William Shea

Charming melodrama by the Vitagraph Company about the friendship between a boy (Bobby Connelly) and the grumpy Captain Barnacle(William Shea). This seems to be the first film in a short-lived Captain Barnacle series that Vitagraph started at the beginning of 1917. Young Bobby Connelly was one of the first star child actors and his character Sonny Boy links the two series he did for Vitagraph, the "Sonny Jim" series from 1914 to 1915 and the "Bobby" series in 1917.

A comedy short produced by Vitagraph and released in 1916. This is entitled Walls and Wallops, and features Hughey (also spelt Hughie) Mack with Lawrence (also Larry) Semon directing this. It is about cops, capers, and a love interest.

Leslie Brennan, an heiress, suddenly discovers that she is almost penniless, and faces the ordeal of making her own living.

The master crook steals the sweetheart of Sherlock, a great detective. Sherlock undertakes to recover her.

Brutal rental agent Joseph McGuire demands that Molly-O marry McGuire's son Denny, lest her family be thrown out of their humble shack. But Molly-O prefers the company of carriage driver Larry O'Dea, who unfortunately is just as broke as she is. Or is he?

Beware the ire of the sacred God Ammett, or any other of those Egyptian Gods for that matter. As a bellhop in a hotel, Hughey managed to get possession of a wonderful ruby, the eye of Ammet, and with its aid obtained an introduction to a millionaire and his beautiful daughter. But Hughey failed to remember that for every ruby or other gem stolen from an Egyptian shrine, there is a bearded sheik who has taken a vow never to eat, drink or sleep until the talisman has been returned to the irate God from whom it was stolen, and vengeance has been wrought on the guilty one. Just when Hughey is enjoying himself immensely at a fine little dinner with the fair damsel, his nemesis, the sheik, discovers him and a lively chase takes place. The sheik gets the ruby in his possession but Hughey regains it in jig time and the prospects are that the poor sheik will have some wait before he can look a square meal in the face again.

A grandmother has an adventure for the first time in her life when she decides to have a night out.

The new stenographer is right there when it comes to class which does not escape the notice of her boss. He showers attentions upon her and asks her out to the beach with him the following Sunday. She accepts. It is perfect day for her Boss. She enters into the spirit of everything and he has things all his own way. She even ignores the glances of other men and when a certain one gets too fresh, the fresh one takes a beating at the hands of the boss. But then the boss wakes up. It was only a dream.

Bill Pike, recently married, hits his home town about seven in the evening, and immediately is seized by a bunch of his old cronies who drag him into a hotel to have a game of poker. He protests wildly and at last escapes long enough to phone Dill, his young wife, who is anxiously awaiting his return. He's going to be very late. At home, Mrs. Pike receives a telegram telling her that her brother Steve will be there soon and he is anxious to meet Bill..

Aching for an opportunity to get square with strong-willed Mrs. Drexel, boarding house mistress and mother of his sweetheart, Constance, Billy sees his opportunity when his uncle Battledore is suddenly called out of town. He hangs out a "Boarders Wanted" sign in front of his uncle's house, then with a big roll of bills the young man, just after Mrs. Drexel has given all the servants a raking over, lures them all away from her. When her boarders troop down to breakfast and find no breakfast awaiting them they all quit on the spot with feelings beyond description.

On discovering that their beau, Timothy, the village schoolmaster, is quite unable to choose between them for a life partner, Ivy and Lily Skinner agree to draw lots. Ivy, who is of a romantic, novel-reading nature, loses and is broken hearted. She seeks solace in her favorite, Tennyson, and in reading "The Lady of Shalott" becomes imbued with the determination to die as did the heroine in the book.

Tupper meets the wealthy Miss Whipple at a baseball game. When she declares that she just adores baseball players, Tupper starts up a team.

Comedian John Bunny on a train all confused.

In search of a maid, Mrs. Cook, an aristocratic and extremely proud society woman, goes to an employment agency and hires Luna, fat, awkward and straight from Sweden. The new maid creates quite a stir in the staid and fashionable home of Mrs. Cook. While capering about in her room above, she brings down the ceiling. Mrs. Cook saves her from being discharged and then calls up the plasterer, whose name is John Haines, a widower, and the father of Bert, the chauffeur, in love with Marie Cook, their daughter. John fixes the ceiling, and on his return home finds a note from his son saying he is going to be married and suggests his father follow his example. John tells the news to Luna, proposes to her, and without a second's hesitation, she accepts him.

John and Flora meet at a ball, but neither can do these modern dances, so they sit out… and run into each other later at a dance studio. Bunny exudes his usual Pickwickian charm. Miss Finch gets involved in a nice bit of physical comedy when her gawkiness makes the dance lesson less than successful.

Very pretty, very attractive, very young; her name is Maude and she has a beau. He is very fat. Maude is simply crazy about him. She will not consider the attentions of Syd, her brother Bert's pal. One day Maude sits dreaming in the parlor, a book of daring adventures lying open in her lap. Syd enters and tries to make love to her.

