Volume II: Filmography

PROPOSAL BY PROXY

August 3, 1913 (Sunday)

Length: 1 reel (460 feet for this segment) (split with The Two Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Landing of the Huguenots at New Rochelle at the end)

Character: Comedy

Cast: Harry Benham (the shy suitor), Mignon Anderson (his sweetheart), Helen Badgley (the little sister), Mrs. Lawrence Marston

Notes: 1. This film was shown on April 12, 1913, far in advance of the regular release date, during a Saturday night benefit held by the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League, for Ohio and Indiana flood victims. The event was held at the 69th Regiment Armory, New York City. An estimated 5,000 attended to see pictures screened by various film companies. 2. The name of John Hinton was used later in the May 6, 1917 Thanhouser film, Hinton's Double.

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, August 16, 1913:

"His business rivals found him to be bold and assertive, but the girl he loved decided he was the most bashful creature in the world. She knew he was terribly fond of her, and she also knew that he had tried to propose to her, but somehow he never was able to say the words which she was eager to answer with 'yes.' The young man knew his failing, and tried to overcome it. Finally, deciding that he could not say what he wanted, he proposed in writing. His ill luck pursued him, for the letter came back, he having failed to address it. Then he tried the telephone, and has hated the central girls ever since. Last of all he enlisted his charmer's baby sister as an ally and this time his efforts were crowned with success. Still it must be admitted that things did not run as smoothly as he had anticipated. The proposal was made under such unique circumstances that a man of courage would have fled, but this particular man won out because anger drove his bashfulness away and for once he was assertive in love, thereby winning the girl of his choice."

REVIEW, The New York Dramatic Mirror, August 13, 1913:

"Jack becomes tongue-tied every time he tries to propose to the girl he loves. He proposes by letter, but the missive is returned with the postmark 'Unfound.' He tries to telephone and gets the wrong number, an old maid at the other end accepting him promptly, but eager to know who it is. At last he gives his sweetheart's little sister a nickel to pop the question for him. The child does so in the presence of a lot of company, and Jack becomes so angry that he forgets his bashfulness, turns the trick himself, and is accepted. A clever little story, done with animation and well photographed. The actor playing the part of Jack is very good indeed. A half-reel subject."

MODERN SYNOPSIS

(from surviving print)

(Library of Congress)

The first frame notes that the British Board of Film Censors in London has passed the film for exhibition.

HE MEANS TO PROPOSE, BUT IS TOO BASHFUL.

A maid opens the door and Jack walks in. He enters a parlor and sees the little girl (who then sits on his lap) and her sister, his sweetheart. (The relationship between the older and younger girl is not indicated, and a viewer might assume the little girl, an infant, is the daughter of the elder one.)

His sweetheart and the little girl go away, after which Jack pauses and takes from his pocket a little case containing a diamond ring.

The screen now shows a close-up of his hand holding the diamond ring.

His sweetheart returns and Jack quickly tucks the sparkling band in his pocket. He then runs out of the room and out of the building without showing her the ring. Apparently he was too shy to propose. He then goes to his office. On the office wall a calendar indicates that it is the 5th of the month.

He is now in the office, and he takes his seat at a roll-top desk and looks puzzled and upset that he didn't have the bravery to propose. He then composes in handwriting the following letter:

"Beloved one:-

"In your presence my tongue is tied. Will you marry me?

"Devotedly,

"Jack Hinton"

He puts the letter in an envelope at his desk, licks it, reaches in the drawer for a stamp, and affixes postage. He leaves the office and posts the letter in a mailbox on the side of the building, while at the same time he extracts from his pocket the box with the ring and looks at it furtively.

THE NEXT DAY

The scene opens at the office. Jack is writing. (Jack's "bold and assertive" nature in business, mentioned in the official synopsis of the film, is not evident at any time.) On the office wall the calendar indicates that is is now the 7th of the month (a technical error, for the day before "the next day" the calendar indicated the 5th). He is busy writing something at his desk when an associate in his office comes in and hands him his mail, which consists of a number of envelopes.

He looks through the envelopes, and after passing by several, finds an envelope that bears his return address: John Hinton, 609 Union Trust Building, New York City. (It is postmarked New Rochelle, New York, March 31st at 10:30 a.m., 1913 - a technical detail observable by freezing the frame and studying the image; it would not have been noticed by a viewer of the film in a theatre years ago.) He had forgotten to address the envelope, and a rubber-stamped hand-shaped notice says "Return to Sender."

He then pounds his fists on the table, tears the letter into several shreds and throws it on the floor, and very disconsolately puts his head on his elbow and on the desk, very frustrated. Then he has an idea. A smile comes to his face, he lifts the receiver from the telephone, and makes a call.

Next is a close-up view of the face of a girl at the other end of the line who is hearing this (as given in the following subtitle):

"SWEETHEART, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

He speaks excitedly into the telephone. Apparently he has the wrong number because now the subtitle indicates her affirmative but puzzled answer (as given in the following subtitle):

"YES. WHO ARE YOU?"

The screen shows a girl with her hair up in paper curlers, an unattractive, older woman speaking into the phone. In a close-up of her face she is smiling as she hears the romantic words of her unknown caller (as given in the following subtitle):

"EXCUSE ME. WRONG NUMBER."

A close-up is shown of Jack's head with the telephone receiver to his ear. He becomes angry upon realizing his embarrassing error. The film then cuts to a close-up of the lady in curlers also becoming upset and hanging the phone up in disgust.

Then the scene goes back to Jack, showing him still upset. He takes a handkerchief and mops his frowning face, puts the handkerchief back in his pocket and with resolve pounds his fist on the desk, gets up and puts his hat on and leaves the room. As he goes out into the street he takes from his pocket the familiar small box, opens it up and looks at the ring.

He then goes to the apartment building in which his sweetheart lives, and as he is about to enter he sees his beloved and her infant sister approach. Apparently shy in anticipation of the encounter, he turns, goes back and greets them on the front sidewalk. As the older sister stands near the arched brick door, Jack turns away from her and shows the infant young girl the ring box with the ring in it and explains his strategy to her and hands her a small object.

The little girl goes with her big sister into the house as Jack goes down the street.

THAT NIGHT HIS SWEETHEART GIVES A DANCE

The scene is of people being welcomed into the parlor. Guests arrive and his sweetheart greets them. Jack comes in, shakes her hand and hurries off, apparently to another area of the apartment. Other people come in and are greeted. The scene shifts to the little sister asleep in bed on a pillow with a doll next to her. She rubs her eyes and sits up in bed. The scene then cuts back to the parlor, where eight or nine guests are seated in a circle, applauding a violin soloist.

The scene then shifts back to the little sister, who carries her doll and runs away from the bed through a door. The scene then goes back to the people applauding in the parlor. Little sister in her nightshirt comes running into the midst of guests, goes up to her older sister and says:

"JACK GAVE ME A NICKEL TO ASK YOU TO MARRY HIM."

Suddenly all the other guests stop applauding and look at the sweetheart and listen to her little sister talk to her. The partygoers think the nickel bribe is hilarious, and Jack becomes very embarrassed.

ANGER CURES HIM OF BASHFULNESS.

The scene now shows the sweetheart facing the camera, looking downward, her hands clasped. The little sister and the guests laugh as they watch Jack open the ring case and throw the ring box to the floor, take the ring out, and with new resolution take his sweetheart's left hand and place the ring on it. He kisses her hand with the ring on it. The girl smiles. The two lovers embrace. The assembled guests realize that Harry has triumphed over his shyness, and as next order of business they congratulate him.

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