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1911Violet Gray1,000 feetDrama

The Norwood Necklace

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

“The disappearance of the famous Norwood necklace gave Violet Gray, the girl detective, a chance to gain new laurels, and also to have a laugh at her superior officer. The jewels disappeared in another city, and the police obtained a clue to their whereabouts just too late to make an arrest. But they wired the authorities at Violet’s city to detain and search a well-dressed woman who was a passenger on a certain train. Enroute, however, the suspect received warning by telegraph, and when the woman is taken in charge there are no signs of the gems. Under the circumstance there is nothing for the captain to do except apologize profusely, which he does in good style, as the prisoner is well-dressed and of refined appearance.

“The only person who did not believe an error had been committed was Violet Gray. So certain was she that her suspicions would be confirmed that she made a bet with the captain on the subject. And she won. Her first clue was the little girl. Her second, a doll. The final links were a hand and head of hair! Each one of these incidents was a trifle, but they united to form the chain that dragged a pretty woman to prison. The captain admitted he had been mistaken and paid over his wager. Violet was too diplomatic to tease him about it, but she spent the money for a new ring so that her commander would be constantly reminded of his error of judgment, and yet unable to complain of being nagged about it.”

Summary from The Moving Picture World · 11 February 1911

What the papers said

2 reviews · 1 advertisement

“A detective story, presenting a complication which fooled a trained policeman, but which was untangled and the guilty person brought to justice by a clever woman. Like all detective stories it is prepared to magnify the exploits of one particular party and it does this to good advantage. The acting is good, the photography is clear, and there is no complaint to make about the clearness of the story itself.”

The Moving Picture World · 15 February 1911

“This is a detective story quite cleverly worked out and capably acted. It starts with the announcement that the necklace has been stolen, and we see a man, evidently the thief, pass it to a woman confederate on the street. How the detectives find out that the woman has the necklace, but never suspect the man’s part in the game, …

Read in full · 1 min

“This is a detective story quite cleverly worked out and capably acted. It starts with the announcement that the necklace has been stolen, and we see a man, evidently the thief, pass it to a woman confederate on the street. How the detectives find out that the woman has the necklace, but never suspect the man’s part in the game, is never explained. But so it is; the man is so free from suspicion that he listens over the shoulders of the detectives at the railroad station and hurries to telegraph the woman that she is suspected and to get rid of the necklace. She does so by contriving to put it inside the doll of a little girl on the train. She is arrested and searched, but is released because nothing is found on her. Now steps in the female detective, who follows the woman to the hotel, where she has gone to secure the necklace from the little girl’s doll. Disguised as a maid, she secures the woman with goods.”

The New York Dramatic Mirror · 15 February 1911

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4 February 1911The Moving Picture World1 min

“The Norwood necklace and its mysterious disappearance give Miss Gray fresh food for reflection and solution. Reflecting on the freeing from custody of a pretty female suspect, Violet decides that a police error was made in the release—and not in the detention of the suspect; and the aftermath of her decision is formed in a solution of the whole necklace puzzle. The case of the Norwood necklace easily shows bright Violet at her best, and you will admit that though her methods are odd they certainly get the results.”

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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

Cast
Julia M. Taylor as Violet Gray

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More about this film

Bowers’ notes

This film was one of the “Violet Gray, Detective” series, which consisted of the following: Love and Law (December 13, 1910), The Vote That Counted (January 13, 1911), The Norwood Necklace (February 10, 1911), and The Court’s Decree (July 7, 1911).

From Volume II: Filmography of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. Read the history of 1911 →

Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “The Norwood Necklace”. thanhouser.org/films/the-norwood-necklace/

Where a print is held

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