Long May It Wave

Last updated

Long May It Wave
Still from Long May It Wave (Lubin 1914).jpg
Promotional still from Long May It Wave with Raymond McKee and Mae Hotely
Directed byJohn A. Murphy
Written by Epes W. Sargent
Produced by Arthur Hotaling
Starring Raymond McKee
Mae Hotely
Marguerite Ne Moyer
Ben Walker
Oliver Hardy
Release date
  • June 20, 1914 (1914-06-20)
Running time
7–8 minutes (c. 600 feet)
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles

Long May It Wave is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, featuring Raymond McKee, Mae Hotely, Marguerite Ne Moyer, Ed Lawrence, Ben Walker, and Oliver Hardy. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Pat McCarthy's wife Nora has "a strong fist and a short temper", and she hurls a dishpan at him when he forgets to bring in the coal. To patch things up he buys two tickets to a "lurid melodrama" entitled The Flag We Love, in which a series of characters are saved from terrible fates by brandishing the American flag. First, an evil general tries to take the heroine by force, but she waves the flag at him and he desists. Then her sweetheart is condemned to death, but she arrives with the flag just in time and the execution is foiled. Finally, the general hauls the hero and heroine before the king on charges of treason, but three flag-waving marines appear to protect the lovers. Taking the story to heart, Pat buys an American flag for protection from Nora before he returns home (along with an Irish flag for good measure). At first the plan is successful, but when Nora offers him a drink, he sets the flags down, at which point she seizes him and sits him on the hot stove until he repents. [3]

Cast

Production and reception

Long May It Wave was filmed in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Jacksonville unit of the Lubin Manufacturing Company, under the supervision of Arthur Hotaling. [2] It was a short split-reel comedy, lasting approximately 7–8 minutes, and sharing a single reel with a second, unrelated film, Getting Solid with Pa, starring Jimmy Hodges, Frances Ne Moyer, and Billy Bowers. [1] The films were released by the General Film Company on June 16, 1914. [2]

Promotional still from Long May It Wave, with Babe Hardy as the king at far right Long May It Wave (Lubin 1914).jpg
Promotional still from Long May It Wave, with Babe Hardy as the king at far right

Long May It Wave is one of several short comedies made in the spring and summer of 1914 that include the first screen appearances of Oliver Hardy. Although the film itself is lost, Hardy's name (as Babe Hardy) appears in the cast list and he can be seen as the king, wearing a striped robe and a large crown, in a promotional still from the film published in The Lubin Bulletin, the newsletter advertising the studio's new releases. [1] [2]

The film was written by Epes W. Sargent, who discussed the construction of the final gag in a column of advice for screenwriters published in The Moving Picture World in July 1914:

It may help the student of the real technique to study the climax of Long May it Wave, a Lubin comedy scheduled for release June 20th. This is a rather good example of the double climax. A man takes his wife to see a play in which the American Flag waved overtime, as used to happen in the palmy days of melodrama. The climax of each act is salvation through the flag. A few nights later he comes home late with two flags, and defies his wife. This is the natural and expected climax. It is funny but it is not startling, for several scenes back you saw him pick up the flags. You knew then how it was going to end. A moment later the wife offers him a drink, apparently to celebrate the victory. He lays down the flags for a glass. She grabs him. No one expected that. It will get more laughs after the laughs would seem to have been exhausted, but it should be borne in mind that this second kick must come like a flash to have any real value. It must not be something requiring elaborate explanation. It must seemingly be unpremeditated and must come as a total surprise. [4]

Long May It Wave was well received by the reviewers for the trade papers. Motion Picture News wrote that "a foolish play is enacted in this half of the reel, which will cause universal laughter." [5] Moving Picture World described it as "a ludicrous old plot about a hen-pecked husband," but added that "it gains laughs by its absolute absurdity." [6] The New York Dramatic Mirror wrote, "This short skit is about as funny as they come at any length. E. W. Sargent is the author, and he has introduced some genuine humor. Besides it is well handled and reproduced." [2] .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Hardy</span> American actor (1892–1957)

Oliver Norvell Hardy was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his comedy partner Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. He was credited with his first film, Outwitting Dad, in 1914. In most of his silent films before joining producer Hal Roach, he was billed on screen as Babe Hardy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubin Manufacturing Company</span> American silent motion picture production company

The Lubin Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture production company that produced silent films from 1896 to 1916. Lubin films were distributed with a Liberty Bell trademark.

