The story revolves around a westerner named Sam Brockton. The hero becomes disillusioned with frontier life. He sells his ranch, making him an instant millionaire. He moves to the city, seeking a new way of life, but soon becomes disenchanted with his life's choices. A fortuitous event presents itself, and he meets a beautiful young heiress, Grace Darling. They immediately fall in love.
Meanwhile, he unwittingly becomes entangled with a gang of swindlers who plot to separate him from his wealth. The crook's machinations take twists and turns until culminating in a dramatic confrontation at the Darling mansion. Brockton enters a climatic knock-down-drag-out brawl with the scammers. The police show up in the nick of time, haul the criminals to jail and restore the peace. The hero has prevailed, gets the girl, and they live happily ever after.
The film was released on November 13, 1916, by Universal.[1][2]
Sam Brockton owns a ranch but has become disenchanted with frontier life. He sells his property and moves to New York. While driving in the country, Brockton encounters a car with a blown tire. He pulls up and offers to help. While changing the tire, Brockton catches his first glimpse of young Agnes Darling. When the front tire blew, the beautiful heiress and her father were traveling to town from their summer retreat. Brockton is smitten, and she seems interested in him. After completing the repairs, the Darlings thanked Brockton and drove away.
Olga Veloski and Howard Dana are two local Шаблон:Dfn passing the time on a hotel veranda. They witness Darling's mishap. The pair are aware of Darling's and Brockton's wealth. The swindlers know local millionaires shutter their homes and head to the country in the Summer. Knowing Darling's mansion is unoccupied, the crooks plan a Шаблон:Dfn. After Darling's drive away, Olga approaches the love-struck Brockton. She weaves a story about her good friend Agnes Darling. Olga claims Agnes is stopping by her home tomorrow. Olga tells Brockton she could introduce the heiress to him. Brockton readily agrees.
The next day, the Шаблон:Dfn arrive at the unoccupied Darling mansion, followed by Brockton. Olga makes excuses for Agnes's delay and then suggests they play poker while they wait. Sam agrees, and the schemers bilk Brockton out of a large sum of money. However, he hands the fraudsters a Шаблон:Dfn. During their Шаблон:Dfn, Olga notices Brockton's resemblance to an acquaintance named Dippy Lewis.
Shortly after finishing their con game, the Darlings appear at their mansion. They find a bewildered Brockton and believe he is a burglar. Brockton clarifies what transpired while Olga and Dana hide. The Darlings feel sorry for Brockton and invite him to join them at a mountain hotel. The swindlers hear the invitation and then make their escape. After their departure, Olga recalls how a Dippy bore such a close resemblance to Brockton. The swindlers join their friend "Dippy Lewis" and dream up a new plan to have Dippy impersonate Brockton. Their idea is to send Dippy to the hotel in Brockton's place to woo Agnes Darling while believing she will fall in love and marry him.
Dippy arrives at the hotel. Although Dippy has an uncouth manner about him, he begins his courtship. Agnes tells Dippy she has arranged for them to go horseback riding. After a while, Agnes observes he can barely ride a horse. She has doubts about his background story of life on the frontier—utterly discouraged, Dippy returns to the lodge.
After his arrival, Dippy Шаблон:Dfn many of the guests of their valuables. When the guests notice the missing items, they call the police. The police show up and investigate while the thieves gather their loot and escape.
Olga needs to ensure the real Brockton does not appear at the hotel while Dippy runs his Шаблон:Dfn. Olga instructs her gang to chloroform the real Brockton, then dispose of him in a cellar. Dippy turns up at the wrong time, and they chloroform Dippy instead. Unbeknownst to the crooks, the real Brockton has already departed for the hotel.
The real Brockton arrives at the hotel unaware of previous events. Still bothered about his poor manners and horsemanship, Agnes coldly greets him. The dejected Brockton is about to leave when he sees a couple of horses. He soothes the animals and then takes one for a short ride. Besides demonstrating his riding skills, it amazed Agnes how gentlemanly he had become. Agnes renews her interest in Brockton.
Brockton is on the verge of proposing to Agnes when he sees Olga and Dana. The con artists, believing Brockton is Dippy, encourage him to propose marriage to Agnes. Brockton proposes, and Agnes promises to marry him. Still thinking Brockton is Dippy, the hustlers discuss how they will divide the stolen loot. Agnes overhears this conversation and becomes exasperated. She confronts Brockton and invites him to meet her in the city, where they will straighten out this mess.
