''The Female Cop'' is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the

Lubin Manufacturing Company 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. * * History The Lubin Manufacturing Company was forme ...

and starring Mae Hotely and Julia Calhoun, with

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) 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 ...

as a "boob cop".

Plot

Myra is an old maid who thinks that men are trying to flirt with her when they are in fact making fun of her. Her suffragette friend suggests that Myra apply to join the police force, and together they persuade the chief to give her a badge. Myra tricks another cop out of his hat and coat, and then walks her beat, arresting everyone she meets. When the cases come before the judge, the only charge Myra can make against the prisoners is that they flirted with her. The judge cannot believe this and Myra is thrown out of the courthouse. The prisoners shower her with vegetables and the film ends as Myra fights with her friend for suggesting the idea in the first place.''The Lubin Bulletin'', vol. 1, no. 13 (June 30, 1914), p. 7
Rob Stone, ''Laurel or Hardy: The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver "Babe" Hardy'' (Temecula, CA: Split Reel Books, 1996), pp. 12–13.

Cast

* Mae Hotely as Myra McGinnis * Julia Calhoun as Mrs. Brown *

as Boob Cop

Production and reception

''The Female Cop'' was filmed in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, at the Jacksonville unit of the

, under the supervision of Arthur Hotaling. It was a short split-reel comedy, lasting approximately 7–8 minutes, and sharing a single reel of film with a second, unrelated comedy, ''Fire! Fire!'', starring Billy Bowers and Harry Lorraine. The films were released by the General Film Company on June 6, 1914. ''The Female Cop'' is one of several short comedies made in the spring of 1914 that include the earliest screen appearances of

. In most of these films he was an uncredited

extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

, but in this case he was credited as "Babe" Hardy, playing the role of "Boob Cop." Although the film itself does not survive, Hardy can be seen in a promotional still published in ''The Lubin Bulletin'', a newsletter advertising the studio's new releases. The film received generally poor reviews in the trade papers. Although ''Moving Picture World'' declared it "not bad for a comedy of its kind", ''Motion Picture News'' considered it "a rather poor finish to the other half of the reel",''The Motion Picture News'', vol. 9, no. 24 (June 20, 1914), p. 64
and ''The New York Dramatic Mirror'' wrote, "This concerns the doings of a woman who was appointed policeman, but there is almost total absence of plot and few laughs."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Female Cop, The 1914 films 1914 comedy films 1914 short films Silent American comedy short films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jerold T. Hevener 1910s American films 1910s English-language films English-language comedy short films

Plot

Cast

Production and reception

See also

References