The Latchkey | |
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![]() A surviving film still | |
Produced by | Thanhouser Company |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Languages | Silent film English inter-titles |
The Latchkey is a 1910 American silent short comedy produced by the Thanhouser Company. The premise of the plot focuses on two businessmen who are friends Will (or Bill in some publications) and John. Will gives John the key to his apartment so he had stay there while Will goes on vacation. The landlady of the house leases the apartment to two ladies. John decides to go to Will's apartment and lets himself in with the key and finds the two girls asleep. They awake and take him for a burglar and threaten to kill him and John pleads for mercy instead of addressing the misunderstanding. John is later revealed to be her employer after he is caught opening a safe in the office the next morning. The film was released on August 26, 1910 and was met with positive reviews by the trade publications. The film is presumed lost.
Though the film is presumed lost, a synopsis survives in The Bioscope from November 10, 1910. It states: "Will and John are prosperous young businessmen and close friends. Will has an apartment in the city, while John lives in the suburbs. When Will goes to the country on his vacation he leaves the latchkey of his apartment with his chum, telling him to make himself at home. The landlady in the house in which Will lives is seized with a bright idea that she can sublet his apartment during his absence. May and Belle, two pretty girls who are in business, decide to try their hand at housekeeping. They rent Will's apartment and settle down in their new quarters. John decides to take advantage of his friend's invitation and make use of his rooms. He lets himself in with the latchkey, and is amazed to find the two girls sound asleep. Believing him to be a burglar the girls threaten him with annihilation. John thinks the joke too good to spoil, so does not try to square himself, but pleads for mercy. May secures his promise that he will never 'burgle' again, and allows him to escape. Unknown to John, May has been engaged by his partner as a typist, and when she enters the office the following morning and finds John opening the safe, she decides that once again her burglar has been caught red-handed. She calls for help, and is greatly chagrined when her supposed burglar is introduced as her employer. Amid explanations, the 'burglar' and the lady shake hands and become good friends." [1]
In both The Moving Picture World and The Moving Picture News the character of Will was named Bill, but it is not clear if this was intentional, a renaming or error. [1]
The writer of the scenario is unknown, but it was most likely Lloyd Lonergan. He was an experienced newspaperman employed by The New York Evening World while writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions. [2] The film director is unknown, but it may have been Barry O'Neil. Film historian Q. David Bowers does not attribute a cameraman for this production, but at least two possible candidates exist. Blair Smith was the first cameraman of the Thanhouser company, but he was soon joined by Carl Louis Gregory who had years of experience as a still and motion picture photographer. The role of the cameraman was uncredited in 1910 productions. [3] There are no known credits for the cast, but Anna Rosemond and Frank H. Crane are two possible actors that were prominent players in 1910. [4] Credits may have included Anna Rosemond, one of two leading ladies of the Thanhouser company in this era. [5] Frank H. Crane was a leading male actor of the company and also involved since the very beginnings of the Thanhouser Company. [6] Bowers states that most of the credits are fragmentary for 1910 Thanhouser productions. [4] A surviving film still leaves open the possibility of identifying three actors. [7]
The one reel comedy, approximately 1,000 feet long, was released on August 26, 1910. [1] The film likely saw a wide national release, advertisements in theaters are known in Indiana, [8] North Carolina, [9] and Pennsylvania. [10] The New York Dramatic Mirror gave the most detailed review of the trade publications by summing up the scenario and approving of the plot and the good acting in the production. The reviewer concluded, "Not only are the leading roles well portrayed, but the minor parts are quite well done in the picture - the dismissed stenographer and the old landlady actually look and act their parts. There is a pleasing, symmetrical competence in the whole cast." [1] The production was reviewed positively by The Moving Picture World and concludes with the statement, "The story ends there without a suspicion of anybody falling in love with anybody else, a restraint which will be duly appreciated." [1] Bower's notes that many Thanhouser plots conclude with the romance and the reviewer noted this change was a welcome one for this production. The previous film A Dainty Politician concluded with romance and the next release An Assisted Elopement took the romance element further with two sets of parents trying to get their children to marry each other. [11] [12]
She's Done it Again is a 1910 American silent short comedy written by Lloyd Lonergan and produced by the Thanhouser Company in New Rochelle, New York. A thief named Sikes decides to rob a society woman who falsely claimed to have been robbed when she in fact pawned her jewelry. A gentleman thief strikes and robs her, but no one believes her. The thief is caught only by a clever detective. The film was the third release of the Thanhouser company and featured the leading players, Anna Rosemond and Frank H. Crane. The film was met with positive reviews, but is presumed to be lost.
