Saint, Devil and Woman

“Nearly 800 men and women, representing strike and strike-breakers, were used by the Thanhouser Corporation in taking a big feature picture at the Abendroth Foundry, Port Chester, this week. The principal roles were taken by Florence LaBadie, Wayne Arey, and Hector Dion.”

Excerpt: “Quite different from The Fugitive is another classic: Woman, Saint and Devil. Here psychology is the act behind the action—a weird, freak psychology that parallels the famous case of medical record. With the threat of fictional circumstance woven into the story, Miss LaBadie has a vehicle suggesting The Case of Becky. Director Sullivan had made a particular effort to impress Mr. Dion, Miss Cooke, and the other players with the psychological significance of the plot.”

“Saint, Devil and Woman, featuring Miss LaBadie, a play by Philip Lonergan and directed by Mr. Sullivan, is to be released on September 24.... Miss LaBadie is supported by Wayne Arey, Hector Dion, and Ethyle Cooke . Philip Lonergan has written a different sort of a play—a story of a girl of two natures controlled at different times by two men, one a good influence, the other an evil influence. Saint, Devil and Woman is crowded with suspense and truly big scenes. A sensational battle between railroad strikers and strikebreakers is one of the features. Miss LaBadie gives a splendid portrayal of the two-sided woman, showing deep appreciation of the psychological details. Before she played the part she spent several days in the New York Public Library reading authoritative works on the phenomena of dual personalities.”

“A tale of a girl of triple personality, Saint, Devil and Woman, will be released by Thanhouser Film Corporation to the Pathé Exchanges on September 24. Florence LaBadie, the star, is supported by Wayne Arey, Hector Dion and Ethyle Cooke. The story, by Philip Lonergan, is based upon Dr. Morton Prince’s famous treatise, ‘The Dissociation of a Personality,’ which discusses the case of Sarah Beauchamp, the first person of changing personality to be carefully investigated by scientists. Investigations by Boris Sidis and Dr. Hugo von Munsterberg also were used in making the play psychologically accurate. Florence LaBadie shows splendid appreciation of the character of a simple girl who is changed into a fiend by a chain of startling circumstances. A railroad strike plays a big part in the story, and director Frederick Sullivan has staged a thrilling battle between strikers and strikebreakers. The feature is of unusual timeliness because of the current conflict between labor and capital in the United States.”

“One of David Belasco’s biggest stage successes was called The Case of Becky. Sometimes the heroine was good, then suddenly she would become a fiend. Probably the most famous story of dual personality is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, One of the most widely read stories in English literature is Trilby, In it, a beautiful girl struggles under the evil, hypnotic influence of a wicked man. With dual personality and hypnotism as his theme, and after a careful study of Dr. Morton Prince’s The Dissociation of a Personality, and other famous books by Prof. Hugh Munsterberg, of Harvard University and Boris Sidis, Philip Lonergan, the scenario writer, has developed a powerful story under the title of Saint, Devil and Woman, It has been produced by the Thanhouser Company and released as a Pathé play. It begins an engagement at the Grand Opera House today, continuing tomorrow. Fresh from her life at a convent school, the strange heroine of this powerful drama serves as plastic material for a Spaniard, who, through her father’s death, has become executor of the estate and moulds her to his hypnotic will. Gradually the saint becomes a devil, and aided by her great wealth is a menace to humanity. Then begins a conflict—a match of minds—between a young doctor, engaged in bettering the conditions in tenement districts owned by the girl, and the man, whose evil influence has changed her habits of thought. Who will win? This is the question you will ask breathlessly up to the last few moments.

“’Tell me what you read and I will tell you what you are,’ So spoke some oracle whose name escapes us. Very well. Here is a young woman who is keenly interested in Dr. Morton Prince’s The Dissociation of a Personality. Beside her are psychological works by Boris Sidis and Hugo von Munsterberg. Tell us, what is she? We shall divulge the secret. She is a motion picture star—Florence LaBadie, of the Thanhouser company. Let Miss LaBadie say why she was studying Dr. Morton Prince’s The Dissociation of a Personality, when the interviewer was introduced:

“’I’m learning about dual personality,” she explained. “I have to understand it for my picture, Saint, Devil and Woman. I have to play a girl who is normally a saint, but who, through a chain of startling incidents, becomes a fiend and in the end changes to a fine, normal woman,” Miss LaBadie continued. “In order to portray the character correctly, I have to read up on dual personalities so that I won’t offend any psychologists who might see the picture and be anxious to criticize my interpretation.’”

“This is an unusual and powerful story of a young girl with a dual personality—a saint when she is herself, a devil when under the hypnotic influence of an evil man. Like DuMaurier’s famous ‘Trilby’ the theme is fascinating. The conflict of wills between the hero, a high-minded young doctor, and the villain will have your patrons breathless, asking ‘Who will win?’”