After Agnes leaves, Brockton berates the miscreants while claiming ignorance about their caper. Olga realizes this Brockton is not Dippy. Agnes and Olga return to the city on the same train, where Olga believes she hears Agnes planning an elopement. Once in the town, Olga knows she must quickly locate Dippy. Olga finds a trapped Dippy and releases him. She tells him to hurry to the Darling mansion since he must elope with Agnes before the Brockton arrives. Olga tells Dippy they will meet him at the estate.
The Шаблон:Dfn show up at the mansion. When Dippy cannot persuade Agnes to elope, they decide to kidnap Agnes. Brockton arrives and senses Agnes's predicament. A fight breaks out between Brockton and the crooks. During the melee, Agnes breaks free and calls the police. The police arrive and arrest the bad guys. Sam Brockton explains everything to Agnes. They rediscover their love for each other, marry and live happily ever after.
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In the book, "American Cinema's Transitional Era," the authors point out, Шаблон:EmШаблон:Sfn One aspect of this transition was the longer duration of films. Feature filmsШаблон:Efn were slowly becoming the standard fare for Hollywood producers. Before 1913, you could count the yearly features on two hands.Шаблон:Sfn Between 1915 and 1916, the number of feature movies rose 2 ½ times or from 342 films to 835.Шаблон:Sfn There was a recurring claim that Carl Laemmle was the longest-running studio chief resisting the production of feature films.[3] Universal was not ready to downsize its short film business because short films were cheaper, faster, and more profitable to produce than feature films.
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Laemmle would continue to buck this trend while slowly increasing his output of features.
In 1914, Laemmle published an essay titled - Шаблон:Em[4] In 1915, Laemmle ran an advertisement extolling Bluebird films while adding the following vocabulary on the top of the ad.Шаблон:Efn
Franklyn Farnum (1878 - 1961) was born William Franklyn Smith on June 5, 1878, in Boston, Massachusetts. The Шаблон:Age year-old actor would play the dual roles of Sam Brockton and Dippy Lewis. William Smith became a vaudevillian at age twelve and started acting on the stage in 1903. Early in his career, he decided William Smith was not a proper stage name. A local cub reporter suggested he change his name to Franklyn Farnum, cashing in on the last name of the stage and screen actors Dustin and William Farnum. Шаблон:Sfn He changed his last name to Farnum and used his middle name as his first name. Farnum was a stage actor featured in several theatrical productions, including Broadway, before becoming a silent screen actor. This film was the third picture he made in his movie career. He would wind up acting in over four hundred films. He was unrelated to brothers and silent screen actors, Dustin Farnum, William Farnum, and Marshall Farnum. Refer to the section Myths on this page.
Agnes Vernon (1895 - 1948) was born on December 27, 1895, in La Grande, Oregon. The Шаблон:Age year-old actor would play Agnes Darling, the young heiress to the Darling fortune. Starting in 1914, Vernon had acted in seventy-one Шаблон:Abbr films before taking on this role. This movie was Vernon's first feature film and her first film with Farnum. Farnum would become Vernon's introduction to comedy. This Bluebird release would be the only feature film Vernon made in 1916. During her career, Vernon would star in sixteen feature films. Franklyn Farnum would be the leading man in five of these projects. After completing this film, Vernon made her second film with Farnum, the short film "Little Partner." The film was released on December 19, 1916. During Vernon's movie career, her professional relationship with director Worthington produced twenty-two films, including six feature films.
Claire McDowell (1877 - 1966) was born on November 2, 1877, in New York City. The Шаблон:Age year-old actress would play the villainess, Olga Veloski. She had appeared in over seventy short films before her appearance in this movie. This would be her first feature and her first bluebird film. She would headline in her next Universal film - the Red Feather production of "Mixed Blood" released on December 18, 1916
" Barney Furey" (1886 - 1938) was born Charles Manford Furey on September 7, 1886, in Boise, Idaho. He was Шаблон:Age year-old actor when he played the villain, Howard Dana. Furey was active in movies between 1912 and 1937.
