Boston Blackie's Little Pal | |
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Directed by | E. Mason Hopper |
Written by | Albert S. Le Vino |
Based on | the short story, "Boston Blackie's Little Pal" by Jack Boyle |
Starring | Bert Lytell Rhea Mitchell Rosemary Theby |
Cinematography | Robert B. Kurrle |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 5 reels |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Boston Blackie's Little Pal is a 1918 American silent drama film, directed by E. Mason Hopper. It stars Bert Lytell, Rhea Mitchell, and Rosemary Theby, and was released on August 26, 1918.
Boston Blackie is a notorious crook who has set his sights on the jewelry found at the Wilmerding mansion. To facilitate his robbery, his accomplice, Mary, obtains the job of nurse, to look after the Wilmerding's small child, Martin Wilmerding Jr. The two thieves set the robbery for a night when Mr. Wilmerding is scheduled to be away, and Mrs. Wilmerding is going out for the evening to a charity ball.
On the evening of the heist, Mary lets Blackie in after Mrs. Wilmerding leaves for the ball. As he is trying to crack the safe, young Wilmerding enters looking for a toy. Blackie distracts him by playing with him, and the two form a bond before Blackie takes him back to bed. As he is going back to the safe, the interruption has lasted so long, Mrs. Wilmerding is returning home. But she is not alone, she has her lover, Donald Lavalle, with her. Blackie hides, intending to wait until the two leave, but he overhears the two lovers planning to run away together, taking Wilmerding's jewels with them. When Mrs. Wilmerding goes upstairs to pack a bag, Blackie confronts Lavalle pretending to be Mr. Wilmerding. Lavalle surrenders the jewels and beats a hasty retreat, with Blackie promising to kill him if he ever approaches Mrs. Wilmerding again.
Blackie, through a series of telegrams, appeals to the maternal instincts of Mrs. Wilmerding, getting her to reconcile with her husband. That job complete, Blackie debates about whether or not to return the jewels.
In late June 1918 it was released that Lytell's next film for Metro would be Boston Blackie's Little Pal. It would be his third film for the studio, with filming to start in the first week of July. Albert S. Le Vino had been selected to adapt the story for the screen, and E. Mason Hopper would be taking the directing helm. [2] In early July 1918 it Metro announced that Rhea Mitchell had been cast in the lead role of Mary, opposite Bert Lytell. The film was scheduled to be shot at Metro's west coast studio in Hollywood. [3] This was the first time Lytell and Mitchell had worked on-screen together, although Mitchell had been the ingenue in the Alcazar Stock Company several years earlier when Lytell was the company's leading man. [4] The role of Boston Blackie was based on the stories of Jack Boyle which appeared in Redbook Magazine. [5] This was the first screen appearance of the Boston Blackie character. [6] The picture was released on August 26, 1918. [7]
Exhibitors Herald gave the film a very positive review, ranking the overall production "very good", and the story and star as "excellent". They extolled Lytell's performance in what they called a "unique role", and highlighted the work of his supporting cast, including Rhea Mitchell, Rosemary Theby, Frank Whitson, and Howard Davies. They called the cinematography "perfect". [8]
Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle (1881–1928). Blackie, a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's stories, became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."
Alice Lake was an American film actress. She began her career during the silent film era and often appeared in comedy shorts opposite Roscoe Arbuckle.
Bertram Lytell was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.
The Return of Boston Blackie is a 1927 low-budget, silent, drama genre film starring Bob Custer. Based upon a character created by Jack Boyle for short stories appearing in The American, Cosmopolitan and Redbook magazines in the 1900s. It was directed by Harry O. Hoyt and written by Leah Baird. The character also appeared in another silent film in 1918, Boston Blackie's Little Pal, played by five different actors, including Lionel Barrymore.
Rhea Ginger Mitchell was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in over 100 films, mainly during the silent era. A native of Portland, Oregon, Mitchell began her acting career in local theater, and joined the Baker Stock Company after completing high school. She appeared in various regional theater productions on the West Coast between 1911 and 1913.
Harry C. Myers was an American film actor and director, sometimes credited as Henry Myers. He performed in many short comedy films with his wife Rosemary Theby. Myers appeared in 330 films between 1908 and 1938, and directed more than 50 films between 1913 and 1917.
Rosemary Theresa Theby was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940.
Kick In is a 1922 American silent crime drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and starring Betty Compson and Bert Lytell. The picture was directed by George Fitzmaurice, who previously directed a 1917 film version of the story. Both films are based on Willard Mack's 1913 play that was produced on Broadway in 1914 starring John Barrymore. The supporting cast features Charles Ogle, who had played the first screen Frankenstein's monster in the original 1910 version of Frankenstein.
Our Mrs. McChesney is a lost 1918 American silent comedy-drama film produced and distributed by Metro Pictures, directed by Ralph Ince, and based on the 1915 play by Edna Ferber and George V. Hobart which starred Ethel Barrymore.
Robert Kurrle, also known as Robert B. Kurrle, was an American cinematographer during the silent and early talking film eras. Prior to entering the film industry, he was already experimenting with aerial photography. Considered a very prominent cinematographer, even his early work received notice and praise from both critics and other industry professionals. The advent of sound film did not abate his continued rise, and he became the top director of photography at Warner Brothers by 1932.
The Goat is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Frances Marion. The film stars Fred Stone, Fanny Midgley, Charles McHugh, Rhea Mitchell, Sylvia Ashton, Philo McCullough, and Winifred Greenwood. The film was released on September 29, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.
Alias Ladyfingers is a lost 1921 American silent comedy film based on the 1920 mystery novel Ladyfingers by Jackson Gregory. It was adapted for the screen by Lenore Coffee and was directed by Bayard Veiller. The film stars Bert Lytell, Ora Carew, Frank Elliot, Edythe Chapman, and DeWitt Jennings. The film was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation.
The Trail to Yesterday is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Edwin Carewe and starring Bert Lytell and Anna Q. Nilsson. It was produced by and distributed by Metro Pictures. It is based on a novel, The Trail to Yesterday (1913), by Charles Alden Seltzer. A nitrate fragment of the print is held by EYE Institut/Filmmuseum, Netherlands.
A Son of the Sahara is a 1924 American silent drama film produced and directed by Edwin Carewe and co-directed with René Plaissetty. It stars Claire Windsor and Bert Lytell. First National handled the distribution of the film.
Breakers Ahead is a 1918 American silent drama film, directed by Charles Brabin. It stars Viola Dana, Clifford Bruce, and Mabel Van Buren, and was released on March 25, 1918.
Unexpected Places is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Bert Lytell, Rhea Mitchell, and Rosemary Theby. It was released on September 30, 1918.
Blind Man's Eyes is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John Ince and starring Bert Lytell, Frank Currier, and Naomi Childers, based on the 1916 novel The Blind Man's Eyes by Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg. It was released on March 10, 1919.
Blackie's Redemption, also known by its working title Powers That Pray, is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John Ince. It stars Bert Lytell, Alice Lake, and Henry Kolker, and was released on April 14, 1919.
Yvonne from Paris is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring Mary Miles Minter, Allan Forrest, and Vera Lewis. It was Minter's last film with the American Film Company; she signed a contract with Realart, part of Famous Players-Lasky, in June 1919.
Good Women is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Rosemary Theby, Hamilton Revelle and Earl Schenck.