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What Happened to Mary?
(1912-1913) United States of America
B&W : Serial / 12 chapters / 12 reels
Directed by Charles J. Brabin, J. Searle Dawley, Walter Edwin, George A. Lessey, Ashley Miller and Harold M. Shaw
Cast: Mary Fuller [Mary Dangerfield], Ben Wilson, Charles Ogle [Richard Craig, Mary’s uncle], William Wadsworth [Billy Pearl; and Lawyer Foster (chapter 9)], Marc MacDermott [Lieutenant Straker, the conspirator], Bliss Milford [Daisy], Elizabeth Miller [Billy Pearl’s wife], John Sturgeon [the fisherman], Guy Hedlund [Tuck Wintergreen, the rejected suitor], Yale Benner [John Chase], William Bechtel [Henry Craig, Richard Craig’s son], Barry O’Moore (Herbert Yost) [Henry Craig, Richard Craig’s son (chapters 7 and 8)], Miriam Nesbitt [Princess Ida; and Nell Benson], Harold M. Shaw [Reverend Cooper (chapter 4)], Stewart Dyer [Reverend W. Cooper (chapter 5)], Harry Beaumont [the secretary], Augustus Phillips [the captain of the schooner], Edna Flugrath [the lighthouse keeper’s daughter], Herbert Prior [the lighthouse keeper], Louise Sydmeth [the landlady], Carey Lee [the leading lady], Arthur Housman [the principal comedian], Walter Edwin [the manager of the Society Queen], James Smith [the stage manager], Richard Ridgely [Terence Darrow], Mrs. C.J. Williams (Mrs. Osbourne) [Mary’s landlady and freind], Mrs. William Bechtel [Darrow’s housekeeper], William West [Abraham Darrow, Terence’s father], Harry Eytinge (Harry B. Eytinge) [the judge], Harry Gripp [the chauffeur], Bigelow Cooper [the fireman], May Abbey, Robert Brower, Walter Edwin, Edna Hammel, Alice Washburn, Ida Williams
Thomas A. Edison, Incorporated, production; distributed by The General Film Company, Incorporated. / Scenario by Horace G. Plympton [?] and Bannister Merwin and James Oppenheim? / 12 chapters (one reel each): [1] “The Escape from Bondage,” released 26 July 1912; [2] “Alone in New York,” released 27 August 1912; [3] “Mary in Stageland,” released 27 September 1912; [4] “The Affair at Raynor’s,” released 25 October 1912; [5] “A Letter to the Princess,” released 22 November 1912; [6] “A Clue to Her Parentage,” released 27 December 1912; [7] “False to Their Trust,” released 24 January 1913; [8] “A Will and a Way,” released 28 February 1913; [9] “A Way to the Underworld,” released 28 March 1913; [10] “The High Tide of Misfortune,” released 25 April 1913; [11] “A Race to New York,” released May 1913; [12] “Fortune Smiles,” released 27 June 1913. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The serial film was released concurrently with the serial story “What Happened to Mary?” by Bob Brown in the magazine McClure’s The Ladies’ World.
Drama.