" Arthur Hoyt" (1874 - 1953) was born on March 19, 1874, in Georgetown, Colorado. He was Шаблон:Age years-old actor when he played Grace Darling's father, Daniel Darling. Hoyt made his Broadway debut in 1905 and his final Broadway appearance in 1911. He made his first film in 1914 and his last in 1947. During his acting career, he was a Character actor usually cast in a supporting role and acted in more than 275 films, including silents and talkies.
" Helen Wright" (1868 - 1928) was born Helen Boyd on November 19, 1868, in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was Шаблон:Age years-old when she played Grace Darling's Mother, Mrs. D. G. Darling. Wright was a well-known Universal character actress who appeared mostly in silent films between 1915 and 1930. She spent most of her career under contract at Universal. Wright would later appear with Emory Johnson in the Universal production of The Morals of Hilda released on December 11, 1916.
Director
William Worthington (1872 - 1941) was born on April 8, 1872, in Troy, New York. He was Шаблон:Age years of age when he directed this film. Worthington started his career as a opera singer and stage actor, then began acting in movies in 1913. He directed his first short film in 1915.
Before directing this feature, most of his directorial experience was directing short films. He continued to direct films until 1925. Worthington would continue to perform as an actor until he died in 1941.Шаблон:Sfn
Screenplay
Шаблон:Multiple imageF. McGrew Willis (1891-1957) and Walter Woods (1881-1942) were scenarists. Their business advertisements in the trade journals would advertise themselves as "Willis - Woods Photoplaywrights," adding to the copy "Collaborating for Better Results." Thus, when they jointly wrote a Screenplay, they would use the pseudonym Willis Woods. The copyright for this film reads, "Credits: Willis Woods."[5] After the completion of this project; the team went on to write a script for The Devil's Bondwoman released by Universal on November 20, 1916. Both were contract members of the Universal cadre of screenwriters.
F. McGrew Willis was born Frank McGrew Willis in Pleasanton, Iowa, on August 18, 1891. He was Шаблон:Age years old when he worked on this project. In 1914, after experiencing a brief stage career with various traveling companies, he became a freelance screenwriter focusing on scenarios for short films. His first screen credit for a feature film came after writing the "The Quest" scenario in 1915.[6]
Walter Woods was born in Pennsylvania on January 14, 1881. He was Шаблон:Age years old when he worked on this script. Woods started as a leading man in several stock and road productions, eventually becoming a manager and director of stock productions. After he joined Universal, one of Woods's most significant projects was writing 20 two-reel episodes for the serial movie Graft. He wrote scripts for 76 films between 1915 and 1938.[7]
Filming
The November 11, 1916 article The Moving Picture Weekly stated that Franklyn Farnum played a dual role and appeared in 340 of the 350 scenes in the movie "A Stranger From Somewhere."[8]
Schedule
Working title
When films enter production, they need the means to reference the project. A Working title is assigned to the project. A Working Title can also be named an Шаблон:Em In many cases, a working title will become the release title.
Working titles are used primarily for two reasons:
An official title for the project has not been determined
A non-descript title to mask the real reason for making the movie.
The working title for this film was - Шаблон:Em[1]
Post production
Post-production is a crucial step in filmmaking, transforming the raw footage into the finished product. It requires skilled professionals working together to create a film that meets the director's vision and engages audiences.
The movie theater release of this film comprised five reels or roughly five thousand feet of film. The average time per reel is between ten and fifteen minutes. As a result, they estimated the total time for this movie to be between fifty and seventy-five minutes.Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:Multiple image
Advertising is essential for the success of a movie because it helps attract paying customers to the theater, resulting in higher box office revenues. A successful marketing campaign increases the hype by informing potential stakeholders about plotlines, actors, release dates, and other important information. Armed with this knowledge, a theater owner was better prepared to make a booking decision in a competitive market. In 1916, the most successful advertising for a movie was word-of-mouth, newspaper ads, and movie posters. Шаблон:Efn In short, effective promotion tactics had to convince potential customers to visit the movie house.
Movie posters are a specific form of poster art that advertises a certain film. Advertising movies in magazines can be an effective way to appeal to a viewership and theater owners. The Bluebird Photoplay ads signaled the start of a new period of creativity in the movie ad industry.Шаблон:Sfn
Chicago graphic artist Burton Rice became part of the Universal advertising department.Шаблон:Sfn
He was Шаблон:Age years of age.
