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A Tumultuous Elopement
(1909) United States of America
B&W : One reel / 980 feet
Directed by [?] Gaston Méliès?
Cast: [?] Francis Ford?
Méliès Star-Film [American] production; distributed by Gaston Méliès through Enterprise Optical Company. / Produced by Gaston Méliès. / © 10 November 1909 by Georges Méliès [J134155]. Released 10 November 1909. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
[?] Comedy or Drama?
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 13 November 1909, page ?] Old man Darling arrives home and finds Young Spooner making love to his daughter Dollie. He is very much enraged and orders Spooner from the house. Later, while looking from the window, he spies Seldum Fed, a tramp, creeping through the open pantry window of the house and emerging with pie and a jug of cider. Darling rushes to the scene and whacks the tramp furiously. The tramp, however, regains his composure, and throws the pies in Darling’s face and knocks him down. The tramp then runs away and the old man returns to the house in anger. As soon as Darling makes his appearance, Spooner, who had returned, conceals himself. The old man rushes out of the house again with a gun in pursuit of the tramp. Spooner then outlines to the daughter a plan of elopement. The old man is hot on the trail of the tramp. He soon discovers him and levels his gun. He shoots but misses fire. Seldum jumps over a stone wall quickly and then places his hat on a stick so that it extends just over the wall in sight of Darling. The old man shoots again, thinking it is the tramp, but hits the hat. The tramp then jumps out, knowing that the gun is now unloaded, and makes derisive gestures at the old man. Next is seen Spooner making arrangements with a man to drive a two-seated “carry-all” to meet Dollie and drive with her to the Justice of the Peace to get married. The driver later goes down the road expecting to meet Dollie, but he picks up Seldum, who had been dressed in a woman’s clothes. The tramp, who had found a lot of clothes being burned in an empty lot and among them a fine silk hat, silk underwear and a good suit of clothes, picked these garments from the fire and threw his old rags therein. Soon he saw a wagon on which is marked “Smallpox Hospital” arriving at the spot where he found his clothes and more clothes were unloaded to be burned. Realizing that the garments he had taken were worn by someone having this dreadful disease, he quickly discarded same, but was left without any clothes. He had to walk along in a barrel until he came to a place where women’s clothes were on a line and helped himself to the apparel which he is found wearing when picked up by the driver. He is driven in this costume to the house of the Justice of the Peace, and, as young Spooner comes from the house, he grabs the tramp’s bonnet. All are astounded. The tramp breaks loose and makes his escape with the old man after him. In the meantime Dollie rushes to the house and flies into Spooner’s arms. She explains that she had walked across the field instead of riding. They are married and, as soon as the ceremony is concluded, the father returns with Seldum. He is astounded and infuriated, yet after much explanation the couple are forgiven and the father gives them his blessing, while the tramp is taken to the prison.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 22 May 2024.
References: Thompson-Star p. 228 : ClasIm-226 p. 54 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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