Synopsis: [Chapter 1, from The Moving Picture World] This is the first of a series of stories concerning a girl called Mary, and it shows her first adventure at the age of a few weeks, when she is brought in a basket and secretly left in the store of one Billy Peart. The note which accompanies her, promises Billy that if he provides for her and finally sees her married to some village boy, a thousand dollars will be sent to him in addition to the five hundred which is left with the child. Of course the note is unsigned and of course Mary’s parentage is therefore in doubt. After this prologue the story takes up this action. Mary is eighteen years of age and Billy has made up his mind that it is about time to fulfill the suggestion of the note and marry her to some village chap. He finds a young country lad, Tuck Wintergreen, who shows a decided preference for the girl and invites him to go ahead and win her, promising his own influence as backing for his suit. But Mary has become a dreamer and is in no mind to marry. She has made a friend of an old fisherman and sails with him in his boat, listening to tales of the great world. On one eventful day a magnificent yacht anchors in the harbor and Mary hears of the life of people who own such boats. The old fisherman, gives her a twenty-dollar pocket piece of his, telling her to keep it until the time comes when she goes forth to see the great world, and that it will help her on her way. When she returns to the ice cream parlor kept by Billy Peart, she finds the yacht people to be served with ice cream and while admiring their smart yachting suits and good breeding, she thinks of the twenty-dollar gold piece. Billy Peart sees her fondling it and takes it from her, the result is a quarrel which drives the yacht folk away from the store and sends Mary, hot for revenge, to the sitting room upstairs. There she remembers seeing Billy lock something in a drawer and in her frenzy she tugs at the drawer until the front, which has not been firmly glued, comes off and she finds herself in possession of a roll of money and a note. The note which she reads, makes her realize that she does not belong to Billy Peart, and that she has a right to flee from the life of the little country store. She defies Billy and runs to the wharf, where she begs the old fisherman to take her to the mainland. When Billy follows her, her staunch friend holds him on the pier while Mary sails away with the boat to freedom and the future, which will be told in some other stories. // [Chapter 2, from The Moving Picture World] In following Mary through her next happening we first discover her in a small seaport town. She then boards a train on the way to New York, (in the train she attracts the attention of a flashy-looking individual, who starts to get into a conversation with her. Unused to the ways of the world she does not know whether to resent this or not. However, the conductor interferes and tells the young man to go about his business. He has managed to give Mary his business card. On arriving in New York, Mary is completely puzzled and she feels the loneliness that comes to any stranger in the midst of a great city. She reaches one of the parks and proceeds to look up advertisements for a lodging. Sitting next to her is a chorus girl, entirely out of money and who has been threatened with ejection. She watches Mary nervously and as the latter gets up and drops her purse the temptation is too strong for the chorus girl to resist. She quickly seizes the purse. Mary inquires the way to one of the addresses of a policeman, but upon discovering the loss of her purse they go back to the bench. The chorus girl is still there and during the conversation the policeman discovers that she has the purse folded in her handkerchief in her right hand. He is about to arrest her when Mary catches her look of appeal and with the terror of the law and imprisonment felt by anyone in her station, she tells the officer that the purse does not belong to her at all. Therefore the chorus girl is released and Mary leaves. Evening is coming on and Mary walks through the streets of New York without money. The strains of an organ coming from a church attract her and she goes in. Here she spends the night. In the morning, hungry and tired, she starts out to find work. Suddenly she remembers the card given her by the young man on the train and decides to apply to him for employment. He greets her enthusiastically and proposes something to eat and drink. He takes her to a Bohemian restaurant. The chorus girl is sitting almost alongside of her and immediately recognizes Mary. Grasping the situation she takes Mary by the hand, tells her that this is no fit place for her and despite the protests of the young man, takes her from the restaurant. She confesses her own fault, takes Mary to her humble lodging, where she is refreshed by something to eat and a place at least to lay her head and here we