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1914PrincessOne reelComedy

The Belle of the School

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

“Ralph Elting, a young civil engineer, falls in love with Ruth Graham, the prettiest and most popular girl in his mother’s private school. Alice Price, a poor girl who is given free board and tuition, envying the pretty clothes of the rich girls steals money from the principal’s desk. Her guilt is discovered by Ruth who, in her efforts to shield Alice, is herself caught restoring the money and is expelled. No one believes in her innocence except Alice and Ralph Elting. When the real culprit at length confesses, Ruth is exonerated.”

Summary from Reel Life · 15 August 1914

What the papers said

3 reviews

“A pretty schoolgirls’ comedy, pleasantly acted by some very charming young women, including Muriel Ostriche and Renee Farrington. It deals with a mysterious theft at a school (a somewhat unconventional establishment, by the way, according to English ideas), and the sacrifice made by an innocent girl who takes the guilt upon her shoulders to save her friend. Although a slightly …

Read in full · 1 min

“A pretty schoolgirls’ comedy, pleasantly acted by some very charming young women, including Muriel Ostriche and Renee Farrington. It deals with a mysterious theft at a school (a somewhat unconventional establishment, by the way, according to English ideas), and the sacrifice made by an innocent girl who takes the guilt upon her shoulders to save her friend. Although a slightly artificial story, it holds one’s interest and is not insipid. Miss Farrington’s ‘make-up’ is rather too heavy in some of the close views.”

The Bioscope · 3 December 1914

“A rich young girl tries to shield a poor chum for stealing and is herself expelled. Alice at length confesses and Ruth is exonerated.”

The Morning Telegraph · 16 August 1914

More reviews

4 September 1914The Moving Picture World1 min

“A girl’s school family nicely pictured and containing a bevy of attractive misses. The girl thief turns over some money to Muriel, who is expelled as a result. Later the real thief confesses and everybody is forgiven. Boyd Marshall is the hero. A bright well-pictured offering.”

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Cast and crew

Director
Arthur Ellery
Cast
Boyd Marshall as as Boyd
Mrs. Arthur Ellery as Mrs. Elting
Muriel Ostriche as as Muriel
Irene Farrington as Anna Price
Writer
Philip Lonergan

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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A frame from Crossed Wires30:58
1915 · Same leadCrossed Wires
A frame from The World and the Woman1:05:26
1916 · Same leadThe World and the Woman

More about this film

Bowers’ notes
  1. The title was listed erroneously as The Bell of the School in a schedule printed in The Moving Picture World, August 15, 1914. 2. Role names vary: Reel Life, August 15, 1914, stated that Muriel Ostriche played the role of Ruth Graham and that Boyd Marshall essayed the role of Ralph Elting; another character is called Anna Price in some notices and Alice Price in others.

From Volume II: Filmography of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. Read the history of 1914 →

Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “The Belle of the School”. thanhouser.org/films/the-belle-of-the-school/

Where a print is held

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No print known