''The Ringtailed Rhinoceros'' (also cited ''The Ring-Tailed Rhinoceros'') is a lost 1915 American silent

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film that depicted the ruinous effects of alcohol on a good-natured man and on the lives of the people around him."American Silent Feature Film: Database From the report 'The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929'"
searchable database that includes nearly 11,000 titles. Library of Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 25, 2020."7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films (1912-29) National Film Preservation Board"
running updated list (current October 2019), "Ringtailed Rhinoceros, The (1915), George Terwilliger", film number 5145, p. 112 of 158. National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 25, 2020. Like snakes and " pink elephants" that have been used in many societies to symbolize heavy drinking or been associated with the

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

s of drunkards, the main character in this "'photophantasy'" blamed instead a "Ringtailed

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

" for his excessive use of wine and liquor."Terwilliger Exceedingly Busy"
''Motography'', July 25, 1914, p. 124. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 8, 2020. The production's

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

, written by Lawrence McCloskey, consisted basically of two parts: the first being a depiction of real-life events in an alcoholic's life and the latter part being a presentation of his bizarre dream in which he wandered through a land of strange people and animals to find and kill the evil rhino. Directed by

George Terwilliger George Walter Terwilliger (February 27, 1882 – December 12, 1970) was an American film director, screenwriter, and journalist.Raymond Hitchcock and

Flora Zabelle Flora Zabelle (born Zabelle Mangasarian, April 1, 1880 – October 7, 1968) was a Broadway actress who appeared in several early silent films. Early years Zabelle was born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey). Of Armenian de ...

, this

Lubin Lubin (; ) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter, as the town for ...

production was filmed on location in

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

and

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

The Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

includes the film among the

National Film Preservation Board The United States National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) is the board selecting films for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It was established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. The National Film Regis ...

's list of "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films" produced between 1912 and 1929.

Plot

News items about the film in 1914 and reviews in 1915 provide descriptions of its storyline and cast. The plot's main character, John Carter-Carter (Raymond Hitchcock), is portrayed as a pleasant man who drinks alcohol excessively. His frequent drinking often causes him to ignore or forget his day-to-day responsibilities, much to the regret of his

fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

, Marybelle Loring (Flora Zabelle), who pleads with him to stop boozing. When her little brother Billie (

Raymond Hackett Raymond Hackett (July 15, 1902 – July 7, 1958) was an American stage and screen actor. He had been a child actor on the Broadway stage and was the brother of Albert Hackett. He was born in New York City the son of Maurice Hackett and Florence ...

) asks John why his sister is so sad, the man blames the "Ringtailed Rhinoceros". The boy is confused by that answer, but he vows to kill the beast. Soon, though, the rhino leads John once again to alcohol and this time to the destruction of his wedding plans. Intoxicated, John arrives late to a lawn party where he and Marybelle were to announce their

betrothal An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

. The invited guests have departed; Marybelle is humiliated; and her furious parents (

Herbert Fortier Herbert Fortier (1867 – 16 February 1949) was a Canadian actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in Toronto and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1913 he lived with his wife Franc ...

and

Ida Waterman Ida Waterman (born Ida Shaw; March 10, 1852 – May 22, 1941) was a stage and screen actress. Waterman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She appeared in some thirty or more Broadway productions between the late 1880s and early 1920s. She p ...

) cancel the engagement. John's break-up with Marybelle devastates him. Returning to his rented room, he finds little Billie waiting there, still eager to hunt and kill the rhino. John assures the boy that together they will slay him, so they begin planning how to do it. Before long, Billie falls asleep in a chair, as does John, who begins to dream. In his dream John sees himself as a shabby, destitute wanderer who is captured by pirates and forced to toil aboard their ship. Later, at sea, while John is scrubbing the vessel's deck, the Ringtailed Rhinoceros suddenly appears and leads him to the pirate captain's stock of rum. John gleefully guzzles a bottle, but he is caught by the crew and forced to

walk the plank Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

for stealing. Once in the water, John manages after a long swim to reach an island, where he is chased by soldiers who magically materialize. As he flees, John sees an elaborately dressed boy who looks just like Billie. He is the island's prince named "Good Intent". John rushes up to him and begs for protection. The prince agrees and takes the stranger to see his royal family, including his sister, "The Weeping Princess", who bears a striking resemblance to Marybelle. At the palace John learns the princess is under a magic spell that compels her to cry constantly until the Ringtailed Rhinoceros is destroyed. He promises to kill him, but the king and queen, who are identical in appearance to Marybelle's parents, doubt his pledge. The prince now gives John an eight-legged horse named "Resolution" to help him in his search. Soon John locates the rhino, but instead of battling the beast, he allows the animal to take him to the king's wine cellar. There for several days John enjoys drinking, while reporting to the royal family that he is busy hunting. A "Counsellor Bird" fails to persuade John to resume his mission, so the bird informs the family about the deception. The king orders John beheaded for lying, but the prince intervenes and saves him again. Armed with an old gun, a

blunderbuss The blunderbuss is a 17th- to mid-19th-century firearm with a short, large caliber Gun barrel, barrel. It is commonly flared at the muzzle (firearms), muzzle to help aid in the loading of Lead shot, shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity ...

