The Stool Pigeon | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lon Chaney |
Written by | Harry G. Stafford |
Produced by | Victor Film Co. |
Starring | J. Warren Kerrigan Vera Sisson |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 2 reels (20 minutes) |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Stool Pigeon is a 1915 American crime film directed by Lon Chaney and starring J. Warren Kerrigan, Vera Sisson and George Periolat. Chaney did not appear in the film himself. The film is considered to be lost. [1]
The Stool Pigeon was Chaney's debut as a movie director. Chaney directed a total of six silent films for the Victor Company, all released in 1915. (The other five were For Cash, The Oyster Dredger, The Violin Maker, The Trust and The Chimney's Secret. Sadly none of the six films exist today. [2] )
This film should not be confused with The Stool Pigeon (also 1915) which was directed by Paul Powell.
Walter Jason, a young man from the country, comes to the big city to find a job but fails to do so. Oswald Trumble is well known in high society but in reality is the leader of a criminal gang. Trumble spots Jason down at the river's edge appearing depressed and prevents the young man from committing suicide. He buys Jason food and some new clothes and sets him up in a nice apartment, in order to win Jason's friendship. Trumble introduces Jason into high society where he meets Mildred Moore, the beautiful daughter of the wealthy Mrs. Crosby Moore. Trumble has been planning to steal the rich old lady's jewels.
Jason is attracted to Mildred, but meanwhile Trumble comes up with a daring plan for the heist. His plan is to abduct Mildred and replace her with a lookalike; Jason will unknowingly lead the fake Mildred back into her house, where the lookalike will grab the old lady's jewels. The plot goes as planned, except that Jason notices that the woman he is with is suddenly missing a beauty mark she had earlier in the evening. He tips off the cops and they capture the impostor.
The police give the girl the third degree, and she confesses the entire plot. A trap is set and Trumble's whole gang is rounded up. Jason forces Trumble to reveal where the real Mildred is being held, then rescues the girl. Jason confesses his past criminal activities to Mildred and her mother, and they forgive him. His engagement to Mildred is soon announced.
"A crook story of unusual interest in two reels...The story is cleverly worked out and holds the interest firmly."—Moving Picture World
"This is Lon Chaney's first picture made with the Kerrigan-Victor company, and his success with it marks him as a capable director. The story is replete with situations of a tense character, and is so constructed that the climax can hardly be foretold until it arrives, a great point in its credit. That it will be heartily appreciated by the most critical audience is certain." ---Motion Picture News [3]
The year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.
Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted, characters and for his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces".
The Shock is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Lon Chaney as a disabled man named Wilse Dilling. The film was written by Arthur Statter and Charles Kenyon, based on a magazine story by William Dudley Pelley. This is one of the rare Lon Chaney films where he gets the girl. The film is readily available on DVD.
Danger, Go Slow is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard, and starring Mae Murray, Jack Mulhall and Lon Chaney. Robert Z. Leonard and Mae Murray co-wrote the screenplay together. The film is today considered lost.
The Big City is a 1928 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney. Waldemar Young wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Tod Browning. The film is now lost.
Back to Life is a 1913 American silent short drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Pauline Bush, J. Warren Kerrigan, William Worthington and Lon Chaney. This was Chaney's first film with director Allan Dwan, which was followed by a dozen more. The film is now considered lost.
Red Margaret, Moonshiner is a 1913 American silent short romance film directed by Allan Dwan, starring Pauline Bush, Murdock MacQuarrie and Lon Chaney. This film, now considered lost, is a good example of Chaney's early attempts at creating bizarre makeups to enhance his roles, wearing a long beard and wild hair here as "Lon", the old moonshiner. The film's original working title was Warrington's Honor. Some sources say the film was later edited down to one reel and re-released in theaters as Moonshine Blood in 1916.
The Tragedy of Whispering Creek is a 1914 American silent short Western film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Murdock MacQuarrie, Pauline Bush, and Lon Chaney. Chaney expert Jon Mirsalis says Chaney also wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Elliott J. Clawson, but the Blake book says the film's director Allan Dwan wrote the screenplay himself. A print exists in the Deutsche Kinemathek film archive, making it Chaney's earliest surviving moving picture. A still exists which shows Chaney in his role as "The Greaser".
By the Sun's Rays is a 1914 American short silent Western film directed by Charles Giblyn and featuring Lon Chaney and Murdock MacQuarrie. It is one of the earliest surviving films of Lon Chaney, with several prints existing in private film collections and a video release in 1995. A still from the film exists showing Lon Chaney in the role of the villainous "Frank Lawlor".
The Threads of Fate is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse, written by Tom Forman, and featuring Pauline Bush, William C. Dowlan and Lon Chaney. The film is now considered to be a lost film. A still exists showing Lon Chaney made up as "The Count" trying to persuade the heroine of the film to marry him.
The Girl of the Night is a 1915 American silent crime film directed by Joe De Grasse and featuring Lon Chaney. The film is now considered to be lost. The film was re-released later as Her Chance. Director Joe De Grasse played a major role in the film, playing the attorney, Arthur Langham. A still exists showing Chaney in the role of Jerry, the petty thief.
For Cash is a 1915 American silent drama short film directed by Lon Chaney and released by Universal Pictures, starring J. Warren Kerrigan and Vera Sisson. Chaney directed this film but not appear in it. The film is today considered to be lost.
An Idyll of the Hills is a 1915 American short silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and featuring Lon Chaney and Pauline Bush. The film is now presumed lost.
The Oyster Dredger is a 1915 American silent drama film written and directed by Lon Chaney, and starring J. Warren Kerrigan and Vera Sisson. Chaney did not appear in the film himself. Chaney only directed two films that he himself wrote, The Oyster Dredger and The Chimney's Secret, both 1915.
The Trust is a 1915 American short silent drama film directed by Lon Chaney and written by Katherine M. Kingsherry. It starred Lon Chaney and Vera Sisson. The film was also called The Truce in some magazine reviews. The film is today considered to be lost. A still exists showing Chaney as Jim Mason, hanging out in a bar with his criminal associates.
The Chimney's Secret is a 1915 American silent drama film written and directed by, and starring, Lon Chaney. Chaney's screenplay was based on a story by Milton Moore. The film is now considered to be in the public domain and a lost film.
The Pine's Revenge is a 1915 American silent drama film of the Northhwoods, directed by Joe De Grasse, written by Nell Shipman, and featuring Lon Chaney and Arthur Shirley. Shipman based her screenplay on her own story, "The King's Keeper". The film is now considered to be lost.
The Mark of Cain is a 1916 American silent lost film directed by Joe De Grasse, written by Stuart Paton, and starring Lon Chaney and Dorothy Phillips. The film's tagline was "A Thrilling Drama of the Long Arm of the Law With an Absorbing Love Interest". The film's working title was By Fate's Decree.
Riddle Gawne is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by William S. Hart and Lambert Hillyer, and featuring William S. Hart, Katherine MacDonald and Lon Chaney. The film was co-produced by William S. Hart and Thomas H. Ince. The screenplay was written by Charles Alden Seltzer from his earlier novel The Vengeance of Jefferson Gawne. Chaney historian Jon C. Mirsalis claims that William S. Hart contributed greatly to the screenplay but all other sources credit the writing of the screenplay solely to Charles Alden Seltzer.
Victory is a surviving 1919 American action film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Jack Holt, Seena Owen, Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery and Bull Montana. The film is an adaptation of the 1915 eponymous novel by Joseph Conrad. The screenplay was written by Jules Furthman and Ben Carré was the art director.