A rich swell travels out West to escape marrying a social climber. There, he meets and marries a bareback rider from traveling circus. Bringing her home, his family's pernicious double-standards are revealed.

Farce in which two neighbouring couples test each other's jealousy. The women decide to make the men jealous and vice versa. The men buy horse hair to make the women believe it is hair of another woman; the women pretend to have received love letters. Final match result: women seem more jealous than men.

While making preparations for the entertainment of Aunt Maria, who had announced her arrival by telegram, Lila Lane gets herself shut in the storeroom. Here she is found later by her sweetheart, Harry Eschert, who has returned for some forgotten papers.

John Burling, a detective, rounds up some members of the Night Hawk gang. Bill Hanks, the chief, swears to get even with him. Tim, a little street waif, entering the saloon where the gang are consulting with Maime, a female accomplice, overhears some of their threats. He is discovered and kicked out of the place by Hanks. The next day, Tim, half starving, picks up a purse in the street which he has seen a lady drop. He is tempted to steal it, but in the end gives it back to her. Burling sees this, is struck with the boy's honesty, and being in need of a page boy, hires him and dubs him "Buttons."' Maime visits Burling and leaves him an address to come to investigate a robbery which has occurred at her home. Tim recognizes her as she goes out, follows her and has his suspicions confirmed by seeing her with one of the gang on the street. He goes to warn his master, but Burling has already gone.

A comedy about a group of school girls who bring a street musician to school with them.

After the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.

Short anti-war film in which a French musician turns out to be a German spy.

Romantic comedy in which a woman who no longer wants to marry her fiance when it turns out he doesn't have an inheritance. After his father is deceased, Stephen Fiske travels to New York, where he learns that his father has left him nothing. His fiancée Doris now refuses to marry him because he is not rich. Doris has, however, an old aunt, whose last wish is that Doris marry Stephan.

The night of the grand reception and dance finds Belle Oakley in high glee as she leaves for the reception. She arrives at the reception and discovers that she is without her dancing shoes. She announces her loss and immediately all the young men volunteer to go in search of them. Harry Brown, who was not as quick as the others, is left behind and sits dejectedly on the curb while the others drive away.

Bunny and Marsh attend a show and both fall in love with a charming danseuse.

A Chinese man cares for the orphan of a dying woman who stumbles into his laundry.

Old Captain Bill and his wife have an only son, whom they idolize. He loses all his money at gambling and drinking, and determines to do better in the city. After a short absence he writes his people that he has secured a good position, is saving money, and will be home before long. A year or two later he arrives in town and on his way to his home passes the old saloon he used to patronize. He cannot resist the temptation, and goes in. He falls in with a lot of bad fellows and is robbed. Ashamed to go home, he ships on board a sailing vessel.

Jack, a little orphan, is anxious to become a sailor, and although Captain Rhines refuses to take him aboard his ship, manages to sneak in as a stowaway. When out to sea a few days, he is discovered, and is about to be disciplined, when the captain's daughter, May, intercedes. A terrific storm strikes them, and the ship is dashed to pieces. The captain, with the assistance of Jack, builds a little raft, and with little May, they set out for an island which they can hardly discern, as it is so many miles away. After drifting for many hours, they at last reach the island, which is inhabited by a savage tribe.

A penniless British Lord sets up an arranged marriage with an American heiress. He soon falls in love with her and is determined to support himself financially so they can have a real marriage.

Solomon keeps a clothing store, he has in stock two overcoats of exactly the same make and pattern. Michael Gallagher, who is passing by and in need of an outer garment, notices Solomon's display and buys one of the coats. Shortly after the first sale, Peter Dempsey, a bachelor, happens along and takes quite a fancy to the remaining twin overcoat and Solomon makes another sale. Gallagher and Dempsey dine, at the same time, in the same restaurant. Finishing his meal, Gallagher leaves hurriedly and takes Dempsey's coat, quite naturally mistaking it for his own. When Dempsey is through with his meal, he puts on Gallagher's coat quite satisfied that it is his own. That night Dempsey goes to call on his sweetheart, who admires his new overcoat, and as she helps him off with it, a letter in a woman's hand-writing falls out of the pocket.

A condensed silent film version of the Charles Dickens classic about the French Revolution and its subsequent Reign of Terror.

A silent short film telling the classic story of Becky Sharp.

Two nice young people become acquainted at the beach; a romance develops.

An impressive Vitagraph short, one of many popular firemen-to-the-rescue films of the time.

The worlds first screen adaptation of a Shakespeare play.

Biographical drama, adaptation of Shakespeare's play.

An early short featuring Florence Lawrence.

Born with an artistic temperament, Joe Leigh feels keenly the bitterness and drudgery of life on a small farm and longs to get away from it. Jabez, his uncle, who owns the farm, is a hard, matter-of-fact man, utterly out of sympathy with his nephew's ambitions.