Volume II: Filmography

DIVORCE AND THE DAUGHTER

(Pathé Exchange)

December 3, 1916 (Sunday)

Length: 5 reels

Character: Drama; Pathé Gold Rooster Play

Director: Frederick Sullivan

Scenario: Agnes Christine Johnston

Cameraman: Charles Wilbur Hoffman

Cast: Florence LaBadie (Alicia), J.H. Gilmour (the father), Edwin Stanley (Dr. John Osborne), Kathryn Adams (Mrs. Cameron), Samuel Niblack (Herbert Rawlins), Zenaide Williams (the mother), Ethelmary Oakland and Arthur LeVien (children), Eugene Walter (participant in ballroom scene), Lydia Mead

Notes: 1. Philip Lonergan may have assisted with the scenario. 2. This film was completed during the first week of October 1916.

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, December 2, 1916:

"This five-reel Gold Rooster Play tears the romance from the 'Soul Mate' and drives a lesson home in a dramatic story most ably presented."

ARTICLE, The Morning Telegraph, October 8, 1916:

"Florence LaBadie was almost lost to the Thanhouser Film Corporation a few nights ago when night scenes were being made for Divorce and the Daughter.... Miss LaBadie was supposed to be fleeing half insane down a dark road when she is found by Edwin Stanley, who is motoring along the road. Frederick Sullivan, the director, rehearsed the scene in which Miss LaBadie was to stagger out in front of the car. When the take came Miss LaBadie staggered too far and was knocked down by the car. Director, cameraman, and actors rushed to her assistance. 'Pshaw!' Miss LaBadie cried out as she was pulled out from under the car. 'Why didn't you take it?'"

ARTICLE, The New Rochelle Pioneer, November 4, 1916:

"While Florence LaBadie was making a scene for Divorce and the Daughter, she was accidentally knocked down by Edwin Stanley's motorcar. Perhaps you think Director Frederick Sullivan and his cameraman rushed to her assistance, neglecting a chance to get a startling scene. You're right. They did. For a star is more precious than a thrill, especially when the thrill is incongruous to your story."

ARTICLE, The Moving Picture World, November 11, 1916:

"Divorce and the Daughter, Florence LaBadie's next Pathé Gold Rooster play, is nearing completion at the Thanhouser studios and will be released early in December. The story, by Agnes C. Johnston, is a powerful study of the causes and effects of an unhappy home. Florence LaBadie plays the daughter of parents whose love for each other is dying. Frederick Sullivan, the director, has staged beautiful scenes as well as strong ones, and Miss Johnston has embellished her story with delicate human touches. Miss LaBadie makes the most of a strong emotional part. She is supported by an excellent cast, including Edwin Stanley, J.H. Gilmour, Samuel Niblack, Kathryn Adams, Zenaide Williams, and two talented children, Ethelmary Oakland and Arthur LeVien."

ARTICLE, The Moving Picture World, December 2, 1916:

"Divorce and the Daughter is a play by Agnes C. Johnston, based on the ideas of 'free' marriage advanced by the modernist. Miss LaBadie plays a girl whose parents find that the old, tried and true marriage is a failure. Seeking happiness, she turns to a man who preaches of the 'marriage' advanced by his cult. She finds, almost too late, that the old way is best. The story is a strong arraignment of some of the so-called 'advanced thinkers,' who would disrupt the home by their unwholesome ideas of 'freedom'...."

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, December 9, 1916:

"At the story's beginning a family receives an inheritance, not a large one, but great enough for them to leave their crowded city and flat and move to the country, where they foresee the opportunity to fulfill their long-cherished dreams; the father to paint pictures that are not mere 'potboilers,' and the mother and daughter to expand their ideals of home hitherto bound by the close confines of their meager means. But their sky, instead of brightening with their good fortune, becomes cloudy. Dissatisfaction leads to disillusionment and a broken home. Your heart goes out to the daughter, who is made the innocent victim of 20th-century ethics and who, suffering one disillusion after another, decides to take the step that nearly results in tragedy."

REVIEW, The Chicago News, January 11, 1917:

"One thought a spectator carries away with him after attending Thanhouser's play, Divorce and the Daughter, is that marriage as an institution stifles ambition. But on contemplation this does not ring true in the light of the experience of numerous men in commercial and artistic life who attained success only after they acquired helpmates, many of whom aided in their husbands' progress and triumphs. Somewhere on Madison Street hideous and sensational placards beckon passersby to enter the portals of a cinema emporium to witness the unfolding of the above named play. And those who yielded to the lure of the vague references to the play decorating the entrance observed derision cast on conventionalities, a gradual severance of family ties, and an unwarranted attack upon a defenseless young woman by a social parasite. Divorce and the Daughter sounds a warning to unsophisticated young women who listen to the whisperings of sinister persons. It has been crudely constructed and its important points have been buried beneath a maze of morbid domestic discord. It leaves an important subject unexplained. A man enjoying single life who chances to attend this entertainment wonders whether marriage does interrupt a man's progress. Through the mire of unpleasantness the refreshing personality of Florence LaBadie makes its way. Sometimes it appears as if the story is as repugnant to the actress as it will be to many who chance to see it. Miss LaBadie, however, strives sincerely to uplift it."

