Her Husband's Faith | |
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Directed by | Lloyd B. Carleton |
Written by | Paul Machette |
Screenplay by | Eugene De Rue |
Produced by | Lloyd B. Carleton |
Starring | |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal |
Release date |
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Running time | 15–24 minutes (2 reels) |
Country | United States |
Language | English intertitles |
Her Husband's Faith is a 1916 American silent short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film is based on a story by Paul Machette. Eugene De Rue developed the screenplay. This domestic society drama's features Dorothy Davenport, T. D. Crittenden and Emory Johnson.
The story revolves around Richard and Mabel Otto. They are happily married and have a three-year-old son. The couple holds a reception at their home when a drifter shows up at the front door. Suddenly, things start to unravel when the stranger reveals secrets about Mabel's shadowy past. The couple's survival will depend on Richard's faith in his wife.
Richard Otto and his wife, Mabel, have a joyful marriage and live in a spacious home. They have a three-year-old boy whom both parents adore. One day, Mabel says to her husband: "Five blissful years of marriage, a beautiful home, a tender husband, and a darling baby — surely God has been good to me." Richard and Mabel Otto decide to throw a big reception to celebrate their good fortune. The couple sends invitations and places an announcement in the local newspaper.
The scene shifts to a local park where a drifter named Tom Willis sits on a park bench. While reading the local newspaper, he notices the article announcing Otto's reception. The item contains a picture of Mable Otto, and he recognizes her as someone from his murky past. He believes Mabel was his former partner in crime when they traveled in the criminal underworld. At some point, she left him, and Willis never saw her again. Seeing Mabel's picture stirs up old emotions, and he wants to reconnect.
Mr. and Mrs. Otto's reception is in full swing. Several guests are doting on the young boy when his bedtime arrives. Mabel takes the boy to his bedroom and puts him to sleep. When she returns to the party, she tells Richard all the tricks the little one had learned. However, the young boy still can't sleep and rings the bell for his mother. Both parents dutifully leave their guests and try to put the boy to sleep. A domestic enters the bedroom and informs Richard a caller was waiting at the front door. He leaves to greet his guest.
Richard opens the front door and immediately recognizes Tom Willis. Willis was a man whom Otto had once helped with a small loan. Willis tells Otto he is down on his luck again and needs another loan. Richard invites Tom into the house. After they are comfortable, Willis tells Richard a story about his past relationship with a woman in the criminal underground. After describing how deeply in love he was, he states he would do anything to win her back. Richard seems to sympathize with Tom's story of lost love. Willis then tells Otto the love story's mystery woman is Mabel Otto. Richard reels in shock and tells Tom—they have a healthy marriage, share a son, and have a wonderful life. Then Otto emphatically tells Willis he should never come to their house again or ever attempt to meet his wife.
Willis had checked out the house and its contents during their previous conversation. He leaves Otto's home but returns later to steal valuable jewelry. During the attempted burglary, Mable and her son stumble upon the attempted theft. Mable sees Tom and remembers him from her past. Hearing the commotion, Richard rushes to the room. The tension rises, but when Willis sees them all together, he takes one last glance at Mabel and flees without saying a word.
Richard tells Mable the man had asked for money and then concocted some cock-and-bull story about her being an underworld member. He also mentioned Willis believed Mable was part of that past underworld connection. Richard states he never accepted the Willis story and completely believed in his wife's version of her past. Her husband's faith in his wife's version of her past prevailed.
