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The Little Preacher
(1910) United States of America
B&W : One reel / 950 feet
Directed by William F. Haddock
Cast: Edith Storey [Reverend A.B. Cole], Francis Ford [Joe Lane], [?] William Clifford?
G. Méliès production; distributed [?] on State Rights basis? by G. Méliès. / Produced by Gaston Méliès. Cinematography by William Paley. / Released 7 July 1910. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy: Western.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 2 July 1910, page ?] The cowboys and gamblers of Curzon are very much interested in a placard which appears one day in the saloon, giving the information that the Rev. A.B. Cole is due to arrive from Glue Gulch, and that services will be held in the schoolhouse. The cowboys plan to give the preacher a warm reception, but are surprised and chagrined when the new minister turns out to be a pretty woman. They immediately apologize and agree that religion must be a good thing if taught by such a charming woman. The attendance at the schoolhouse is large, and the barroom is almost deserted. The bartender is in despair and is on the point of closing out his business. He is urged against this, however, by one steady patron, Joe Lane, who tries his best to bring the deserters back into camp. The Rev. Cole hears of the efforts against her by this young scoundrel and so takes pains to meet him. Great is the surprise upon both sides. Joe proves to be handsome, debonair and polite, and not the deep-dyed villain she had anticipated. On the other hand, Joe is immensely pleased with the young theological student; and an acquaintance springs up, which ripens into a love affair in a few days. Joe is a hopeless case, according to the good minister’s mind, and she decides that it is her duty to reform him, even if she has to marry him. Joe swears that this is the only in which he can be reformed, and when he convinces her of this, they take a trip to the local justice of the peace, who ties the knot. In the meantime, with Joe attending the services regularly, the bartender has no customers, and so he closes the saloon, posts a notice of the suspension of business, and prepares to leave for more congenial surroundings. The cowboys have been exemplary in their conduct, but, when they discover that the object of their admiration has become Mrs. Joe Lane, they decide to become “back-sliders.” In a body they attend the saloon with their appetites whetted for the fruits of the wine cup. Alas, they are greeted by the sign of suspension. They find the bartender, and, at the point of their revolvers, force him to open up and quench their thirst. He is firm in his determination to move, however, and so each takes a flask along against a future drought. The little minister notices that evening that they are in a somewhat hilarious condition, and so she lectures them severely on their habits, aided by her stalwart husband. Ashamed and impressed, the boys finally agree to exchange their flasks for prayer-books, and sit down to study their Sunday-school lesson. Tired nature asserts itself, however, and they gradually drop off to sleep, while a picture shows a gigantic spider industriously weaving a web over the door of the deserted saloon.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 23 July 1910, page ?] A pleasant Western tale, purporting to relate how a pretty woman preacher succeeded in including all the cowboys to leave the saloon and accept prayer books in church as a substitute for whiskey. A nice touch is the picture of the spider weaving his [sic] web across the closed door of the saloon. The story is full of action and holds the interest from beginning to end, and more than once raises a laugh when some particularly comical situation develops. The film has all the lively quality required to make it popular.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 25 May 2024.
References: Thompson-Star pp. 105-106, 228 : ClasIm-226 p. 54 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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