REVIEW, Exhibitor's Trade Review, December 9, 1916:

"One noteworthy feature which will appeal to the motion picture patrons is its simplicity and its true to life ideals. The home life and the happiness of the family, until the entrance upon the scene of the pleasure loving widow, is all told with a force that is appealing. The plot moves quite slowly at the beginning, but gradually hits a quicker pace until an interesting climax concludes the picture. Very clear photography and an intelligent use of close-ups likewise add impressiveness to the picture. This release should prove an attraction for any house which caters to the 'family' clientele or to any theatre whose patrons desire pictures and stories that teach a moral. Florence LaBadie, the heroine and the star, should also prove a very strong drawing card. Her work is exceptionally pleasing as the young girl who loves her home above all else and her dramatic abilities are brought into play with very good results in some very tense scenes in the final reel of the photoplay. Kathryn Adams, as the widow, presents a vampire characterization that is not overdrawn, as is usually done in screen types of this kind. The work of the male members of the cast, with the exception of J.H. Gilmour as the father, proved too stiff and formal. By keeping well in the minds of your patrons that this is a problem play dealing with the divorce question, with a strong moral value and likewise the fact that Florence LaBadie is seen in a part that is suited to her dramatic gifts, you should find little difficulty in filling your house with satisfied customers."

REVIEW by Agnes Smith, The Morning Telegraph, November 19, 1916:

"Florence LaBadie's ability to create a living, breathing and thinking character combined with Agnes Johnston's faculty of writing an unexaggerated and human story of everyday life makes this feature one well worth seeing. It is a sensitive study of a girl whose faith in the sanctity of marriage is destroyed when she learns that her father and mother whom she has always believed to be ideally happy are planning a divorce. Her disillusionment leaves her susceptible to the high-sounding arguments of a free love advocate. It takes a disagreeable experience and a near tragedy to prove to the girl the falsity of the man's reasoning, but in the end we find her happily engaged to the nice, commonplace suitor who has loved her all along. Miss Johnston's story is not a big one nor a pretentious one, but it is sincere in its theme and delicate in its character drawing; she writes with a real feeling for family life. The climax, which comes when the villain locks the girl in his apartment, is pretty much like other pictures, but the developments which lead up to it show originality of plot and genuineness of purpose. Miss LaBadie's acting is both intelligent and sympathetic, and other members of the cast behave very much like human beings. The direction is decidedly good."

REVIEW by Laurence M. Reid, Motion Picture Mail, November 18, 1916:

"Divorce and the Daughter, is a sort of preachment on the ever-increasing laxity in the modern home today, a picture teeming with dramatic instinct and suspense, a poignancy, a fresh observation and a directness that are admirable. While it illustrates the weakness of the family nest, we sincerely hope it does not represent the average but the exceptional. It is a sort of an undergraduate eternal triangle, not quite fully matured, but which in its embryonic state is potent nevertheless. Here we have a family eking out an existence on a meager income in a representative city, when fortune favors them in the guise of a legacy which is sufficiently large to maintain them in a moderate nouveau riche manner without the exaggerated and pseudo culture that usually accompanies that class of people. It is a family of dreamers, each intent on some particular hobby - the father to stimulate his latent ability in painting, the mother and daughter to cultivate and foster a real home atmosphere. In fact, the fundamental motive of the entire family is to seek new ideals and cherish them in the open country.

"We find them fully established in a manor house dangerously near an artists' colony, with their broad conceptions of live and love. One night an elaborate carnival takes place at the colony, to which our friends are invited. The father facetiously renews his youth, becoming again impressionable through the ensnaring coyness of a siren whose only intention is to entice the old man from his family and thus gain his sudden wealth. Meanwhile, what of the family? Are they, too, intoxicated, swept away with this newly found environment and freedom? Not entirely. We see the daughter in a budding romance with the unmarried and eligible young doctor next door, displaying all the coyness of her sex in keeping him in suspense. He fairly radiates anxiety. He has a rival, too, in Herbert Rawlins, an artist and waster from the adjacent colony. Whether the artist inculcates in the girl a desire to explore the chameleon depths of his soul or whether the fascination of the specie is entirely analogous to her desire to entertain a new type of being is difficult to explain. However, he is confidant of his powers of seduction, and the girl represents youth and innocence, something not encountered in his artistic circles.

