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Sunshine Molly
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Five reels
Directed by Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley
Cast: Lois Weber [Sunshine Molly], Phillips Smalley [‘Bull’ Forrest], Adele Farrington [Widow Budd], Margaret Edwards [Mirra Budd], Herbert Standing [Pat O’Brien], Vera Lewis [Mrs. O’Brien], Roberta Hickman [Patricia O’Brien], Frank Elliott [Patricia’s fiance], Charles Marriott [Old Pete]
Bosworth, Incorporated, production; distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation. / Scenario by Lois Weber, from a story by Alice von Saxmar. Assistant director, Nate Watt. Cinematography by Dal Clawson. Presented by Bosworth, Incorporated. / Released 18 March 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? “Sunshine Molly” enters the oil town in search of work. Her first good deed is to help old Pete, whom she had met on the road, to carry his heavy bundle. She is seen to do this by “Bull” Forrest. Old Pete shows her the boarding house and she applies for work. Mrs. O’Brien and her daughter, Patsy, a slovenly girl, who have to do all the work, are tired out and seeing in Molly a willing worker, hire her and she starts in at once. “Bull” Forrest enters the dining room at this point and announces: “There’s a new female in town.” He is reproved by old Pete as Molly enters with food, and Bull in a spirit of bravado pinches her. Molly is furious, breaks a plate on his head and tells him to keep his hands to himself. Bull leaves the dining room in a rage. Pat O’Brien, whose wife runs the boarding house, owns an oil well in which he has sunk all his money and is greatly worried because it shows no sign of producing. Old Pete, now very weak and near the end, makes Bull a witness to his will in which he leaves his land and all on it to Molly. In the meantime Pat’s well turns out to be a gusher and the O’Brien family move to town and enter society. The Widow Budd takes charge of the eating house during their absence and falls hopelessly in love with all her boarders, who show a preference for her daughter. At this juncture Mrs. O’Brien engages a professional matchmaker to find a man of family to marry her daughter. She is successful and on making known her intention of giving a reception to announce the engagement. Pat thinks it will be a good chance to give his old cronies in the oil fields a treat, so he secretly invites them to the reception. The night arrives and Mrs. O’Brien and her daughter, whom she now calls Patricia, are flattered by the large attendance of polite society, when who should file in but the workmen from the oil fields. Consternation follows, and Pat’s wife is furious that he should have dared to invite such common people. Pat, angry at the insult to his cronies, departs with them to the oil fields, leaving his wife and daughter in sore straits, as the fiancée demands a marriage settlement. Bull Forrest has been shunned by his fellow workmen on account of his insult to Molly, and worried so over it that his nerves became affected, his sight troubled him and caused him to act so queerly that he was thought to be insane, and all avoided him. Molly discovered him stricken senseless one night, took him to his room and doctored him and his hate turned to love. Mrs. O’Brien with Patricia and her fiancée were compelled to follow Pat to Oilfield and on arriving were given a cool reception by the workmen, and the fiancée in retaliation tells them that he knows “Sunshine Molly” and that she has been a jailbird. The men are enraged at this insult to one whom they all think so highly of, and hurry him into the dining room where Molly is and demand to hear what he knows about her. Molly says that he is quite right as she was arrested once for attacking a man who would not keep his hands to himself, and pointing to him, tells the men that they will find a scar on his left shoulder. Bull tears the clothes away and reveals the scar, the men at once kick him out and he swears to be revenged. That night he sets fire to the oil field, which is destroyed, and Bull seeing him do the dastardly deed, pursues him to an old derrick where he climbs to the top, pursued by Bull. A part of the ladder breaks and the traducer is dashed to the ground and killed. Bull is carried to the boarding house and placed in Molly’s room where he is tenderly cared for by Molly. Overcome by her kindness he sends a note to her by Pat asking her to have someone else wait on him, as “he can’t keep his hands off her.” Molly answers the note in person and tells him that loving each other as they do, it would not be long before, “a man can lay his hands on his wife.”
Survival status: Print exists [incomplete, missing reels three and four].
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 20 February 2024.
References: Website-AFI; Website-ASFFDb; Website-IMDb.
Home video: Blu-ray Disc, DVD.
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