Actor | Role |
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Dorothy Davenport | Mabel Otto |
Emory Johnson | Richard Otto |
Trookwood D. Crittenden | Tom Willis |
Frankie Lee | Otto's 3-year-old son |
In the book, "American Cinema's Transitional Era," the authors point out, The years between 1908 and 1917 witnessed what may have been the most significant transformation in American film history. During this "transitional era", widespread changes affected film form and film genres, filmmaking practices and industry structure, exhibition sites, and audience demographics. [2] One aspect of this transition was the longer duration of films. Feature films [lower-alpha 1] were slowly becoming the standard fare for Hollywood producers. Before 1913, you could count the yearly features on two hands. [5] Between 1915 and 1916, the number of feature movies rose 2+1⁄2 times or from 342 films to 835. [5] There was a recurring claim that Carl Laemmle was the longest-running studio chief resisting the production of feature films. [6] Universal was not ready to downsize its short film business because short films were cheaper, faster, and more profitable to produce than feature films. [lower-alpha 2]
Laemmle would continue to buck this trend while slowly increasing his output of features. In 1914, Laemmle published an essay titled - Doom of long Features Predicted. [8] In 1915, Laemmle ran an advertisement extolling Bluebird films while adding the following vocabulary on the top of the ad. [lower-alpha 3] Carl Laemmle released 100 feature-length films in 1916, as stated in Clive Hirschhorn's book, The Universal Story. [10]
Lloyd B. Carleton (c. 1872–1933) started working for Carl Laemmle in the Fall of 1915. [14] Carleton arrived with impeccable credentials, having directed some 60 films for the likes of Thanhouser, Lubin, Fox, and Selig. [15]
Between March and December 1916, 44-year-old Lloyd Carleton directed 16 movies for Universal, starting with The Yaqui and ending with The Morals of Hilda. Emory Johnson acted in all 16 of these films. Of Carleton's total 1916 output, 11 were feature films, and the rest were two-reel shorts.
Carleton was given the task by Carl Laemmle to determine if the Davenport-Johnson duo had the desired on-screen chemistry. In 1916, Carleton directed 13 films pairing Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson. This film would be the second in the 13-film series.
◆ The Davenport–Johnson searching for chemistry in 1916 ◆ | |||||||||||||||||
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Title | Released | Director | Davenport role | Johnson role | Type | Time | Brand | Notes | |||||||||
Doctor Neighbor | May-1 | L. B. Carleton | Hazel Rogers | Hamilton Powers | Drama | Feature | Lost | Red Feather | [16] | ||||||||
Her Husband's Faith | May-11 | L. B. Carleton | Mabel Otto | Richard Otto | Drama | Short | Lost | Laemmle | [17] | ||||||||
Heartaches | May-18 | L. B. Carleton | Virginia Payne | S Jackson Hunt | Drama | Short | Lost | Laemmle | [18] | ||||||||
Two Mothers | Jun-01 | L. B. Carleton | Violetta Andree | 2nd Husband | Drama | Short | Lost | Laemmle | [19] | ||||||||
Her Soul's Song | Jun-15 | L. B. Carleton | Mary Salsbury | Paul Chandos | Drama | Short | Lost | Laemmle | [20] | ||||||||
The Way of the World | Jul-03 | L. B. Carleton | Beatrice Farley | Walter Croyden | Drama | Feature | Lost | Red Feather | [21] | ||||||||
No. 16 Martin Street | Jul-13 | L. B. Carleton | Cleo | Jacques Fournier | Drama | Short | Lost | Laemmle | [22] | ||||||||
A Yoke of Gold | Aug-14 | L. B. Carleton | Carmen | Jose Garcia | Drama | Feature | Lost | Red Feather | [23] | ||||||||
The Unattainable | Sep-04 | L. B. Carleton | Bessie Gale | Robert Goodman | Drama | Feature | 1 of 5 reels | Bluebird | [24] | ||||||||
Black Friday | Sep-18 | L. B. Carleton | Elionor Rossitor | Charles Dalton | Drama | Feature | Lost | Red Feather | [25] | ||||||||
The Human Gamble | Oct-08 | L. B. Carleton | Flavia Hill | Charles Hill | Drama | Short | Lost | Laemmle | [26] | ||||||||
Barriers of Society | Oct-10 | L. B. Carleton | Martha Gorham | Westie Phillips | Drama | Feature | 1 of 5 reels | Red Feather | [27] | ||||||||
The Devil's Bondwoman | Nov-11 | L. B. Carleton | Beverly Hope | Mason Van Horton | Drama | Feature | Lost | Red Feather | [28] |
Eugene De Rue (1885–1985) developed the screenplay based on a story by Paul Machette (1874–1927). Both writers were actors and directors. [29] [30]
On March 15, 1915, [31] Laemmle opened the world's largest motion picture production facility, Universal City Studios. [32] Since this film required no location shooting, it was filmed in its entirety at the new studio complex.