The Best Man Wins is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film features Thanhouser's leading players Anna Rosemond, Martin Faust, Frank H. Crane and Marie Eline in a drama about morality. Two suitors are vying for the hand of Julia Seaton and propose to her on the same day, but she asks for a month to decide between them. In the time, the caliber of both men are tested when asked by a young girl, named May, to help her dying mother. The doctor refuses to help, and the lawyer offers his assistance, but her mother soon dies. The orphan is taken in by the Seaton family and personally attests to the character of both men when Julia Seaton has to choose between her suitors.
The Winter's Tale is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by Thanhouser Company. The plot is an adaptation of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare and requires fore-knowledge of the plot in order to understand the condensed one reel work. The film focuses on the conflict arising from two Kings, one of Bohemia and one of Sicily, during a meeting. Queen Hermione enrages her jealous husband, Leontes, by entertaining Polixenes. Leontes decides to kill him with poison, but the plan is foiled by the courtier tasked with the assassination. For this, Leontes imprisons his wife. Hermione gives birth to a daughter and Leontes orders the baby to die out in the wilderness. Hermione is then brought before the court and apparently dies after interrogation. Fifteen years pass and Polixenes confronts and then secretly follows his son, appearing as he declares his intention to marry a shepherdess. The two lovers seek protection with Leontes, the King of Sicily. Mourning and repentant for his past actions, Leontes learns the shepherdess is his daughter and blesses the marriage of the lovers. The royal party goes to see a statue of the late queen Hermoine which is revealed to be alive. The cast includes Anna Rosemond, Frank H. Crane and Martin Faust, but the directorial and production credits for the film are unknown. The production was a success for the Thanhouser Company and the film was met with positive reception following its May 27, 1910 release. The film survives in the Library of Congress, but it is missing the final scene of the production. The surviving print suffers from significant deterioration.
The Writing on the Wall is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. Directed by Barry O'Neil from a script by Lloyd Lonergan, this presumed lost film focuses on a young girl named Grace who becomes attracted to a wealthy man named Jack. Two men, named Turner and Hank plot to rob Jack after he withdraws a large sum of money from a bank, but Grace warns him of a plot to drug him. Jack escapes and marries Grace. The film has no known trade publication reviews, but reviews may exist for this film. Theaters were advertising this film as late as 1913.
The Woman Hater is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on Tom Taylor, a woman-hater, who sells his property to a financier at a play. In order to finalize the transaction, Taylor must go to the financier's hotel and becomes the subject of a bet by Lou Bennett that she can win his affections. Lou succeeds in the bet, but Taylor finds out and is preparing to leave forever when Lou speaks to him. Little is known about the production or the cast other than a single credit of Violet Heming as Lou Bennett. The film was released on June 14, 1910, but is not known to have been reviewed by any trade publications. The film is presumed lost, but another production of the same name released the same year was rediscovered in New Zealand in 2010.
The Little Hero of Holland is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. It is an adaptation of the short fictional story popularized in Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, about a boy who plugs a leaking dike with his finger to prevent it from bursting. The role of the boy was played by Marie Eline, but little else is known about the production and cast of the film. The director may have been Barry O'Neil and the writer may have been Lloyd Lonergan. Parts of the film were shot on Glen Park Island in New Rochelle, New York. The film was released on June 17, 1910 and saw a wide release, including the United Kingdom. The film is presumed lost.
The Governor's Daughter is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The story details a convict who is being sent to prison when the train is wrecked and the sheriff escorting him is killed. The convict frees himself, but halts his escape to save the life of a little girl. As he returns the girl to her nurse, a policeman identifies and recaptures him. Later the little girl accompanies her father, the governor, on a tour of the prison and the father pardons the hero-convict. The film included scenes of a real train wreck and the scenario was written around the filming of the disaster. The film received praise for the before and after scenes which were described as shocking to The Moving Picture World's reviewer. The film was released on June 24, 1910, and was shown as far away as Australia. The film is presumed lost.
