Volume II: Filmography

STANDING ROOM ONLY

December 1, 1912 (Sunday)

Length: 1 reel

Character: Comedy

Cast: Mignon Anderson (the cook), William Garwood (her lover)

Notes: 1. This subject was designated as a drama in some notices. 2. In some listings, an exclamation point appeared at the end of the title.

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, November 30, 1912:

"A tale of a jail and a girl, of cooking good and cooking bad. You will laugh! Laugh! Laugh! When the sheriff hangs up the 'Standing Room Only' sign you'll fairly scream! It is one of those funny films that make the Thanhouser Sunday release famous as a comedy issue."

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, November 30, 1912:

"There are murmurs of indignation in a quiet little country jail, because the cooking was so bad and the table service much below that in vogue at the majority of penal institutions. The sheriff was a kind-hearted old man, and when the prisoners went to him with their sorrows he promised to rectify matters, and he did. The old warden was dismissed in disgrace and in his place another villager was chosen, not on account of his own abilities, but because his daughter was a most wonderful cook. She made an instantaneous hit in the jail. People absolutely fought for a chance to be locked up, and the sheriff's heart swelled with pride one day when the warden was compelled to hang the 'standing room only' sign at the front door. It was a happy jail for several months, and then the crash came. One morning the fair cook vanished, leaving a note in which she said that the jail was so popular she was overworked, so that she had decided to marry the man she loved. What could self-respecting prisoners do under such circumstances? Wrathfully they went to their cells and gathered up their belongings; determinedly they marched out, never to return; and reproachfully they glared at the unhappy warden who stood on the front steps, vainly trying to appease them. The warden watched them with anguish as they filed out of sight. Then he took down the 'standing room only' sign and tore it into bits."

REVIEW, The Morning Telegraph, December 8, 1912:

"Few comedies are more laughable than this, the plot of which may perhaps have been suggested by a vaudeville act which was a headliner for some seasons. It pictures an ideal prison. In the commencement of the farce the prisoners at the town jail complain to the sheriff of the county of the poor food and service. Accordingly he discharges the warden and places another in the position whose sole qualifications lie in the ability of his daughter to cook well. Soon the jail is the most popular place in town. It is crowded to the doors and the sheriff is obliged to place an 'S.R.O.' sign in front of it. Then misery comes once again, for the daughter of the warden marries and leaves the jail. The prisoners rise in wrath, pack their belongings, and march off in a body. As an exaggeration of real life observed farcically it makes one of the most amusing comedies recently released."

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, December 14, 1912:

"Here is a humorous conceit of an interesting character. A farmer is elected keeper of the jail and his daughter proves such a good cook that all the tramps of the vicinity make an effort to be arrested. The jail is soon overcrowded, but the girl is induced to leave, and the next morning there is no breakfast. The prisoners immediately yearn for freedom. Pictorially good."

REVIEW, The New York Dramatic Mirror, December 4, 1912:

"In a quiet, rustic little jail there were murmurs of indignation over the cooking - bad cooking. The sheriff, being of a gentle disposition, went to the prisoners and informed then that he would seek to rectify matters, and he did. The old warden was dismissed and another villager was retained in his place. But the new warden was hired, not for his own qualifications, but for those of his daughter. She was a renowned cook and she was induced to put her art into practice for the peace of the county. Consequently the jail became famous and people fought for admittance. Business thrived for several months, until one evening - an eventful evening - when the girl slipped out and fled with her lover to be married and exercise her gifts for him alone. Aside for the short note she left, the father found himself alone. Breakfast must be served and he served it. There arose a mighty roar. The prisoners demanded to know the reason for the sudden departure, and when informed that the cook had left they proceeded to leave also, through the front door. As a comedy the picture fails to induce any undue amount of laughter. As a burlesque it might have succeeded very well if the burlesque spirit had been strictly maintained. Occasionally one is forced to smile at some outlandish situation that is outlandish in itself and not through any effort of the director or players."

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