There is no published record of when filming began. An item published in the Motion Picture News on April 22, 1916, stated:
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 Alternate title. In many cases, a working title will become the release title.
Working titles are used primarily for two reasons:
The working title for this film was – Her Husband's Honor.
Similar films are described under different titles using a cast, length, plot, producer, release date, and "Her Husband's Faith" title as a reference point.
The film was copyrighted on May 3, 1916 [30] [lower-alpha 4] and officially released on May 11, 1916. [37]
By 1915, feature films were becoming more the trend in Hollywood. However, Universal wasn't ready to downsize its short film business. Short films were cheaper and faster to produce than feature films. While advertising short films, Universal might include a section titled–"' The Universal Programs'" above the movie ads, espousing the advantages of continuing to show short films. [9] [lower-alpha 5]
In 1916, short films were shown in conjunction with other short films to create a "diversified program" and were typically advertised only with a short synopsis. A newspaper ad [45] shows Her Husband's Faith playing along with two short comedies:
In the May 13, 1916 issue of the Motion Picture News , a reviewer opines: [48]
"Emory Johnson, Dorothy Davenport, and Trockwood Crittenden are the leads in this averagely strong release. Miss Davenport adds much to the picture. Lloyd B. Carleton directed."
In the June 3, 1916, issue of The Wilmington Morning Star , an article reads: [49]
"Dorothy Davenport makes her first reappearance in Universal Picture's great two real hard-throbbing dramatic master picture, "Her Husband's Faith," costarring with Emery Johnson. "Her Husband's Faith" is one of the deepest emotional, dramatic gems of the entire week. There is the tremor of expectancy at different periods as you hope the differences will be settled; there is that pathos that marks the true dramatic gem all the way through the two reels, with beautiful Dorothy Davenport, more fascinating and lovable than ever and one of her strongest emotional roles."
In the June 13, 1916, issue of The Tampa Tribune , an article states: [50]
"Dorothy Davenport, starring in Her Husband's Faith, gives an unusually brilliant performance as a wife with the past that confronts her after she thought it lived down. Confronted by her old lover of the underworld and her husband, she successfully holds the affections of the latter and brings a thrilling scene to a happy ending."
Many silent-era films did not survive for reasons as explained on this Wikipedia page. [lower-alpha 6]
According to the Library of Congress, all known copies of this film are lost.
Fannie Dorothy Davenport was an American actress, screenwriter, film director, and producer.
Agnes Vernon was an American film actress of the silent era. While still in her teens, she experienced a meteoric ascent from obscurity to box-office sensation. After turning twenty-three and a movie career fading away, she abandoned the silver screen forever. Vernon performed in over 90 films between 1913 and 1922. She completed most of her roles under contract with Universal Pictures.
Alfred Emory Johnson was an American actor, director, producer, and writer. As a teenager, he started acting in silent films. Early in his career, Carl Laemmle chose Emory to become a Universal Studio leading man. He also became part of one of the early Hollywood celebrity marriages when he wed Ella Hall.
The Right to Be Happy is an American silent film from 1916 that draws inspiration from Charles Dickens' 1843 Novella, A Christmas Carol. This film was Universal's first attempt at making a Feature film based on Dickens' novella. Throughout the silent era, it stood as the first and only feature film adaptation of A Christmas Carol by an American or foreign film company. The movie was directed by Rupert Julian and supported by a cast of Universal Bluebird players, including Rupert Julian, Claire McDowell, and Harry Carter.
The Morals of Hilda is a 1916 American silent film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The melodrama is based on the story of Henry Christeen Warnack and features Gretchen Lederer, Lois Wilson and Emory Johnson.
The Devil's Bondwoman is a 1916 American silent Melodrama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film was based on the story by F. McGrew Willis and scenarized by Maie B. Havey and Fred Myton. The movie features Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson and employed the same cast seen in other Red Feather films, e.g., Barriers of Society, Black Friday.