, and accompanied by the prince, John sets out with a renewed resolve to kill the rhino. The pair enter the beast's domain, where an array of animals threaten them and then try to lure John to the "River of Drinks". The prince, however, helps him resist the temptations. John now begins shooting at the rhino's allies, which prompts the rhino to take the offensive. He rallies the animals for an attack on the palace, so John and the prince rush back to the royal family to defend them. In the throne room, John sees a bottle of wine and is about to drink it when the rhino bursts into the room and approaches the king, queen, and weeping princess. Nearby, the prince shouts at John to kill the creature. John responds, hurling the bottle at the rhino, striking him on the head and killing him. The princess immediately stops crying and embraces John. As everyone celebrates, John awakes from his "

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

-dream". The fantastic adventure has deeply affected him. When he sees Billie and Marybelle again he proclaims that he has at last killed the Ringtailed Rhinoceros and can begin life anew, fully dedicated to being a more responsible, sober man.

Cast

* Raymond Hitchcock as John Carter-Carter *

as Marybelle Loring / The Weeping Princess *

as Billie Loring / Prince Good Intent *

as Mr. Loring / the king *

as Mrs. Loring / the queen *Arthur Matthews as the secretary *Earl Metcalfe as the grouch (credited as Edward Metcalfe) *

William Boyd William, Willie, Will or Bill Boyd may refer to: Academics * William Boyd (educator) (1874–1962), Scottish educator * William Boyd (pathologist) (1885–1979), Scottish-Canadian professor and author * William Alexander Jenyns Boyd (1842–1928), ...

as the prime minister *Unidentified performers as the Ringtailed Rhinoceros and other animals

Production

In 1914, the rapidly expanding Lubin Manufacturing Company sought to attract public attention and ticket buyers by convincing stars of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and the " legitimate" theater, as well as other celebrities, to perform in their first films with Lubin. Two such stage performers contracted by the company in 1914 were the "notorious" actress

Evelyn Nesbit Thaw Florence Evelyn Nesbit (December 25, 1884 or 1885 – January 17, 1967) was an American model (person), artists' model, chorus girl, and actress. She is best known for her career in New York City, as well as her husband, railroad scion Har ...

, who made her screen debut in the Lubin production ''

Threads of Destiny is a 2006 cell phone novel series written by Mei. ''Akai Ito'' was first published on the website ''Mahō no Toshōkan'', where it became the #1 ranked story within the first month of publication. The popularity of ''Akai Ito'' has been ...

'', and the comedian Raymond Hitchcock, whose initial foray into films was ''The Ringtailed Rhinoceros''. Widely billed as "'The Funniest Man on the Stage'", Hitchcock had reportedly rejected earlier offers to perform in motion pictures, but the comedian was finally "won over" by Lubin, which created a "unique comedy drama, written especially" for him."LUBIN"
advertisement, ''Motography'' (Chicago, Illinois), August 22, 1914, p. 12. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 9, 2020.Henderson, William M. (1915)
The Ringtailed Rhino Won Over Raymond Hitchcock"
''The Movie Pictorial'' (New York, N.Y.), October 1, 1914, pp. 20-21. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 12, 2020. The Chicago-based trade journal ''Motography'' later referred to Lubin's success in contracting Hitchcock for his first screen appearance "a decided triumph".

Scenario

In the spring of 1914, Lubin staff writer and editor Lawrence McCloskey was assigned by the company to develop a special

for Raymond Hitchcock and to convince him to star in it. McCloskey proceeded and composed a rough draft or '"skeleton'" of ''The Ringtailed Rhinoceros'' in just a week. He then personally visited Hitchcock at "Bellemond", the comedian's estate outside New York City, on Long Island. There he read the draft to Hitchcock and his wife, actress Flora Zabelle. Both performers agreed that the proposed plot was indeed unique, and they expressed a willingness to consider working in such a production. After incorporating Hitchcock and Zabelle's ideas into his script, McCloskey spent another week polishing and finalizing the scenario. The couple then committed to the project.

Filming locations

Filming on the production occurred between mid-May and early July 1914. Director Terwilliger used two locations for Lubin's production: Hitchcock's Bellemond estate and St. Augustine, Florida. On Long Island the comedian enlisted his wealthy neighbors to perform in supporting roles and as extras on the project, a casting move that offered both convenience and cost savings to Terwilliger. Writer McCloskey in an interview described the set-up for filming at and around Bellemond: Additional footage for the production was shot in St. Augustine, Florida, a location often used by Lubin and other studios to film tropical-like, "exotic" scenery. In its July 25, 1914 issue, the trade journal ''Motography'' notifies its readers that Terwilliger with a "troupe of Lubin players" had recently returned from St. Augustine and was filming a "'photophantasy'" with Hitchcock and Zabelle.

Release and promotion

In August 1914—a full year before the film's release—Lubin was already promoting the completed photoplay in trade publications. That prolonged delay in its release was due to several reasons, one being scheduling adjustments linked to Lubin's new distribution partnership with three other film studios:

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

, Selig, and

Essanay Essanay Studios, officially the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, was an early American film, motion picture movie studio, studio. The studio was founded in 1907 in Chicago by George Kirke Spoor and Broncho Billy Anderson, Gilbert M. Anderson, ...

