''Poor Jake's Demise'' is a 1913 American silent short slapstick

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Allen Curtis Allen Curtis (1877 – November 24, 1961), was an American film director of the silent era. He directed 278 films between 1913 and 1922. He was born in New York, New York and died in Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborh ...

and featuring Max Asher, Louise Fazenda and

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

. The slapstick film focuses on Jake who finds his wife in a compromising position with another man and later takes his revenge with a

seltzer bottle The soda siphon (sometimes spelled syphon), also known as the seltzer bottle or siphon seltzer bottle, is a device for storing and dispensing carbonated beverages (typically carbonated water) while maintaining the internal pressure, thereby preven ...

. It is one of several slapstick comedy films Chaney made for

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at the start of his career and is also his first credited screen role. The film is partially lost, but a fragment of the film (running almost 8 minutes) was discovered in England in May 2006 and restored by Lobster Films of Paris.

Plot

Jake comes home and finds his wife and Willy ("The Dude") Mollycoddle in a compromising position. Enraged, Jake throws Willy out of the house and scolds his wife and threatens to kill himself. Fearful that Jake will commit suicide, the wife calls the police and three officers are sent out to find Jake. Stopping at a bar before he commits suicide, Jake finds the Dude who is drowning his sorrows. Jake takes his revenge on Willy with a seltzer bottle. Later Jake drunkenly walks down to a park fountain where he is mugged and knocked out by some ruffians. The police find Jake unconscious and carry him home to his wife, who thinks Jake has really killed himself. She contacts the Dude who comes over to help her prepare Jake's funeral arrangements, but when Jake suddenly revives from his stupor, the Dude runs out of the house in terror. Jake and his wife make up and decide to repair their marriage.

Cast

* Max Asher as Jake Schultz * Daisy Small as Jake's wife *

as Willy (The Dude) Mollycoddle *

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

as the servant

Production

''Poor Jake's Demise'' was directed by

and produced by

Independent Moving Pictures Company The Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP) was a motion picture studio and production company founded in 1909 by Carl Laemmle. The company was based in New York City, with production facilities in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 1912, IMP merged with ...

(IMP) and distributed by

Universal Film Manufacturing Company Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. The screenplay author was not credited. The film is notable for having been the first billed appearance of Lon Chaney, and perhaps the debut of Louise Fazenda as well.

Release and reception

The film was released on August 16, 1913 and had viewings in

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Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. A contemporary review of the film in ''

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. I ...

'' described it as "simply horse play without any special appeal, though it is harmless and lacks vulgarity." The film was presumed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

, but a fragment of the film was discovered in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in May 2006. It has since been restored by the Haghefilm Laboratory of Amsterdam and Lobster Films, Paris. The restored fragment is 7 minutes and 52 seconds long. In 2006, the film was shown at the

Pordenone Silent Film Festival Le Giornate del cinema muto (referred to in English as Pordenone Silent Film Festival) is an annual festival of silent film held in October in Pordenone, northern Italy. It is the first, largest and most important international festival dedicated ...

. The film would also be shown at the 31st

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, also known as Cinéfest and Cinéfest Sudbury is an annual film festival in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada,"Cinefest provides cultural landmark". ''Sudbury Star'', September 16, 1999. held over nine ...

on the evening of March 19, 2011. In 1957, an article by Jim Neal of the ''Denton Record-Chronicle'' cited this as the first of Lon Chaney's films. Don G. Smith's book, ''Lon Chaney, Jr.: Horror Film Star, 1906-1973'', also claims this film as Chaney's first. Rosemary Guiley would also refer to this claim in ''The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters''. Chronologically, this is the first released film with a confirmed credit for Chaney and also the first billed release. According to Blake, Chaney did not appear in '' The Honor of the Family'', ''

Suspense (1913 film) ''Suspense'' is a 1913 American silent short film thriller directed by Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley. Weber also wrote the scenario and stars in the film with Valentine Paul. The film features early examples of a split screen shot and a car ...

'' or '' The Ways of Fate'', three earlier films sometimes credited to him.

References

External links