| Worms Will Turn | |
|---|---|
 Publicity still with the cast of Worms Will Turn | |
| Directed by | Frank Griffin |
| Written by | Epes W. Sargent |
| Produced by | Arthur Hotaling |
| Starring | Raymond McKee |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6-7 minutes (c. 600 feet) |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Worms Will Turn is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, featuring Raymond McKee, Julia Calhoun, Ed Lawrence, and Oliver Hardy. [1] [2]
Bill Raggels, a tramp, is awakened from a nap and beaten by a cop. He returns to the hobo camp and he and his fellow tramps swear revenge. They provoke the cops into chasing them and lead them into an ambush in which the cops are overpowered. The tramps seize the police station and throw the chief out a window, but they are driven away again when they become distracted by the sight of a passing woman. [1] [2]
Worms Will Turn was filmed in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Jacksonville unit of the Lubin Manufacturing Company, under the general supervision of Arthur Hotaling. [2] It was a short split-reel comedy, lasting approximately 6–7 minutes, and sharing a single reel of film with a second, unrelated comedy, Temper and Temperature, starring Harry Lorraine, Frances Ne Moyer, and Eloise Willard . [1] The films were released by the General Film Company on July 21, 1914. [2]
Worms Will Turn is one of several short Lubin comedies made in the spring and summer of 1914 that include the first screen appearances of Oliver Hardy. In this film, Hardy played the role of "a nance cop", an effeminate policeman who kindly dries the tears of the tramp and offers him a handkerchief. [1] [2]
The film received short but positive reviews in the trade papers. Moving Picture World wrote "This is one of those plots wherein policemen and tramps come into conflict, and chase after chase predominate. It is very hilarious in action and received a great many laughs"; [3] Motion Picture News wrote "Here we have that funny troupe of policemen the like of whom are seen nowhere but in Lubin films. They must be seen to be appreciated, as the saying goes. The worms in this instance happen to be tramps, who conquer the squad ot police and appropriate the officers' honored uniforms to their own base uses." [4] ; and the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote that the tramps "come back heartily at the burlesque police who try to drive them out of town. The story is presented with the usual accompaniment of rough and tumble action." [2]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
His Sudden Recovery is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, featuring Oliver Hardy, Eloise Willard, Frances Ne Moyer, and Marguerite Ne Moyer.
The Kidnapped Bride is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, starring Eva Bell, Raymond McKee, Frank Griffin, and Oliver Hardy. It is a sequel to A Brewerytown Romance, released earlier the same year.
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.
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.
The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford is a 1915–1916 American silent film serial produced by the Wharton Studio in Ithaca, New York, and starring Burr McIntosh and Max Figman. The serial is based on the character J. Rufus Wallingford, originating from the series of stories by George Randolph Chester.
Epes Winthrop Sargent was an American vaudeville critic, who wrote under the pen-names Chicot and Chic.
Julia Calhoun was an American actress during the silent film era. She appeared on stage and in comedy films including early ones with Oliver Hardy from at least 1914 on into the 1920s.