<i>Outwitting Dad</i> 1914 film

Outwitting Dad is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and featuring Billy Bowers, Raymond McKee, and Oliver Hardy in his first known screen appearance.

<i>Caseys Birthday</i> 1914 film

Casey's Birthday is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Daniel Casey, Mae Hotely, and Billy Bowers. The young Oliver Hardy had a small role.

<i>Building a Fire</i> 1914 film

Building a Fire is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Mae Hotely, Julia Calhoun, and Jerold Hevener. Also among the cast is Oliver Hardy, who has a small role as a policeman.

<i>He Won a Ranch</i> 1914 film

He Won a Ranch is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Jerold Hevener and Raymond McKee. Also among the cast is Oliver Hardy, who has a small role as a cowboy.

<i>The Particular Cowboys</i> 1914 film

The Particular Cowboys is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Frances Ne Moyer and Raymond McKee. Also among the cast was Oliver Hardy, who had a small role as a cowboy.

<i>For Two Pins</i> 1914 film

For Two Pins is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Jimmy Hodges, Marguerite Ne Moyer, and Raymond McKee. Also among the cast was Oliver Hardy, who had a small role as a policeman.

<i>A Tango Tragedy</i> 1914 film

A Tango Tragedy is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Billy Bowers, Frances Ne Moyer, and James Hodges. Also among the cast was Oliver Hardy, who had a small role as a man at the dance.

<i>A Brewerytown Romance</i> 1914 film

A Brewerytown Romance is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, starring Eva Bell, Raymond McKee, Frank Griffin, and Oliver Hardy.

<i>The Female Cop</i> 1914 film

The Female Cop is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and starring Mae Hotely and Julia Calhoun, with Oliver Hardy as a "boob cop".

<i>Good Cider</i> 1914 film

Good Cider is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, featuring Jane Calhoun, Ben Walker, Billy Bowers, Oliver Hardy, and James Levering.

<i>Whos Boss?</i> 1914 film

Who's Boss? is a 1914 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.

<i>His Sudden Recovery</i> 1914 film

His Sudden Recovery is a 1914 American short silent comedy film directed by Arthur Hotaling featuring Oliver Hardy.

<i>Back to the Farm</i> 1914 film

Back to the Farm is a lost 1914 silent comedy short film that co-starred Oliver "Babe" Hardy and Herbert "Bert" Tracy. Written by Will Louis and produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company of Pennsylvania, the short was filmed in Jacksonville, Florida. It was directed by Joseph Levering, likely in collaboration with the chief director on Lubin's production staff in Jacksonville, Arthur Hotaling.

<i>Never Too Old</i> (film) 1914 film

Never Too Old is a 1914 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.

<i>The Servant Girls Legacy</i> 1914 film

The Servant Girl's Legacy is a 1914 American silent comedy film featuring Mabel Paige and "Babe" Hardy. Produced by Lubin Manufacturing Company, this short is the earliest surviving film performance of the comedian Hardy.

<i>Gus and the Anarchists</i> 1915 film

Gus and the Anarchists is a 1915 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. The film was produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company.

<i>A Lucky Strike</i> 1915 film

A Lucky Strike is a 1915 American film featuring Oliver Hardy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epes W. Sargent</span>

Epes Winthrop Sargent was an American vaudeville critic, who wrote under the pen-names Chicot and Chic.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Lubin Bulletin, vol. 1, no. 13 (June 30, 1914), p. 17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Rob Stone, Laurel or Hardy: The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver "Babe" Hardy (Temecula, CA: Split Reel Books, 1996), pp. 14–15.
  3. Based on the plot summary printed in Moving Picture World, vol. 20, no. 12 (June 20, 1914), p. 1728. The summary printed in the Lubin Bulletin differs in some small details.
  4. E. W. Sargent, "The Photoplaywright", Moving Picture World, vol. 21, no. 4 (July 25, 1914), p. 564.
  5. Motion Picture News, vol. 9, no. 26 (July 4, 1914), p. 62
  6. Moving Picture World, vol. 21, no. 1 (July 4, 1914), p. 64.

See also