leave them for the present. // [Chapter 3, from The Moving Picture World] The third picture of the “What Happened to Mary” series, takes our interesting little heroine into the glare of the footlights where she gets her first introduction to the trials and pitfalls that beset the path of many girls who become disciples of Thespis. There is the typical manager who finally secures an “angel” (backer) in the person of John Chase, a rich young man about town. Each serves the other’s purpose. Through a kindness done to Daisy, a poverty stricken chorus girl, Mary is engaged as a “show girl” in a musical comedy. During rehearsals Mary hears Daisy in her part so often that she learns it herself and when Daisy is taken ill on the opening night, Mary is given the part and makes a hit. Her fresh young face and unsophisticated ways have not escaped the eye of John Chase, the rich backer of the show, and his pursuit of her is characteristic of this type of human vulture; she is flattered by being kept in the part, even after Daisy’s recovery. He is continually by her in the wings, sends her flowers and in a hundred different ways tries the wiles of the man of the world upon the innocent girl. At a banquet which Chase gives to the company Mary is lauded by Chase for having saved the performance. Daisy, influenced by the wine she has drunk, takes this as a personal affront and accuses Mary of stealing her part. Chase, also the worse for wine, condoles with Mary and at last tries to forcibly embrace her, to the amusement of the others. The horror of the situation comes over Mary and she leaves in a burst of indignant wrath. Alone at home she sees two paths open to her, one, the wide, “Primrose Way” of the banquet she has just fled from, the other, the narrow path of honest endeavor. Which does she choose? // [Chapter 4, from The Moving Picture World] This is the fourth story of “What Happened to Mary.” When Mary walked into the office of Raynor and Jones she what might be termed a magnetic disturbance. Raynor needed a stenographer very badly and welcomed Mary, while Wilson, Raynor’s trusted clerk, instinctively disliked her. Wilson had been losing steadily at the stock game until he was almost wiped out, and his last hope lay in somehow securing enough money to carry his margin. He knew that it was customary for the collector to allow himself half an hour to get to the bank, so, watching his chance, he steals over to the collector’s coat and sets back his watch thirty minutes. As a consequence, the collector arrives at the bank after hours and is compelled to return with the money. Mr. Raynor is forced to put the money into the safe, and, watched by Wilson, he now proceeds to put the safe combination memorandum in his pocket, which hangs on the rack. Later, Wilson, in helping Raynor on with his coat, drops it. Wilson apologizes, takes the coat to the outer office to brush it and incidentally to steal the memorandum, which he hurriedly places behind the washstand. Later, after Mr. Raynor has gone and Mary is preparing to go home, she chances to see the stolen memorandum, and like a flash Wilson’s intention dawns upon her. Quickly she makes another memorandum, and changing the figures, replaces it. Wilson unsuspectingly gets the changed slip and asks Mary if she is going home. She makes an excuse about working late, and Wilson leaves. Mary now prepares for her vigil by procuring a revolver and switching off the lights. Hour after hour drags by and Mary begins to get weary. Suddenly she hears a key in the door and seeing Wilson's shadow, starts up and darts behind the screen. Wilson stealthily enters and Mary, tensely grasping the revolver, breathlessly waits. Swiftly he gets to work; back and forth the combination knob turns and now he tries the handle. Locked. Again and again he tries, the while feverishly consulting the false memorandum. He is beginning to despair. Suddenly he gets up and rushes into Raynor’s private office. He must get that combination. This is Mary's opportunity. Stealthily she reaches the telephone and calls up Raynor’s club. Explaining hurriedly the situation, she gets back behind the screen just in time to avoid Wilson, who rushes in like an infuriated beast. Again he tries the safe and again he is unsuccessful, and ripping out an oath, clinches his fists. This so startles Mary that she inadvertently makes a noise, which Wilson hears. Quickly turning, he rushes to the screen, only to find a revolver poked in his face. Nonplused for the moment, now he begins arduously to plead, but the revolver never wavers. Becoming frantic, he beseeches and implores. Mary feels that she cannot hold out much longer. She throws the screen toward Wilson and the fight is on. Suddenly the door is thrown open and Mr. Raynor, his brother and an officer rush in. Mary collapses. Wilson is arrested and the next morning Mr. Raynor’s brother, whose admiration for Mary is unbounded because of her pluck