as Mrs. Gordon
Henry Leon as Mr. Gordon
J.S. Murray as Whitey
Madeline Fairbanks
Marion Fairbanks as Madeline and Marion Goddard, the latter crippled
Minnie Berlin as May Gordon
Mrs. Fairbanks as Mrs. Goddard, their mother
Samuel Niblack
Writer
John William Kellette

Every name opens that person's page, with each film they appear in and which of them you can watch.

Watch instead

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1914 · Same directorShep’s Race with Death
A frame from The Twins of the G.l. Ranch11:44
1915 · Same castThe Twins of the G.l. Ranch

More about this film

Bowers’ notes
  1. Henry Leon’s name appears as “Mr. Leonie” in Reel Life, February 20, 1915. 2. In print, the title appeared with and without the comma: $1,000 and $1000.

From Volume II: Filmography of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. Read the history of 1915 →

Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “$1,000 Reward”. thanhouser.org/films/1-000-reward/

Where a print is held

Held by
No print known