Tempest and Sunshine is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is an adaptation of Mary Jane Holmes's 1854 novel Tempest and Sunshine, and features the deceptive Tempest and the benevolent Sunshine being wooed by a Dr. Lacey. Tempest and Bill Jeffreys conspire against Sunshine. By intercepting the lovers' letters the doctor instead decides to marry Tempest, but Jeffreys interrupts the ceremony to reveal the conspiracy. The doctor and Sunshine are reunited. The novel was a popular subject of plays and vaudeville, but the Thanhouser adaptation appears to be the first film version for it predates the adaptations in The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Released on June 28, 1910, the production received a favorable review in The Moving Picture News. The film is presumed lost.
The Flag of His Country is a 1910 American silent short drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The patriotic film focuses on a man aptly named Walter North who sides with the Union and whilst his wife sides with the Confederacy in the American Civil War. The family is reunited thirty years later at a Grand Army of the Republic reunion through the actions of their grandchild. Little is known about the production and cast of the film, but the role of granddaughter was played by Marie Eline. Released on July 1, 1910, the film took place within living memory of the war and a reviewer in The Moving Picture World noted that the film would not offend its audience members. The film is presumed lost.
The Playwright's Love is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on a poor playwright named John Russell who is approached by a poor dying woman. Upon her death, John takes guardianship of her daughter named Grace. A decade passes and Grace becomes a young woman as John struggles with his love for her. Then, a suitor approaches Grace and is denied because she loves John. When John learns of this, he proposes to her and is accepted. Released on July 19, 1910, the film received positive reception by film critics. One reviewer noted the similarity to other productions and another reviewer said the film recalled The Prince Chap. The film is presumed lost.
The Mermaid is a 1910 American silent short comedy produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on John Gary, a hotel owner, who wants to revitalize his business. After reading about a reported mermaid sighting, he has his daughter Ethel pose as a mermaid and gets a newspaper reporter to witness and photograph the mermaid. The publicity results in the hotel becoming famous, but Ethel eventually discloses the joke to the guests of the hotel in her mermaid suit. The film was released on July 29, 1910 and was met with mostly positive reviews. The film is presumed lost.
The Mad Hermit is a 1910 American silent short drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The story focuses on Harry Willard, who becomes a hermit after his wife and daughter leave him. He spends a quarter of a century in isolation, but he stumbles across a runaway carriage and the woman tosses her baby to him. He runs into the wilderness and prepares to kill it, but he stays his hand when he sees the baby's locket. The parents survive the carriage crash and seek out the hermit, and it is revealed that the baby's mother is the daughter of Harry Willard. Created by a staff of twenty, it was the first film to be produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film was released on August 9, 1910, after the success of the company was ensured, and met with positive reception by critics. The film is presumed lost.
Lena Rivers is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film follows a young woman who leaves home to search for employment and becoming married to a wealthy man, but the marriage is kept secret. The husband is arrested by mistake and by the time he is freed, his wife and child depart and he believes them dead. The young woman entrusts her baby, Lena, to her mother before her death. At age 16, Lena goes to the city is visited by her father, but the relationship is only known when he sees a picture of her mother in her locket. The film was an adaptation of Mary Jane Holmes' 1856 novel Lena Rivers and was released on August 12, 1910. It had a wide national release and received positive reviews from critics.
An Assisted Elopement is a 1910 American silent short comedy produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on Gladys and Charlie who meet each other on the train home and they become romantically interested in each other. It turns out their parents are friends and wish for them to get married, souring the relationship between them. In a ploy to get their children to elope, the fathers become bitter enemies in public and the couple elopes much to their enjoyment and intention. A surviving film still shows several of members of the cast, including Frank H. Crane, Violet Heming, and Alphonse Ethier. The film was released on August 30, 1910, and saw a wide national release. The film is presumed lost.