the night before, succeeds in getting Mr. Raynor’s consent to her going to Europe on a private diplomatic mission for him. // [Chapter 5, from The Moving Picture World] This is the fifth story of “What Happened to Mary.” Mary arrives in a suburb of London with a letter to the Princess. Her movements are watched by an agent of a foreign government who is interested in the contents of the letter. He follows her into a railway carriage, where he introduces himself as being her fellow agent, and tries to persuade her to give him the letter. Just then the train stops and a clergyman enters their compartment. In London, Mary gets the clergyman to take her to a hotel, from where she writes the Princess that she has the missing document. The letter is intercepted by her adversary, and as a result she receives a letter which purports to come from the Princess. She enters an automobile which she supposes to have been sent by her highness. Arrived at the great house, she even delivers the letter to the lady who demands it, then, glancing out of a window, discovers that her adversary is the chauffeur who brought her. Just in time she reaches for her letter, gets it and. darting from the house, finds herself caught by the man. But her friend the clergyman happens to pass that way, which gives her an opportunity and so distracts the attention of the supposed chauffeur that Mary has time to jump into the automobile. Pursued in the taxi, she stops the machine beside a wall and, running up a ladder which she finds there, drops down on the other side, but her enemy follows, and running to escape from him she finds herself in the midst of a garden party, to whom she appeals for protection. As the chauffeur who has followed her faces the hostess, Mary sees that she is a person of importance, for he is evidently nonplussed by the encounter, and then she discovers the lady is none other than the Princess she seeks, and with her enemy standing by she delivers the letter to its rightful owner. // [Chapter 6, from The Moving Picture World] Being the Sixth Story of “What Happened to Mary.” Lieutenant Strakey, Mary’s opponent, in “A Letter to the Princess” has been commissioned to go to America and Madam Jolatsky, who has fallen in love with the young officer, throws up her own appointment in London and follows him, taking the same steamer and thereby becoming a fellow passenger with Mary. Mary’s cabin mate is a young woman who seems to he struck with Mary’s appearance and when Mary is looking over the letter which is the only clue to her mysterious birth and parentage, this young woman, Nell Benson, sees the writing and so finally succeeds in getting Mary to show her the letter. She then sends a wireless message to someone in New York, expressing the belief that she has found “the missing heiress.” Lieutenant Strakey seizes upon the word heiress which he happens to catch sight of and immediately begins attentions to Mary which Nell Benson does not want her to accept. Besides this Madam Jolatsky speaks to Mary and warns her not to flirt with Strakey. This opposition develops in Mary’s desire to play the game to the end and she accordingly leads Strakey on. Madam Jolatsky slips a valuable bracelet into Mary’s trunk just before the steamer lands in New York. Of course this is found by the customs official and Mary, unable to explain why it is not in her declaration of how she came by it, is arrested. But just at this minute Nell Benson appears with a distinguished-looking gentleman whose name seems to create a stir with the officials and who takes charge of the case. He takes Mary with him and bringing her into a great mansion, informs her that this will be her home henceforth. He refuses to tell her more about her family except to point to a portrait on the wall which he tells her is that of her mother. The wandered has found a home and at least a memory of a mother. // [Chapter 7, from The Moving Picture World] Mary, the fascinating little heroine of many adventures, learns that kinship does not necessarily mean friendship. We find her in the house of her uncle, who, with his son, have misappropriated the funds of the bank of which they are president and cashier. They possess a knowledge that Mary does not, namely, that her grandfather has left a fortune to her when she marries. This will save her uncle and his scapegrace son and they decide to marry her to the boy. There is a young secretary in the bank who accidentally overbears a conversation which indicates their misuse of the bank’s funds but like Mary, he knows nothing of their plans to recoup their fortune. But when Mary scorns the young cashier and they find her on rather friendly terms with the young secretary they manufacture a forged check, charge him with the crime and dismiss him from the bank. This is too much for Mary and she undertakes to get evidence of the falseness of the charge. In so doing she learns of the other crime. The evidence