The story
“There is bound to be excitement when a young man, single-handed, beats off a dozen men who follow the trail of the oval diamond and wins it at last, by a clever ruse, for the girl to whom it rightfully belongs, all because he loves the girl. There is bound to be beautiful photography and excellent reproduction when a picture bears the mark of the Thanhouser studios upon it. The acting is always sure to be above reproach when Harris Gordon, Barbara Gilroy and Arthur Bauer are in the cast. And so, since the forthcoming five-reel Thanhouser Mutual Masterpicture, DeLuxe Edition, The Oval Diamond, contains all of the above mentioned qualities and assets, the public may look for an unusual detective photodrama in this offering from New Rochelle.
“The story is centered about an oval diamond, a priceless gem, found by a South African miner on his claim. His possession of it had aroused the envy of his stepbrother, Major Dennison, his former partner, and the latter’s son, Arthur Dennison and of four miners who owned adjacent claims. To escape their plotting to gain possession of the stone, the owner and his daughter, Sylvia, left for America. Shortly after their arrival in the United States, however, Major Dennison and his son had effected an automobile accident with the taxicab in which Mr. Daunt and his daughter were riding, had killed his stepbrother, and had escaped with the diamond. Later, on her search for the gem, Sylvia had gone to her uncle’s house, where she had been imprisoned and restrained from going beyond the high walls which enclosed the place. All this had happened before the beginning of the play. Things of importance for Sylvia do not begin to happen until the entrance of one Robert Ledyard, impressionable youth, over the garden wall. On a trip south, Robert discovers that there is something mysterious and unfathomable about the house next to the one in which his uncle, whom he is visiting, lives. To further his suspicions, he discovers a very hampered and unhappy looking girl in the enclosed yard. Feeling certain that she is in trouble, he throws a note to her in which he offers his services, and asks her to nod her head if he can be of assistance. Hardly waiting for a reply, he follows his note over the garden wall, and learns the story of her distress.
“Complications follow with the return of Major Dennison and his son and, later, the four miners who had come to America determined to possess the diamond. He finds the diamond a thousand times and loses it again. It travels through hundreds of hands, during the brief 5,000 feet of its existence, but in the end, it comes back to stay in the hands which own it. Sylvia marries Robert. They start north on their wedding trip. In his pocket the young bridegroom carries a small package which he carefully guards, feeling nervously, now and again, to see that he has not lost it. Following them is a mysterious character who watches and shakes his head shrewdly as he sees the evident feeling of insecurity which possesses Robert. As the young man and his bride sit on the rear platform of the train, the stranger appears before them, removes his mustache, and demands, at the point of the pistol, that Robert hand over the small package in his pocket. It is Colby, one of the miners. Knowing that resistance is futile, the young man hands over his guarded package, and the thief drops from the speeding train. After he has gone, the young husband laughs, and pulls from an inside pocket the real diamond. The one he had given to Colby was paste. There is enough of the thrilling melodrama in his daredevil escapes to hold the most blasé audience enthralled from start to finish.
“Barbara Gilroy, the Thanhouser favorite, has established a large following for her excellent work in comedy. She has been with the Falstaff players for some time, and her versatility and ability has been proven a thousand times in the different roles which she has been cast. No money has been spared on settings for this photoplay. Luxury and poverty are pictured with lavish accurateness. No courtyard, such as was needed for the opening scenes, could be found in the vicinity of New Rochelle so the entire company was exported to Atlanta, Georgia.”
Summary from Reel Life · 12 February 1916