Mother is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film is a melodrama that focuses with Will Allen who runs away from home after being violently abused by his stepfather and his mother keeps a candle lit for him to return home. Twenty years later, Will returns home after having become a successful lawyer, but cannot find his parents. Will later takes the case to defend a lady being prosecuted by a client company. After being successful he recognizes the lady as his mother and they are reunited. The film's cast included Anna Rosemond, Frank H. Crane and Carey L. Hastings, but other credits are uncertain. The film was released on September 6, 1910, and was met with mixed reviews. The film is presumed lost.
Dots and Dashes is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. May Wilson is a telegraph operator and Jack Wilson is the head bookkeeper of the brokerage office. May teaches Jack how to use Morse code. At the end of the day is called to into the office and learns that something is wrong with the books and he quickly finds the guilty party and confronts him. While he leans into the safe, Bill pushes him inside and locks the safe before fleeing. May, who is waiting for Jack, goes to the office and searches for him. Hearing groans from the safe, she knows he is in danger and uses Morse code to learn the combination and free him. Later, Bill returns to the scene to see if Jack is dead. As he opens the door, the police pop out of the safe and arrest him. The film was released on September 30, 1910 and was met with mixed reviews for the improbable plot and the inaccurate Morse code being tapped out on screen. The film is presumed lost.
Pocahontas is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The scenario was written by Lloyd Lonergan based on Lydia Sigourney's 1841 Pocahontas poem. The film is a retelling of the well-known story of Pocahontas, played by Anna Rosemond who saves the life of Captain John Smith, played by George Barnes. She is captured and held hostage by the English, converts to Christianity and marries Rolfe, played by Frank H. Crane. Pocahontas then sickens and dies, spending her last hours wishing to return to her native home. Released on October 11, 1910, the film was met with praise by most reviewers. It is believed that a replica of Hendrik Hudson's ship, Halve Maen, was used for the opening scene to establish the Jamestown landing. Though minor costuming and historical accuracy errors were pointed out, the film was praised as being of the highest quality of any Independent company. The film is presumed lost.
Looking Forward is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. Adapted from James Oliver Curwood's short story of the same name, the film follows a young chemist named Jack Goodwin. He discovers a chemical compound that puts a person into a state of sleep for a determined period of time and decides to test it upon himself. The first test is a success and Jack makes arrangements for his sleep of a hundred years, in a state similar to suspended animation. When he awakes in 2010 into a world ruled by women, he woos the female mayor. Jack joins a society to campaign for men's rights. The society ends up before the female mayor who jails all of them, save for Jack who she proposes to. Jack accepts on the condition that men are given back their rights and she accepts. The cast and production credits of the film are not known, but Theodore Marston was not the director. The film was released on December 20, 1910. The film is presumed lost.
The Childhood Of Jack Harkaway is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. Adapted from Bracebridge Hemyng's Jack Harkaway story series by Lloyd Lonergan, the film depicts the life of the title character. Given to the care of strangers after his birth, Jack grows up and is sent to a school at age 12. After being severely and unjustly punished by the schoolmaster, Jack runs away and comes across two thieves plotting a robbery. Jack hurries to the house and warns the mistress of the planned robbery. The robbery is foiled and the lady of the house is very grateful, but Jack's schoolmaster and his guardian arrive to take him back. She recognizes the guardian as the man who forced her to turn over Jack and turns them out of the house. The film's cast and production credits are unknown. The film was released on December 23, 1910, it was met with favorable reviews and saw a wide national release. In 1988, a severely deteriorated nitrate print of the film was known to exist and it was likely transferred to the Library of Congress archives in 1997.
Hypnotized, released in Britain as A Quack Hypnotist, is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on May Smalley and Jack, who loves her, who attend a traveling show that comes to their little town. The show consists of a hypnotist and a Hindu magician and proves to be a popular show, but the hypnotist who is becomes interest in May. The hypnotist lures May away by telling her that he has a message for her from the spirit world and later gets her to leave town with him. Jack knocks the magician down and takes his costume and follows the hypnotist and May back to their hotel, where he rescues her. Aside from William Russell's role in the film, the production and cast credits are unknown. The film was released on December 30, 1910, it was met with positive reviews. The film is presumed lost.