is obtained by making a phonograph record from a telephone conversation between the father and son, and the scenes in which Mary gets this record are very exciting and intensely dramatic. Of course, in the end the uncle and his son are taken away to prison and Mary finds herself again face to face with the great world without a home or friends to care for her. This is the seventh story of “What Happened to Mary.” // [Chapter 8, from The Moving Picture World] Being the eighth story of “What Happened to Mary.” In this picture we see Mary as a public stenographer. Mr. Foster, a lawyer, has her write a letter to Abraham Darrow, stating that a new will is ready for his signature, but that the son, Terence Darrow, prevents the lawyer’s access to the old man’s bedside. Mary immediately volunteers her assistance in getting into the house and having the will signed. Terence Darrow sees Foster and Mary coming out of the office building and follows Mary to his home in time to prevent her entering. He then goes in, sits down, lights a cigarette and sends the old housekeeper out for some whiskey. Falling asleep, his cigarette drops from his fingers and sets fire to the rug. Mary, in the meantime, goes into the alley and slips in the back way when the old housekeeper comes out. She is detected by Terence attempting to steal through the room and a terrific struggle ensues, but Mary escapes to the yard again and gets the bottle of whiskey and a shawl from the old housekeeper by a trick and reenters, this time being successful in escaping detection. She locks Terence in the room, reaches the old man and gels the will signed just as Terence breaks into the room. The fire caused by the cigarette has meanwhile gained such headway that the firemen have their ladders up and one of them reaches the window just in time to knock Terence down as he attempts to wrest the will from Mary. The fireman then picks Mary up and starts down the ladder, but is followed by Terence and a desperate fight takes place on the ladder. Terence in an endeavor to kick the fireman off loses his balance and falls to the ground. The fireman brings Mary safely down. She quickly recovers consciousness and lakes the signed will to Mr. Foster. // [Chapter 9, from The Moving Picture World] Being the Ninth Story of “What Happened to Mary.” Mary, aided by John Willis, testifies in court against her uncle, Richard Craig, and his son, Henry. They are being tried for embezzling bank funds. They are found guilty and sentenced to twelve years’ imprisonment; whereupon Richard turns to Mary and vows vengeance upon her. Shortly afterwards in his cell he communicates with his son, a few cells away, by means of a thread. Mary will be twenty-one in two weeks and if he does not appear then to claim her fortune the money goes to Henry. Hence the prisoners must find some way to get her out of the way. With this end in view Richard writes to Billy Peart. He at once comes to the prison and while the guard grows lax in his watchfulness he is instructed what to do. Peart goes at once to Mary’s stenographic office but finds she has sold out the business. He learns her home address, however, and calls upon her. She is stunned to see him but is very affable. Without warning he feigns illness and has Mary help him down to the street but when he reaches the sidewalk he declares he cannot take another step. An automobile stands at the curb and the intriguing chauffeur tells Mary be will take them to a doctor. She enters the car with the ostensibly sick man but instead of being taken to a physician, is driven to Peart’s home. There she learns it was all scheme and finds herself a prisoner in a room far above the sidewalk. The door is locked and, driven almost frantic, she makes a rope of the bedclothes and lowers herself to the ground. On the street she sees that Peart is following her and breaks into a run only stopping when she comes to a Salvation Army meeting room. She rushes in and suddenly decides to become a “lassie” and by this means find a way to the underworld and learn the secret of her parentage. When the heroine makes her escape from Peart’s home she actually slides down two hundred feet on the side of an apartment building. It is almost unnecessary to say it is very thrilling. // [Chapter 10, from The Moving Picture World] Although Pearl had been outwitted by Mary he had not so informed John Craig, so that when he gets a letter telling him to keep Mary out of the way if he wished to earn the reward, he made renewed efforts to find her. John Craig and his son are released on a writ of habeas corpus In their lawyer’s charge. They hunt up Peart, who shows them that Mary is masquerading as a Salvation Army lass. They locate her on the docks selling “War Cries.” They get her aboard a schooner on the pretext that a seaman is ill. After several days at sea the schooner anchors off Martha’s Vineyard. When the opportunity arrives Mary springs on the