Volume II: Filmography Volume II: Filmography
James Cruze (L) in a scene from "The Mystery of the Ruby Coronet." Courtesy Clark Wilkinson (S-130)
a.k.a. THE RUBY CORONET
March 1, 1915 (Monday)
Length: 2 reels (Reels 29 and 30)
Note: The title, The Ruby Coronet, and a description of this episode were registered by the Copyright Office on March 19, 1915. Twenty-five prints of selected scenes were deposited on March 12, 1915.
SYNOPSIS, Reel Life, February 20, 1915:
"In spite of the temporary balking of her plans, as set forth in Episode 14, Madame Duval does not swerve from her design to get Zudora in her power. The clever adventuress has thus far kept most of the cards in her hands, as far as the control of Zudora's rich properties are concerned, but she knows that as long as the girl is at large, her hold on them is threatened. Thus, while her fertile mind is busy with many nefarious schemes, never for an instant does she relax from her main purpose.
"It happens that the band has learned of a wonderful ruby coronet, presented to a certain Mrs. Copeland, a wealthy society leader, as a birthday gift. This lady's jewels, long famous for their beauty and immense value, have already aroused the cupidity of the conspirators' chieftainess, and the knowledge that the collection has been augmented by this priceless ruby coronet makes her determine on a daring coup. Through the secret influence that she possesses in many widely separated classes of society, Madame Duval obtains an invitation for herself, Captain Radcliffe and Bruce to a birthday ball which Mrs. Copeland is planning to give. From a similar source she obtains the combination of that lady's private safe, where the jewels are wont to be kept.
"But the best laid plans are apt to go awry when other schemers are involved. Mrs. Copeland's maid and her butler also have designs on the jewels, and on the morning of the ball the former manages to get the combination of the safe for her confederate. In the evening, just as Captain Radcliffe and Bruce are about to inspect Mrs. Copeland's boudoir, they are disturbed by Hook, the butler, who is bent on the same mission.
"The conspirators are not aware of this, although Bruce suspects something. A night or two after the ball, Madame Duval directs her 'strong-arm' lieutenants, Bill and Ike, to steal the jewels from the hiding place, previously located by Captain Radcliffe and Bruce. But the worthy pair reach the house only in time to give chase to Hook, the unscrupulous butler, who disappears over the garden wall with the jewel-filled boxes, just as they appear on the scene. Unfortunately for him, he lands almost in the arms of Bruce, who is on watch, and after a short struggle the man is deprived of the proceeds of his crime.
"Meanwhile, the Copelands, returning from a late function at a friend's, discover the robbery, and Tom Hunt is called in to trace the thieves. With Jim Baird he sets out after Hook, toward whom suspicion points with deadly certainty, and the couple locate the butler in a nearby house. By a sensational leap from a second story window, however, their quarry eludes them, and they then turn their attention toward Bruce, whom they have reason to think has also had a hand in spiriting away the prized coronet. The trail leads them to the old Blaisdell mansion, a famous old house in a little frequented part of town.
"Before they reach it, however, Bruce has already come and secreted the stolen coronet behind a spreading pair of stag antlers that hang in the library of the old house. It has happened also, that Madame Duval, never neglecting a chance to make Zudora captive, has already planned to use the old house as a prison for her prey.
"Fortune favors this latest plan of the band's chieftainess, for Storm, motoring with Zudora, has an accident happen to his steering gear, his automobile becomes unmanageable and dashes into a tree, just as Madame Duval, Captain Radcliffe and Bruce, who have been trailing them, drive up. In the collision Zudora is thrown out, and Storm, frantically striving to restore her to consciousness, is only too glad to accept the proffered aid of Madame Duval, whom he does not recognize in the darkness. Without a moment's hesitation Storm lifts his inanimate sweetheart into Captain Radcliffe's car, and they drive off to the old Blaisdell mansion, where Storm carries her into the library and places her in a big Morris chair, while the others pretend to send for a doctor.
"As Storm stands solicitously beside the stunned girl, Bill and Ike steal noiselessly up behind him and pinion his arms. A moment later, in spite of his desperate struggles, he is borne away, leaving Zudora to her fate. But it is not to be for long. Baird and Hunt, suspecting Bruce of some hand in the robbery of the coronet, have trailed him to the house, and after a spectacular struggle they rescue Zudora and recover the much-sought coronet."
REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, March 13, 1915:
"In this two-reel installment Zudora and the conspirators are invited to a ball given by the Copelands. The conspirators plan to get the valuable coronet. The butler also has a similar intention. He steals the coronet, but Bruce gets it and hides it in a house. Zudora and Storm are lured there and made captives, but later released and the coronet recovered. This is an entertaining yarn, the none too convincing in places. The action is good, though the plot is of course not very new."
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Copyright © 1995 Q. David Bowers. All Rights Reserved.