''Daddy's Double'' is a 1910 American silent short

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

produced by the

Thanhouser Film Corporation The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, ...

. The film focuses on Hal, a young man, who proposes to Sue, his love interest. Her father overhears and becomes furious before whisking his daughter away to a boarding school. Hal and Sue attempt to elope, but it is foiled. Hal then gets an idea to disguise himself as the father and reclaim Sue. The plan works, but the father follows in pursuit. He breaks into the wedding ceremony at the

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

's house and sees his double. He then laughs and approves of the marriage. The film was the fourth release by Thanhouser and it was met with favorable reviews by critics. In 2007, a surviving print was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

with a new original score composed and performed by Raymond A. Brubacher.

Plot

At the Post's home, Hal Dunton sits down with his love interest Sue Post, cautiously checking to see if they are alone. Hal then proposes to Sue and in the excitement, her father comes into the room. He is outraged and believes his daughter is too young to be married and promptly makes Hal leave before scolding his daughter. Before departing, Hal meets and pleads with the father as he takes the daughter away by car. The father refuses and Hal is knocked down before the father and daughter depart to a boarding school. The father meets with the mistress and leaves Sue in her care, much to Sue's distress. Whisked away from her home and her beloved, Sue is in despair until Hal appears outside her window with a ladder. The attempted elopement fails when the mistress catches Hal in the act and dismisses him. She awaits Sue to descend and round the corner before halting her and forcing her back inside. The father pulls up to a place of business and Hal, who is walking by, attempts to greet the father. The angry father ignores him, but Hal turns and sees the wigmaker's store next to him. An idea strikes him and he pays a photographer to get a photo of the father on the way out, which further angers him. Hal then sends a message to Sue, that he will come and claim her the following day, disguised as her father. Hal head to the wigmaker and is disguised as the father. So well is the disguise that the father's

chauffeur A chauffeur () is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or a limousine. Initially, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to s ...

is convinced and takes Hal to the boarding school. The father quickly exits in time to see his chauffeur drive away and hails a taxi. Hal arrives at the boarding school and the disguise works, claims Sue and drives away. Seconds later the father arrives and confronts the mistress, departing to pursue in a fit of anger. Hal and Sue go to the

's house to be immediately wed. The father is delayed for a short time by car trouble, but quickly arrives before the two are wed. He bursts in and sees his double and both he and Hal laugh. The father relents and approves the marriage as Hal removes his disguise in front of the stunned Parson.

Cast

Frank H. Crane Frank Hall Crane (January 1, 1873 – September 1, 1948) was an American stage and film actor and director. *

Fred Santley Fred Santley (November 20, 1887 – May 14, 1953), also known variously as Freddie Santley, Fredric Santley, Frederick Santley, Frederic Santley, and Fredric M. Santley, was an American character actor of the silent and sound film eras, as well ...

as Hal Dunton or "Daddy's double" * Isabelle Daintry as Sue Post

Production

The scenario was written by Lloyd F. Lonergan. Lonergan was the writer of all three previous productions of the Thanhouser company. Lonergan was an experienced newspaperman still employed by ''

The New York Evening World ''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.'' History The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was publ ...

'' while writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions. He was the most important script writer for Thanhouser, averaging 200 scripts a year from 1910 to 1915. The director of the film is not known for certain, but two Thanhouser directors are possible.

Barry O'Neil Barry O'Neil (1865 – 1918) was a film director and writer. His real name was Thomas J. McCarthy. He directed several Thanhouser films including the production company's first two-reeler, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He went on to work for Lubin and ...

was the stage name of Thomas J. McCarthy, who would direct many important Thanhouser pictures, including its first two-reeler, ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''.

Lloyd B. Carleton Lloyd B. Carleton ( - August 8, 1933) was an American director, producer, and actor. He was born in New York City in . Both of his parents were born in Virginia and Carleton's father, John T. Little Senior, supported the family as a clothing imp ...

was the stage name of Carleton B. Little, a director who would stay with the Thanhouser Company for a short time, moving to

Biograph Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to Filmmaking, film production an ...

by the summer of 1910. Film historian Q. David Bowers does not attribute either as the director for this particular production, but he does credit Blair Smith as the cameraman. The film is composed of 28 shots, 8 titles and 1

insert An SQL INSERT statement adds one or more records to any single table in a relational database. Basic form Insert statements have the following form: The number of columns and values must be the same. If a column is not specified, the default va ...

. The cast for the film featured Thanhouser's first leading male actor, Frank H. Crane, along with two stage actors, Isabelle Daintry and Fred Santley. Isabelle Daintry has one other known Thanhouser credit, but this marks Fred Santley's only known credit. During this era, the players in the film were not credited and anonymity was the rule.

Release and reception

The one reel drama, approximately 960 feet, was released on Tuesday April 5, 1910. The film would also be released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on October 16, 1910. The surviving feel reel says the Gaumont Company of London (

Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was a British company that produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of France's Gaumont. Film production Gaumont-British was fou ...

) had exclusive rights to Thanhouser films outside of the United States. The film was shown across the United States, including theaters in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. One of the last advertisements for the film came three years after its release by the Neosho Picture Show Company of

Neosho, Missouri Neosho (; originally or ) is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 census, the city is a part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Area, ...

. The film received positive attention from film critics. ''

The Morning Telegraph ''The Morning Telegraph'' (1839 – April 10, 1972) (sometimes referred to as the ''New York Morning Telegraph'') was a New York City broadsheet newspaper owned by Moe Annenberg's Cecelia Corporation. It was first published as the ''Sunday Me ...

'' praised it as the best work from the new Thanhouser Company. ''

The New York Dramatic Mirror The ''New York Dramatic Mirror'' (1879–1922) was an American theatrical trade newspaper published in New York City. History The paper was founded in January 1879 by Ernest Harvier as the ''New York Mirror''. In stating its purpose to cover t ...

'' found it to have good acting which could still be more expressive, but was more indifferent to the use of unnecessary connecting scenes. ''

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

'' stated, in a brief review, that the acting and photography was good. In 2007, the film was released by Thanhouser Company Film Preservation on a three-disc

set along with eleven other surviving Thanhouser films. The surviving print was obtained from the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

and featured a new original score composed and performed by Raymond A. Brubacher. According to Silent Era, the archive holds the 35mm nitrate

positive Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to: Mathematics and science * Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation * Positive number, a number that is greater than 0 * Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a positi ...

, the more stable 35mm safety negative and a 35mm reference positive.

References

External links