Barriers of Society is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. Universal based the film on the story written by Clarke Irvine and adapted for the screen by Fred Myton. The feature film stars Dorothy Davenport, Emory Johnson, and an all-star cast of Universal contract players.
A Yoke of Gold is a 1916 American silent black and white melodrama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton and starring Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson. Based on an original story by Rob Wagner, it is a period piece set in the early days of the California missions.
Doctor Neighbor is a 1916 American silent feature film black and white melodrama. The film was directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. It stars Hobart Bosworth and pairs Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson in leading roles.
The Yaqui is a 1916 American silent Black and white Melodrama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton and starring Hobart Bosworth, Gretchen Lederer and Emory Johnson. The film depicts Yaqui Indians entrapped by nefarious elements into enslavement for a wealthy plantation owner. They struggle in captivity, eventually rebelling against their owner's oppression.
Two Men of Sandy Bar is a 1916 American silent Western Melodrama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton and starring Hobart Bosworth, Gretchen Lederer along with Emory Johnson.
Heartaches is a 1916 American silent short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film is based on a story by Grant Carpenter. This drama's features Dorothy Davenport, Alfred Allen, and Emory Johnson.
Two Mothers is a 1916 American silent short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film is based on a story by I.A.R. Wylie. Calder Johnstone developed the adaptation for the screen. The drama's features Dorothy Davenport, Alfred Allen and Emory Johnson.
The Unattainable is a 1916 American Black and White silent drama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film is based on the story by Elwood D. Henning. The photoplay stars Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson.
The Way of the World is a 1916 American silent Feature film. The film was directed by Lloyd B. Carleton, while F. McGrew Willis adapted the screenplay from Clyde Fitch's play. The cast of this drama includes Hobart Bosworth, Dorothy Davenport, and Emory Johnson.
Black Friday was a 1916 American silent Feature film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. Universal based the film on the novel written by Frederic S. Isham and adapted for the screen by Eugenie Magnus Ingleton. The drama stars Dorothy Davenport, Emory Johnson, and a cast of Universal contract players.
Her Soul's Song is a 1916 American silent short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film is based on a story by Betty Schade. Calder Johnstone developed the screenplay. This drama's features Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson.
The Human Gamble was a 1916 American silent Short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film is based on the story and screen adaptation by Calder Johnstone. The drama stars Dorothy Davenport, Emory Johnson, and a cast of Universal contract players.
No. 16 Martin Street was a 1916 American silent Short film directed by Lloyd B. Carleton. The film was based on the detective story and screen adaptation by Bess Meredyth. The drama stars Dorothy Davenport, Emory Johnson, and an all-star cast of Universal contract players.
A Stranger from Somewhere is a 1916 silent film directed by William Worthington. Universal's Bluebird Photoplays division produced and distributed the film. The movie featured Franklyn Farnum, Agnes Vernon, Barney Furey, and Claire McDowell. The screenplay was written by F. McGrew Willis and Walter Woods who were credited under the pseudonym Willis Woods.
written by Carl Laemmle
Thanhouser Company, Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History Version 2.1 by Q. David Bowers,Volume III: Biographies
His most significant innovation was the origination of dubbing, the mixing of sounds and dialog on a single soundtrack; later he specialized in dubbing foreign languages into Hollywood.
Her Husband's Honor - A Two-Act Modern Drama released on June 7, 1915
A disclaimer issued on the Motography page stating it is incumbent on the film manufacturer to provide synopsis sheets along with film titles and release dates
Correctly listed as Her Husband's Faith on May 11, 1916 2000 feet
brief review of "Her Husband's Honor" a two-reel released on May 11, 1916
Catalog of Copyright Entries Cumulative Series Motion Pictures 1912 - 1939 is a cumulative catalog listing works registered in the Copyright Office
Productions From All Programs
Today will be shown a specially selected program of seven wheels composed of two, two real features, two really laughable comedies, and a one real picture of mystery.
Movies have documented America for more than one hundred years
75 percent of all American silent films are gone, and 50 percent of all films made before 1950 are lost; such figures, as archivists admit in private, were thought up on the spur of the moment, without statistical information to back them up.