Volume I: Narrative History

Chapter 7 (1914): Muriel and Boyd

Shadows and Sunshine, the Princess offering of December 18th, featured the Thanhouser Twins and Nolan Gane. Sid Nee's Finish, released on December 20th, was directed by Sidney Bracy, who took the title role of a Chinese laundryman. Then came Under False Colors on the 22nd, a two-reel film featuring Florence LaBadie, who had been preoccupied with the lead role in The Million Dollar Mystery and who in recent times had not appeared in regular releases. Her latest film received excellent reviews.

Muriel Ostriche had not appeared in Princess pictures for many months. In the meantime Boyd Marshall and others played opposite Mayre Hall and other actresses. Complaints poured into the studio from fans who had been accustomed to seeing Muriel and Boyd on the screen each Friday. In early December 1914 it was announced Note that she and Boyd would once again appear as a team in Princess films. The first such effort was The White Rose, screened on December 25th.

The joy of moviegoers was to be short-lived. On December 26th Wid Gunning reported the following in The Evening Mail:

Muriel Ostriche, the little beauty who has been playing leads in the Princess films, which were started to give her a brand to star in while Mr. C.J. Hite, the former owner of Thanhouser, was living, has handed in her notice and is considering other offers. Miss Ostriche will probably go to one of the big companies because she has really become a great favorite with the fans through her work at Thanhouser.

Miss Ostriche's departure from the New Rochelle concern is directly due to the failure of the first Zudora films to please. The director who had been producing the Princess brand was called over to handle the Zudora serial; and since Miss Ostriche's request that he be allowed to remain with her was not considered and she did not want to work under the new man coming in, she handed in her notice. Note The little Princess undoubtedly will be signed by another biz. concern before her "notice time" runs out, from negotiations now underway.

The Thanhouser Film Corporation closed out the year's releases with A Hatful of Trouble on December 27th, followed by Lucy's Elopement on the 29th.

The year 1914 was the most trying in the history of the Thanhouser Film Corporation. During the first half of the year the studio was riding a crest under the leadership of Charles J. Hite. Despite his involvement in many outside business activities, he earned the respect and admiration of his employees, The Million Dollar Mystery serial was launched with great success, and most other things went well. Then came Hite's death in an accident in August, after which the studio was managed for a short time by Lloyd F. Lonergan and then by Dr. W. Edgar Shallenberger and Dr. Addison E. Jones, investors in the corporation.

Under Shallenberger's direction the studio foundered, and such important people as Bert Adler and Lloyd F. Lonergan resigned as did a number of actors and actresses. Excerpts from an account in the New Rochelle Evening Standard, December 10, 1914, are typical of contemporary accounts revealing the dissatisfaction of Thanhouser employees:

Lloyd F. Lonergan, an old newspaperman who helped Mr. Thanhouser in his first efforts in the movie business and who has been with the concern continuously, having been made general supervising director of the entire combination controlled by the present Thanhouser Corporation, has gone to the Universal Film Corporation, New York City. He writes the scenarios for the Universal stars at a greatly increased salary.... Mrs. Lonergan, who has been film editor, has resigned also. She is one of the best film cutters in the business and hers was the final word as to the character of the finished film. If she found the cut and spliced film too short, it was her privilege to write extra scenes to fill in. She always worked in conjunction with her husband, but often made big cuts on her own initiative.... Charles Van Houten, head stage carpenter, has left to travel with the Klaw & Erlanger productions.... James Durkin, husband of Maude Fealy, who was a director, has resigned. Miss Fealy, who was one of the big Thanhouser stars, left some time ago and is starring with another big concern. Thomas [sic; Theodore was intended] Heise, chief of the laboratories, has resigned.... The extra people engaged for the great amount of work done during the summer and fall have left or are leaving....

The December 26th edition of the same newspaper carried more news in the same vein:

David H. Thompson has resigned as a member of the star cast of the Thanhouser Film Corporation and is to direct for the Box Office Attractions Company.... Miss Muriel Ostriche, one of the youngest leading women in movies, and for some time, was leading woman for the Princess Company, has resigned. So has Frederick Sullivan, one of the best directors and a scenario writer. Frank Woods, an actor, also has resigned.

Zudora, the highly publicized successor to The Million Dollar Mystery, proved to be a dismal failure. By year's end there was little joy at the New Rochelle studio.