."V-L-S-E Aims At World-Wide Distribution"
''Motion Picture News'', April 24, 1915, pp. 37-38. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 15, 2020 Under the incorporated title "

V-L-S-E Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

", the companies by early 1915 were coordinating the marketing and release dates of their films. In addition, Lubin's financial circumstances had been seriously affected by a disastrous fire in June 1914, just as filming of ''The Ringtailed Rhinoceros'' was being completed.Eckhardt, pp. 181–184."$500,000 Fire Wrecks Lubin Plant"
''Motion Picture News'', June 27, 1914, p. 25. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 7, 2020. That blaze destroyed millions of feet of film in the company's main storage vault in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The losses, all of which were uninsured, included extensive collections of original prints, master negatives,

stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

, unused film, and "several features ready for release". Fortunately, footage already shot for Hitchcock's debut film was processed or stored elsewhere, for it escaped destruction at that time. Four months after the fire, in October 1914, William Henderson, a writer for ''The Movie Pictorial'', predicted the film would be a success and viewed with marked distinction for blending comedy into the serious theme of alcohol abuse:

Reception

The film received mixed reactions in August 1915. ''The Atlanta Constitution'' judged Hitchcock's first screen appearance to be "one of the most amusing comedies ever seen in motion pictures". "There is none of the slap stick and horse play in "The Ring-Tailed Rhinoceros", the newspaper added, "It is a comedy of mirth-provoking situations." Thomas C. Kennedy, the critic for ''Motography'', focused his compliments on the direction of the film, stating that "Director Terwilliger did not overlook any opportunities in the staging of this thoroughly amusing farce-comedy." However, in his review in the August 28 issue of ''Motion Picture News'', Harvey F. Thew criticizes the pace of the four-reeler, noting that "the story is allowed to drag in many spots".Thew, Harvey F. (1915)
"'The Ring-Tailed Rhinoceros'"
review, ''Motion Picture News'', August 28, 1915, pp. 72-73. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 9, 2020. He also expresses a general disappointment with Hitchcock's screen debut, observing that the inability to hear him speak in the medium of film robbed the comedian of his greatest strength on stage. Thew laments, "One cannot help but wish his words were audible—they look as if they might be good." Even within the film's reviews in 1915, the issues and ongoing public debates regarding the "evils" of alcohol versus individual rights arose. A

constitutional amendment A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...

to ban the production, transportation, and sale of all alcoholic beverages in the United States would not take effect until 1920, but some reviewers of ''The Ringtailed Rhinoceros'', including Harvey Thew, recognized the film as not only an entertainment diversion but also a cinematic " preachment for

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

". "The 'preachment'", writes Thew, "is found in an old

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

, in which the ring-tailed rhinoceros is the symbol for the demon of the bottle."

"Lost" film status

No full or partial reels of this Lubin production are preserved in the UCLA Film Archives, in the collection of moving images at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

, the

George Eastman Museum The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as George Eastman House and the International Museum of Photography and Film, is a photography museum in Rochester, New York. Opened to the public in 1949, is the oldest museum dedicated to photography ...

, or in European film repositories.

also includes the film among the

's list of "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films" produced between 1912 and 1929. Stills from the production, in addition to those depicted on this page, do survive as illustrations in 1914 and 1915 publications and provide a visual record of the general content of some scenes in the film.

Second release, 1916

The financial setback from the 1914 fire created ongoing cash-flow problems for Lubin and continued to disrupt its production and release schedules. In an effort to bring in some quick, much-needed revenue, the company cut the running times of several films already released in 1915 and re-released them as

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ar ...

in the spring of 1916. Two of those films were

Marie Dressler Leila Marie Koerber (November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934), known professionally as Marie Dressler, was a Canadian-born stage- and screen-actress and comedian, popular in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood in early silent film, silent an ...

's comedy ''

Tillie's Tomato Surprise ''Tillie's Tomato Surprise'' is a 1915 screen sequel to the previous year's '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'' again starring Marie Dressler as Tillie. The film was produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, directed by Howell Hansel and written ...

'', originally released as a six-reeler in September 1915, and ''The Ringtailed Rhinoceros''. Lubin substantially cut each film's running time to approximately 25 minutes. In mid-April 1916, ''Motion Picture News'' published an announcement with the heading "Marie Dressler and Hitchcock Subjects Issued as 2-Reelers"."Marie Dressler and Hitchcock Subjects Issued as 2-Reelers"
''Motion Picture News'', April 15, 1916, p. 2203. Internet Archive. Retrieved April 9. 2020. Although no fragments of the abbreviated re-release of ''The Ringtail Rhinoceros'' survive, it is likely that John's extended dream sequence, the more visually interesting half of the film, comprised the content of that second run.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ringtailed Rhinoceros 1915 films American fantasy adventure films 1915 comedy films 1915 drama films Films about alcoholism American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films about rhinoceroses Films about dreams Films directed by George Terwilliger 1910s English-language films 1910s American films Silent American adventure films