Volume II: Filmography

ONE OF THE HONOR SQUAD

August 4, 1912 (Sunday)

Length: 1 reel (906 feet)

Character: Drama

Cast: William J. Gaynor (mayor of New York City; in a cameo role), David H. Thompson (the bandit), "10,000 New York policemen"

Location: New York City and New York Harbor

Notes: 1. This film was originally scheduled to be released on July 19, 1912, and after the date was changed to August 4, 1912, some trade notices erroneously bore the July 19, 1912 date. 2. Mayor Gaynor was an advocate of films and did much to advance the public's acceptance of the medium, in an era in which many citizens and organizations felt that motion pictures were a harmful influence. For his efforts, Gaynor received many favorable notices in The Moving Picture World and elsewhere. 3. The title was listed erroneously as The Honor Squad in The Moving Picture Story Magazine, July 1913.

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, August 3, 1912:

"While the country is going agog over the crooked policeman and his alleged connivance at gambling and murder, we spring this story of the honest copper, the one who attains the honor squad. Take your mind off police corruption and think, for a change, of police heroism. This picture points the way."

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, August 3, 1912:

"A young policeman, detailed on plainclothes duty, had a sweetheart, and they planned to get married as soon as he could save enough money to furnish a home. He was an honest, young policeman, and consequently he saved but slowly, and their wedding day seemed far off. When he reported at the station one day, the desk lieutenant called his attention to the fact that the French government had offered a $10,000 reward for the capture of one of the Paris auto bandits, who was believed hiding in New York. The policeman wistfully hoped that he might get the desperado and the reward, and took the newspaper which contained the criminal's picture and record, so that he might have something to refer to. He called upon his sweetheart that evening and showed her the account. Her little sister also looked at the picture and delighted the detective by telling him that she knew that man and he lived next door. They were sitting near an air shaft, and suddenly the girl pointed off excitedly, saying, 'There he is now.' The detective looked, and in the room across the court, the shade being down, he saw the silhouette of a man that answered the description of the desperado, preparing to leave the house.

"The detective was strong, fearless, and impulsive. Bravely he leaped across the air shaft, and climbed into the room, expecting to meet one man. To his surprise there were three. But he tackled them just the same, and when the reserves summoned by his frightened sweetheart arrived, the prisoners had been thoroughly subdued. Revolvers were found upon all of them and, in accordance with the rules of the New York police department, these weapons with all others confiscated were taken far out to sea and sunk. As an additional reward for his bravery, the detective was one of the squad assigned to take charge of the deep sea burial. Furthermore, for his bravery, he was awarded one of the department decorations, thereby becoming a member of the Honor Squad, a distinction to which every policeman strives to attain. This decoration was conferred upon him at the annual police parade where the mayor and other high officials did him and his associate hero's honor. The cash reward came to him also, and the detective married the girl he loved, but never forgot the debt of gratitude he owed her little sister."

REVIEW, The Morning Telegraph, August 4, 1912:

"Decidedly clever is the combination of two topical events of recent occurrence with the story herein unreeled. The annual police parade and the awarding of honor medals by the mayor and the burial at sea of the year's harvest of deadly weapons by the police department are the two events pictured as they actually occurred. An insert and quick shift in the scene, where the mayor pinned the medals on the breasts of the actual policemen to a supposed view of the same event but where the actors took the places of the city officials and police, giving the idea that the hero of the story is really one of the city's honor squad, calls for much praise in stage direction. It cements the events referred to with the story and closes the offering in splendid fashion. A young police lieutenant is engaged but feels he cannot marry until he has reached a higher stage in his profession. At the home of his sweetheart he is shown a newspaper picture and account of a Paris auto bandit at large in New York, a reward of $10,000 being offered for his capture. Across the court of the apartment can be seen a Frenchman preparing to make a sudden departure. He fits the description of the bandit and quickly the lieutenant climbs over the shaft and seizes him. He is attacked from behind by the man's pals, but beats them off until police arrive at the call of his sweetheart and her little sister. The trio of crooks are taken to the station and there a revolver is taken from the principal and tagged with a label, telling from whom it was taken. The throwing of the thousands of weapons from the police tug is next pictured, this revolver being shown among the many. Then the police parade is pictured and the review by the commissioner and mayor. The reward of the medal is presented to the hero as stated, as well as the check for $10,000. Very capably acted, exciting in the fight between the officer and the thugs, highly entertaining in every sense, this adds another record type of film to the long list of Thanhouser productions."

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, August 10, 1912:

"A play made to fit around some excellent pictures of the recent police parade. There is clever faking of a presentation of a medal of honor to the 'hero,' supposedly by Mayor Gaynor. An interesting side issue is the trip of the police boat down the bay for the purpose of dumping overboard the accumulated 'contraband of war,' consisting of knives, pistols, guns, etc. The reel did not so state, but the newspapers of the time did - the value of the hardware thrown to the fishes was $11,000."

REVIEW, The New York Dramatic Mirror, August 7, 1912:

"The story has here been woven around two topical events, one the police parade in New York City and the other the consigning to the ocean of the weapons found on criminals. A young detective is anxious to marry, but lack of funds prevents him until chance thrusts the opportunity into his hands. France offers a reward of $10,000 for the capture of an auto bandit, whose picture is published in the papers, and when the little sister of the detective's sweetheart sees the picture she recognizes it as the likeness of a strange man she has seen enter the next house. She tells the detective who, after a desperate struggle with the bandit and his two pals, effects the capture of all three. He gets the reward and is now in the position to marry the girl. Then comes the police parade, before which word is given out that Mayor Gaynor is to decorate two men, one of them the young detective. The spectator is now given the impression that the Mayor really decorates him by seeing the actual decoration of the real officer and then a flash in which is shown the pinning of a badge on the actor detective. But the object of the story is attained at any rate. The film was interesting on account of its parade and inspection of scenes and the dumping of a large number of revolvers and rifles into the ocean from the police boat."

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