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A frame from Through the Flames. Production still with Florence LaBadie and William Russell. Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

1912Thanhouser CompanyOne reelDrama

Through the Flames

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 farmer’s daughter was ambitious but unhappy, because she thoroughly believed that she was destined to shine upon the stage. This opinion of her was strengthened when a ‘celebrated’ actor appeared at the farm. The actor charmed the young woman by telling her that he thought with training she could easily discount Maude Adams and promised to look up a good job for her when he got to the city. In the course of time the girl heard from the actor. He had found the place for her, and all she needed was to appear and claim it, bringing his fee ($50) with her. The girl hastened to the city, paid over the money and hastened to the theatre. Not until then did she find that she had been tricked by an adventurer, and there was no chance for her to lead the life she had hoped to lead. She hunted for work, but failed to find it. At last her money was gone and she was threatened with eviction from her hotel room. Penniless, the girl determined not to return to her old home, and was in a frame of mind where she would gladly have welcomed death. Consequently when the hotel caught fire that evening she said to herself that it was a good solution to her problems and quietly sat down waiting for the end. Probably she would have burned to death, had it not been for a drummer in the next room, who, while about to go down the fire escape happened to look into her room and saw the girl kneeling in prayer, waiting for death. Being a brave man he forced his way in through the window, and in spite of the girl’s entreaties to be allowed to die he dragged her to the fire escape. The delay almost proved fatal to them, for just as they reached the fire escape it collapsed. Only the reckless daring of the fire department saved them with many others from the fire-trapped building. Her champion found the man who had swindled her and forced him to return his ill-gotten money. On the midnight train that evening there returned to her country home a girl who had learned wisdom in a bitter school, and on the platform in the city as the train pulled out stood a young drummer who hoped it would not be long before he could claim the country girl as his bride.”

Summary from The Moving Picture World · 19 October 1912

What the papers said

3 reviews · 1 article

“One of the best fire effects seen in motion pictures is realized in this production, and the excitement is kept up to the fever point. The story is a simple one of a country girl who is lured to the city by an unscrupulous actor, who takes $50 from her for which he promises her an engagement on the stage. …

Read in full · 1 min

“One of the best fire effects seen in motion pictures is realized in this production, and the excitement is kept up to the fever point. The story is a simple one of a country girl who is lured to the city by an unscrupulous actor, who takes $50 from her for which he promises her an engagement on the stage. She applies at the theatre the next day, but the actor is unknown there. On returning to her hotel she is told to vacate the next day or pay her overdue bill. A fire breaks out that night and she is rescued by a guest, and thus she is later started back home.”

The Morning Telegraph · 10 November 1912

“This rather conventional story of the country girl who is lured to the city by a promise of stage employment winds up with a startlingly realistic fire scene. This has seldom been done more effectively. With Flo LaBadie and William Russell handling the leads the picture is assured of a good reception, as their work in this instance is very appealing.”

The Moving Picture World · 16 November 1912

More reviews

6 November 1912The New York Dramatic Mirror1 min

“A remarkably good film, excellently acted, with good scenes throughout. An ‘actor’ is ‘discovered’ walking the tracks homeward bound, and seeing a farmhouse applies for a drink. Here he meets a young girl, who is immediately impressed with his politeness, and he tells her that he is an actor. She asks him whether there is any chance of her getting on the stage. He replies that he will see, and later she receives a letter from him stating that it will cost her $50, and if she will let him have that amount in the hotel the next day he will see that she is ‘placed.’ They meet there and he receives the money, telling her to report at the theatre the following day, which she does, only to be told that there is no one at that place by the name she was given, and she realized she had been ‘stung.’ Later, when she is hard-pressed, a fire occurs at the hotel and she is unable to get out. A young drummer in the next room rescues her at the risk of his own life, and she goes back to the farm very penitent. Many fine scenes of the fire are shown and the work of the fire department in answering an alarm. Catching people in nets is also introduced. Altogether a very interesting film. The girl was played by Flo LaBadie, the drummer by William Russell, and the actor by Carl LeViness.”

Article

26 October 1912The New Rochelle Pioneer1 min

“The Little Theatre on Rose Street is crowded nightly by residents who enjoy the exceptionally fine moving pictures, shown daily. The Thanhouser pictures are of especial merit and create deep interest to all. A picture of special local interest to be shown at this house will be the reproduction of a fire which occurred on Rose Street some months ago and will be a Thanhouser production, the date for which will be November 8th.”

The next week, The Little Theatre advertised the film: “To-Day To-Day Only. A Great Thanhouser Drama. Through the Flames With Representatives of the Huguenot, Relief, and Enterprise Fire Companies.”

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Cast and crew

Cast
Carl Le Viness as the actor
Florence La Badie as the country girl lured to the stage
Relief
William Russell as the salesman

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

Watch instead

Films you can watch from the same company

Matched by cast, director and kind
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A frame from The Star of Bethlehem15:13
1912 · Same leadThe Star of Bethlehem
A frame from The Evidence of the Film13:40
1913 · Same castThe Evidence of the Film

More about this film

Filmed in
Some scenes were filmed at a fire set in an abandoned house in New Rochelle.
Bowers’ notes
  1. This film was originally scheduled for release on October 22, 1912, and numerous advertisements and trade schedules bore this date. When the release was rescheduled to November 8, 1912, certain of these schedules were not corrected. 2. The title was given as Thru the Flames in The Motion Picture Story Magazine, August 1913. This was typical of the “simplified” spelling used for certain words in that publication at the time.
Posters and media
Still for Through the Flames. Production still with Florence LaBadie and William Russell. Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

From Volume II: Filmography of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. Read the history of 1912 →

Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “Through the Flames”. thanhouser.org/films/through-the-flames/

Where a print is held

Held by
No print known