old servant woman who brings her meals. The woman is bound and gagged and Mary creeps out of the cabin. In the distance she sees a lighthouse. There is a boat trailing at the stern. She climbs over the side, drops into the little boat and rows to the lighthouse. After hours of exposure she is seen by the light-keeper and rescued. // [Chapter 11, from The Moving Picture World] After being rescued in an unconscious condition by the light keeper of Martha’s Vineyard, Mary’s next concern is how to get off the island and back to New York. She knows now that Mr. Craig must have a powerful motive for trying to keep her out of the way. The next day brings the supply boat to the island and Mary, after much intercession with the captain, is allowed to get aboard and sail for the mainland. Meantime John Craig and his son, still aboard the schooner from which Mary had previously escaped, are consumed with impatience. Suddenly a cry of fire runs through the ship and great volumes of smoke pour through the hatchway. The boat is a furnace. They lower the small boats and John Craig suddenly finds himself in an open boat on the bosom of the Atlantic. Several hours afterward they reach Martha's Vineyard greatly exhausted, only to discover that Mary had departed an hour before they arrived. Craig hires a launch and gives chase. Marv reaches the mainland first and is conducted to the railway station, where she boards a train for New York. Then Craig reaches the mainland, and, arriving at the station, learns that the train has just left. In desperation he hires an automobile and again a chase is on. At Easton Junction, where Marv has to change cars, Craig manages to catch up with her, but Mary being in a crowd, he dares not molest her He boards the same train and takes up a position several seats behind her. Now there flashes across Mary s mind a daring scheme. It is her only chance: she will try it. The train pulls into the station. She suddenly jumps up, leaves the car and Craig tries to follow, but there are several passengers who have risen in the meantime, also to leave the car. While he is trying to push his way out to the platform, Mary manages to run the length of the car, board the other platform and disappear into the train she has just left. Craig, of course, thinks she is leaving the station with the other passengers and only discovers his mistake when the train is pulling out and he realizes that he has been outwitted by a slip of a girl called Mary. // [Chapter 12, from The Moving Picture World] Now we meet Mary arriving in New York, going back to her old lawyer who promises to help her. He takes her to his home and leaves her there for the night in the care of his sister. In the back room of a little Bridgeport hotel, Richard and Henry Craig are deciding what action they should take, for on the following day, Mary will be of age and the money in trust will be turned over to her. They finally decide to hire an automobile and get to New York without attracting attention, and be at hand at the Occidental Trust at noon sharp. Mary, in the meantime, has retired, and while all of this action is taking place, is sleeping peacefully. Billy Peart, on the other hand, receives a wire from Lawyer Foster to appear at his office and we see him sailing in his launch to the New York dock, to collect, as he hopes, the ten thousand dollars promised by Craig. So closer and closer all the people gather. It is morning and we see Mary enter the lawyer’s office. Two plain clothes men are on hand as Peart comes on the scene. The two Craigs are hiding behind the stairs just outside the private office of the Occidental Trust, watching and waiting. If Mary does not appear the money is theirs! Back in Foster’s office the issue is at stake. Peart in handcuffs has confessed all. It is nearly noon. The two Craigs enter the Trust Company’s office just as the telephone rings, Lawyer Foster is on the wire and he says he will be right down. The secretary then turning to the two Craigs, asks if he can be of service. They immediately get down to business, meanwhile watching the hands of the clock as they slowly turn around. They introduce themselves as being the rightful heirs. At the critical moment Mary enters and asserts her rights. She receives her fortune and at the end of the picture bids her friends a fond farewell.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Letters - Serials - USA: New York: New York - Weapons: Guns
Listing updated: 26 April 2020.
References: Bardèche-History p. 69; Blum-Silent pp. 26, 33; Edmonds-BigU p. 36; Fell-History p. 88; Lahue-Bound pp. 14, 18; Lahue-Collecting p. 22; Lahue-Continued pp. 5-7, 16, 53, 153, 289; Lahue-World p. 39; Spehr-American p. 4; Stedman-Serials pp. 4-7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 20, 43; Tarbox-Lost pp. 150, 163 : Website-IMDb : with additional information provided by Russell Miller.
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