The Librarian (1912 film)

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The Librarian
Directed by Bannister Merwin [1] [2]
Starring
Production
company
Distributed by General Film Company
Release date
  • August 9, 1912 (1912-08-09)(U.S.) [1]
Running time
980 feet / 298.7 meters (1 reel) [1] [2]
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Librarian is a 1912 dramatic silent short film by Bannister Merwin. [1] [2]

Contents

Posters were distributed. [2]

Plot

Betty Gibbs is given the position of librarian of the little village library. [1] [2] As soon as she is installed the library becomes very popular. Among those who attend is Robert Prentice, a school teacher, and he and Betty quickly become interested in each other.

Betty’s brother Jack has recently enlisted in the army, and is at a post near the village. Corporal Cutler, coming across Jack Gibbs while the boy is supposedly off duty, is abusive to him, and the boy knocks the officer down.This is a serious offence, and Jack, not know howing badly he has hurt Cutler, deserts, and goes to find Betty.

He comes into the library in the evening, tells Betty what he has done, and begs her to help him escape. She takes him to her room, and leaves him there, only to find that Prentice has come in to talk with her. She goes back to her room, and shuts Jack in the cupboard.

Knowing that Jack is likely to be discovered, Betty decides to save him at the cost of her own good name.Coming back to the reading room, she sees soldiers approaching, the members of the village library committee with them. She tells Prentice to follow her to her room. Shutting him in, she goes to face the search party.

To the Corporal’s questions she gives evasive replies. When he starts his search she resists. At the door of her room she fights against their entering, but the door is opened, and Prentice stands revealed.The library committee stands aghast, and Betty hangs her head in what looks like guilty confusion, while the soldiers, thrown off the scent, retire. Betty dashes into the room, slamming the door after her, and bursts into tears.

Jack hears Betty’s sobs, and comes out. She urges him to go back into hiding, but he will not.Then Prentice, opening the door, sees Jack, and understands. He tells Jack of Betty’s sacrifice.Jack immediately starts to go and give himself up, but Betty clings to him. At this moment the Corporal reappears, followed by the judge and the minister. The Corporal demands Jack’s surrender. He gives himself up, and explains what has happened, thereby clearing Betty’s name. Her sacrifice softens the Corporal’s heart, who forgives Jack, and the picture closes with a shot of Betty and Prentice embracing.

Production

The film was produced by the Edison Company. [1] [2]

Distribution

Distributed by the General Film Company, the film – a one-reel short – was released in US cinemas on August 9, 1912. [1] On December 6 of the same year, it was also released in the United Kingdom. [2] Kinetograph presented the film as ”an unusual story in an unusual atmosphere”. [2]

Cast

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Chalmers Publishing Company (1912). Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1912). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. pp. 216, 316, 416, 457, 474, 490, 558, 590, 702, 814, 922, 971, 1022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 The Edison Kinetogram 1912-10-15: Vol 6 Iss 1. Internet Archive. 1912-10-15. pp. 4, 5, 16, 17.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. 1 2 The Librarian on IMDb.
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