Volume II: Filmography Volume II: Filmography
(Princess)
July 3, 1914 (Friday)
Length: 1 reel (1,018 feet)
Character: Drama
Scenario: Philip Lonergan
Cast: Charles Horan (John Henderson [or Mr. Vincent]), Marie Rainford (his wife), Virginia Waite (Jane Phelps, their distant relative, a widow), Muriel Ostriche (her daughter Muriel, who becomes a decoy), Morgan Jones (a millionaire), Boyd Marshall (Boyd, a businessman, Muriel's lover), John Reinhard
Note: Trade publicity gave Charles Horan's role as that of John Henderson, but in the film the role name is stated in a subtitle as Mr. Vincent (as seen in a print preserved by The National Film Archive, London). The card sharpers' home was Cleveland, Ohio, per a newspaper clipping reproduced in the film.
SYNOPSIS, Reel Life, July 4, 1914:
"John Henderson and his wife are card sharpers who spend their time traveling on trains for the purpose of fleecing salesmen and others who while away the time playing poker and other games of chance. They have a distant relative who lives in a small country town, a widow with one daughter, Muriel. Upon the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, Muriel comes to New York. Her remarkable beauty gives the Hendersons an idea. Furnishing Muriel with beautiful clothes they use her as a decoy to attract wealthy men to their apartments, where the visitors invariably are fleeced at the gaming table. Muriel is kept in ignorance of the dangerous game which her relatives are playing, and even when the Hendersons, hard pressed by the police, are forced to leave town she is told nothing of their plans. The Hendersons flee to the seashore where, at a large hotel, they pursue their former double life.
"Muriel meets Boyd, a young business man, at a seaside resort and falls in love with him. The young man is invited to meet the Hendersons and loses heavily to them at cards. He tells Muriel of his losses and Muriel, horrified to learn the role she has played in the past, realizes for the first time that the relatives for whom she cherished so much regard were merely unscrupulous gamblers. She denounces them, as a detective is about to place all three under arrest. Muriel establishes her innocence with Boyd's help. The Hendersons are convicted and sentenced and Muriel weds the man of her choice."
REVIEW, The Bioscope, October 22, 1914:
"A sufficiently pretty little love story interwoven with the tale of some cardsharpers' misdeeds. It is developed very rapidly and not made so much of as would have been possible with the addition of an extra reel to the film, but it is quite a good play in miniature."
# # #
Copyright © 1995 Q. David Bowers. All Rights Reserved.