Volume II: Filmography

THE TRUANT'S DOOM

November 24, 1912 (Sunday)

Length: 1 reel

Character: Drama

Cast: Marie Eline (Tim, the truant little boy), Mignon Anderson (his mother), Jean Darnell (his teacher)

Notes: 1. The November 23, 1912 issue of The Moving Picture News carried a story by Virginia West, based upon an expansion of the scenario of this film. 2. Some notices transposed the roles of Mignon Anderson and Jean Darnell.

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, November 23, 1912:

"Oh, you did it yourself when you were a kid - played hooky from school - and maybe you had just as thrilling a dream. Likely you were 'pinched,' locked up in jail, effected your escape, was recaptured and - oh, had a wonderful time! It's the stuff that dreams are made of."

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture News, November 16, 1912:

"Tommy was vigorously opposed to the idea of going to school. It was just the right season of the year to play (any season is that for the average healthy boy), but his arguments failed to impress his mother, and Tommy was led to the Temple of Education, figuratively an unwilling captive. More experience in the classroom intensified his unfavorable impression. He stood it for a few days, then determined to rebel and, instead of going to school with the other boys, he played 'hookey,' and hied himself to where he knew there was good fishing. He was happy for a while, then weariness asserted itself, and he fell asleep. Perhaps the voice of conscience had a chance to be heard. Anyway, Tommy had a most frightful dream. He imagined that cruel constables were placed upon his trail by a stern teacher, that he was captured in spite of his frantic efforts to escape, and led to court, where all reviled him. Even his own mother disowned him, as he was led away to a felon's cell and garbed in the striped uniform of shame. In his dream he and another convict, a big, coarse, brutal man, escaped in the most daring fashion, but the bloodhounds of the law relentlessly took up the chase, overtook their prey at the banks of a river, and the trembling schoolboy was shot to death. He was extremely happy to wake up a few moments later and find he was still alive. In his gratitude he decided never to play truant again, and, rushing to school, demanded sums, hard sums to do, and he did them."

REVIEW, The Morning Telegraph, December 1, 1912:

"This dream story should teach all little boys never to play hookey from school. A youthful hero goes fishing and falls asleep on the bank of a stream. He then dreams all sorts of horrible things, in which he is made a prisoner, escapes from his cell, is chased and recaptured and at last shot for his evil doings. He awakes to find it a dream and resolves never again to attempt running away from school."

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, December 7, 1912:

"The Thanhouser Kid is, as everyone has remarked again and again, a most remarkable little player. She certainly is a great help when poetic child-life pictures are being made, such as this. The Thanhouser company has made other good ones even without Marie Eline, but in this her sincere and earnest picturing of the truant boy who dreams a heartbreaking dream of prison, and so runs back to school, gives just the impression desired. It was an impression, too, that it would have been made easy to overdo or to fall short in. The boy's mother is played by Mignon Anderson, and Jean Darnell plays the teacher. Both have reason to be cross with the boy, and both handle the situation with a delicate sense of preparation and with skill. It makes a very pleasing release and good entertainment."

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