Шаблон:Quote frame
Most of Universal's 1916 bluebird advertisements featured Rice's abstract poster art and his inserts gathered worldwide attention. His brief tenure ended in December 1916, when he set sail for Europe to become an Ambulance driver in World War I. Шаблон:Commons-inline
Reviews
Critical response
Movie reviews were critical opinions for theater owners and fans. Critiques of movies printed in different trade journals were vital in determining whether to book or watch the movie. Movie critics' evaluations of this film were mixed. When critics have divergent reviews, deciding whether to see or book the movie can be challenging, especially since mixed reviews do not mean it is a bad movie. In the end, it boils down to personal choices and how much value you place in the movie review and the reviewer.
One's deepest emotions or inner feelings. to tug at one's heartstrings
Histrionics
Exaggerated, overemotional behavior, especially when calculated to elicit a response; melodramatics
Hokum
(An instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film
Mawkish
Excessively or falsely sentimental; showing a sickly excess of sentiment.
Meller
A melodrama.
Melodrama
A drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations, with a musical accompaniment only in especially thrilling or pathetic parts.
Pathos
The quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, especially that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
Pretentious
Marked by an unwarranted claim to importance or distinction
Feelings, especially tender feelings, as apart from reason or judgment, or of a weak or foolish kind
Tearjerker Tearful
An emotionally charged film, novel, song, opera, television episode, etc., usually with one or more sad passages or ending, so termed because it suggests one is likely to cry during its performance
Weepie
A sad or sentimental film, often portraying troubled romance, designed to elicit a tearful emotional response from its audience.
All definitions were derived from the online WiktionaryШаблон:Dashthe free standard dictionary
Universal focused on producing and distributing films for small-town venues. Unlike major Hollywood studios, Universal owned no movie theaters and depended on the movie house proprietors renting their films from worldwide exchanges. Before leasing a film, picture house owners were concerned if the film was a potential moneymaker in their locale. Proprietors would subscribe to trade journals to assist them in making these financial judgments. Movie magazines would show the film's branding, critical reviews and publish other managers' viewpoints, including attendance numbers and revenue. Universal and owners alike depended on these movie reviews and movie house experiences.
This is one of the printed experiences of a theater owner.
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"'Franklyn Farnum" (1878-1961) was unrelated to the famous Farum family of actors. He was born "William Smith" on June 5, 1878, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father died before he was born, leaving his mother penniless. He became a vaudeville actor at the age of twelve. A Cub reporter suggested he change his name to Franklyn Farnum, cashing in on the last name of the stage and screen actors Dustin and William Farnum.Шаблон:Sfn He entered silent films near the age of 40. During his career as a character actor and Hollywood extra, he appeared in at least 1,100 films.[13]
Most media coverage of this movie and actor Franklyn Farnum cites his connections to William and Dustin Farnum. They always mention him as the younger brother of the acting duo. In other words, the young reporter's suggestion worked precisely as planned.[1]
Preservation status
Many silent-era films did not survive for reasons as explained on this Wikipedia page.Шаблон:Efn
Extortion scheme in which the victim is tricked into a compromising position and then blackmailed
Black hats
Bad person, especially a villain or criminal in a movie, novel, or play
Breezy
Someone is breezy; they behave in a cheerful and confident. The movie reviewers refer to the hero of this film as a Шаблон:Em
Con artist
Person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true
Con game
Scam in which the victim is persuaded to trust the swindler in some way
Fat Roll
Amount of money that is very large
Filches
Pilfer or steal (something, especially a thing of small value) casually
Irish exit
Irish Goodbye is a vaguely ethnophobic term used for someone who leaves leaving a social gathering without saying your farewells
Michigan bankroll
Large roll of paper money in small denominations. a roll of counterfeit paper money or a roll of money-sized paper surrounded by one or more genuine bills
Paint the town red
Go out and flamboyantly enjoy yourself, movie reviewers used the phrase, Шаблон:Em
Pickpocketing involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft
Sharpers
Swindlers, especially at cards
Swindlers
people who use deception to deprive someone of money or possessions
Yellowback
U.S. dollar having a yellow-colored back. Out West during the Civil War, California used currencies with yellowback, while out East, they used greenbacks
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