"Meanwhile, events have reached a climax. The siren is safely ensconced at opportune times in the old man's home with the apparent object of taking art lessons, but with the real intention of skirting as near a liaison as possible, when the dam bursts. The mother, noticing her husband's growing indifference, suddenly confronts teacher and pupil in one another's arms, and forthwith divorce is broached. The father had outgrown his environment and wanted a bigger outlook, a new freedom, a new love. Meanwhile, the daughter, harboring the same belief as her father, and enraptured with Rawlins, who, knowing his game well and how to play it, made an appointment with her at his quarters. Innocently and unwittingly the girl falls into his trap, whereupon he attempts to dishonor her. In fear she hits him with a heavy object, apparently killing him, and makes her escape. The episode becoming known in the community, the doctor, whose hope still smolders, hastens to her aid and brings her safely home, though suffering from shock and wounded pride. Her father, entirely upset by the near tragedy, and realizing the error of his ways, amends matters and the doctor wins a successful courtship. This, briefly, is the moving history of the plot. The picture presents a powerful appeal, showing as it does the many pitfalls and dangers to which the home is heir. It is graphically developed, embodying situations of intense interest. Florence LaBadie as Alicia played the daughter with delightful naturalness and charm. Edwin Stanley gave to the role of Dr. Osborne a manly, convincing characterization, and J.H. Gilmour was forceful as the father. The photography maintained a high standard, as did the direction."

REVIEW by Edward Weitzel, The Moving Picture World, December 2, 1916:

"The theme of Divorce and the Daughter, the five-reel Pathé Gold Rooster Play featuring Florence LaBadie, is handled with excellent effect. A young girl's ideals are shattered by the conduct of her father, who decides to give his wife grounds for divorce in order that he may wed another woman. The entire family narrowly escapes moral shipwreck, but his daughter's danger brings the man to his senses. Save for one extraneous instant, the introduction of the betrayed maiden - the material employed in telling the story is well adapted to his purpose. The opening scenes show the beauty of congenial home life, and the dramatic qualities of the remaining reels are shown upon the screen in strong relief. Florence LaBadie is earnest and capable as the heroine, and J.H. Gilmour is equal to all demands as the father. The uniformly competent cast includes the names of Sam Niblack, Edwin Stanley, Zenaide Williams, Ethelmary Oakland, and Arthur LeVien. The picture was made by Thanhouser and is well produced."

REVIEW, Variety, November 17, 1916: This review is reprinted in the narrative section of the present work.

REVIEW, Wid's Film and Film Folk, November 23, 1916:

"While this is far from being a big offering it has some good underlying thoughts and will undoubtedly prove rather interesting to most audiences because it presents a discussion of several angles of divorce. This story is so constructed as to provide a contrast between the father and mother and the daughter, the daughter's faith in the success of marriage being shaken at a critical moment when she finds that her father and mother are not happy. The daughter had two lovers, one of whom wished to marry her, while the other told of the wonderful freedom of love which didn't need fetters. Fearing that the bonds of marriage might bring unhappiness, the girl decided to go to the man who spoke of free love. After going to his home she soon found that he was unwilling to wait the six months which she asked as a sort of engagement period. In the struggle which ensued the villain was injured, and the daughter hurried to her home, where she found that her parents had been brought together by the realization of the fact that their estrangement had caused the near tragedy in their child's life. While the actual situations of this were decidedly an accident, their relative importance to the divorce theme made the story rather interesting. The moral will undoubtedly impress many.

"Unfortunately, the supporting cast was rather weak, this being particularly true as to the work of the father, who was painfully theatric. This part was played by J.H. Gilmour, and he was so camera-conscious that all of his scenes were ruined by his gestures, and none of the others were unable to play smoothly, with the result that their scenes didn't impress.

"There were many close-ups of Miss LaBadie which were were intelligently handled and well-lighted, and her performance lifted the offering out of the rut. We also had a number of very effective lightings, which added a distinction. There was one beautiful sunset which caused a few 'Ah's!' and 'Oh's!' even though it was not properly matched with the other lightings. Others in the cast were Edwin Stanley, Sam Niblack, Kathryn Adams, Zenaide Williams, Ethelmary Oakland, and Arthur LeVien.

"The Box Office Angle: There is a chance to stir up quite a bit of discussion with this offering, because of the subject. It is quite possible that you can do considerable business with this if you will exploit it properly. The film is far from one that might be called a really worth-while feature, but it is good enough to get by nicely, and the chances are good you will not have many kicks about the film if you will intelligently center their attention on the underlying theme. Concentrate most of your advertising ammunition upon the question of whether or not divorce is a good institution. Say that this story deals with the problems of marriage, free love and divorce. That certainly should sound interesting enough to attract most anyone and, sure enough, the story does talk about the three institutions. The title itself is rather a good one for the box office, and I believe it would be advisable to forget to promise anything specific as to the power of the story or the ability of the players and devote all of your space to telling about the moral problems which are discussed...."

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