''Beatrice Fairfax'' is an American silent film serial directed and produced by

Leopold Wharton Leopold Wharton (September 1, 1870 – September 27, 1927) was an American film director, producer and writer. He directed 37 films between 1911 and 1922, including the 1915 film ''The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford'', which featur ...

and

Theodore Wharton Theodore Wharton (1875–1931) was an American film director, producer and writer. He directed 48 films in the 1910s and 1920s, including the 1915 '' The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford'' featuring Oliver Hardy. Biography Wharton was bor ...

. First released on August 7,

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

, the series consists of 15 weekly episodes and features the character of "Beatrice Fairfax" (Grace Darling). The character was inspired by the popular newspaper advice column '' Ask Beatrice Fairfax'', which had been the world's first column of its kind when launched in 1898. The weekly film serial was a popular genre of the time, and the films' producers, the Wharton brothers, also made serials such as '' The Exploits of Elaine''. However, ''Beatrice Fairfax'' is more accurately a series, since the episodes consist of self-contained stories rather than a linked serial narrative.

Overview

The two protagonists were played by Grace Darling and

Harry Fox Harry Fox (born Arthur Carringford; May 25, 1882 – July 20, 1959) was an American vaudeville dancer, actor, and comedian. Biography Fox is most notably famous for being related as name-source to the Fox Trot dance in New York. In "Dance Mad ...

, the comedian and vaudeville dancer. In the films, the Beatrice character was portrayed as a resourceful

agony aunt An advice column is a column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response. The responses are wr ...

-cum-crimefighter, working with her reporter colleague Jimmy Barton to investigate and solve the problems sent in by her troubled readers.

Cast

Grace Darling Grace Horsley Darling (24 November 1815 – 20 October 1842) was an English lighthouse keeper's daughter. Her participation in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked ''Forfarshire'' in 1838 brought her national fame. The paddlesteamer ...

: Beatrice Fairfax (All episodes) *

: Jimmy Barton (All episodes) *

Betty Howe Betty Howe (May 23, 1895 – June 21, 1969) was an American actress in silent films. Early life Howe was born in New York City, and attended Chappaqua Mountain Institute, a Quaker school. Career With "no stage experience," Howe joined V ...

: Dorothy McRay/Jean Moore/Margaret Payne/Jane Hamlin/Alice Masters *

Nigel Barrie Nigel Barrie (5 February 1889, in Calcutta, British India – 8 October 1971, in South Africa) was an Indian-born British actor. Biography Barrie's background as a dancer and actor on legitimate stages and in vaudeville in both Great Britain an ...

: Donald Jordan/Bert Kerrigan/Jane Hamlin's Boyfriend/Hanson * Bessie Wharton: Madame Laurette/Mrs. Raven/Mrs. Malone/Mrs. Ainsley/Old Woman (Episode 12) *

George Connor George Connor may refer to: *George Connor (racing driver) (1906–2001), American racecar driver *George Connor (American football) (1925–2003), American football player *George Connor (bishop) (born 1942), Anglican bishop in New Zealand *George ...

: George McCabe/San De Fargo (Episode 1)/John Miles/Crook in Derby (Episode 12)/Sam * Allan Murnane: Waldo Conley/Robert Wells * Wellington Playter: David/Clinton Harding * Evelyn Farris: Gladys Hanson/Dorothy Dane * F.W. Stewart: Pete Raven/James Wells * Mae Hopkins: Martha Ainsley/Madeline Grey * Elsie Baker: Marie Bocetti/Anna Cortes/Maid * Maurice Bond: Arturo Bocetti/Burglar (Episode 11) * Robin H. Townley: Baby-napper (Episode 7) * Dick Bennard: "Mme. Galliard" * Olive Thomas: Rita Malone (Episode 10) * M.W. Rale: Shara Ali * Yumiko Nagahara: Mimosa San * Mary Cranston: Madge Minturn * Leroy Baker: Brayton * Warner Oland: Police Commissioner * Frances White: Principal character (Episode 1) *

Elaine Hammerstein Elaine Hammerstein (June 16, 1894 – August 13, 1948) was an American silent film and stage actress. Early life Elaine Hammerstein was born on June 16, 1894 in Manhattan, the daughter of Jean Allison Hammerstein and opera producer Arthur Ham ...

: Secretary (Episode 14) *

Wesley Ruggles Wesley Ruggles (June 11, 1889 – January 8, 1972) was an American film director. Life and work He was born in Los Angeles, California, younger brother of actor Charlie Ruggles. He began his career in 1915 as an actor, appearing in a doz ...

Bruce McRae Bruce McRae, Jr. (January 15, 1867 – May 7, 1927) was an American stage (theatre), stage and early silent film actor. He was the nephew of actor Charles Wyndham (actor), Sir Charles Wyndham. Early Years Born in India in 1867 of Scots and ...

Episodes

* Episode 1: The Missing Watchman (August 7, 1916) * Episode 2: The Jealous Wife (August 14, 1916) * Episode 3: Billy's Romance (August 21, 1916) * Episode 4: The Stone God (August 28, 1916) * Episode 5: Mimosa San (September 4, 1916) * Episode 6: The Forbidden Room (September 11, 1916) * Episode 7: A Name for a Baby (September 18, 1916) * Episode 8: At the Ainsley Ball (September 25, 1916) * Episode 9: Outside the Law (October 2, 1916) * Episode 10: Play Ball (October 9, 1916) * Episode 11: The Wages of Sin (October 16, 1916) * Episode 12: Curiosity (October 23, 1916) * Episode 13: The Ringer (October 30, 1916) * Episode 14: The Hidden Menace (November 6, 1916) * Episode 15: Wristwatches (November 13, 1916) Beatrice Fairfax Episode 10.jpg, Episode 10 Beatrice Fairfax Episode 11.jpg, Episode 11 Beatrix Fairfax Episode 12.jpg, Episode 12 Beatrix Fairfax Episode 13.jpg, Episode 13

Production notes

The episodes were filmed primarily in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

, at The Whartons Studio. ''Beatrice Fairfax'' marked the screen debut of

Ziegfeld girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Descripti ...

and future screen star Olive Thomas who appeared in Episode 10 of the series.

Status

The ''Dear Beatrice Fairfax'' advice column was started by journalist Marie Manning on July 20, 1898, and ran in newspapers owned by

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

. Nitrate copies of all the episodes, except the first, survived because they were preserved in the collection of Hearst's mistress Marion Davies, which was eventually transferred to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. According to one source, Hearst disliked the films and planned to cast Davies as Beatrice Fairfax in a remake; he gave them to her as an example of how the new films should not be made. The films were restored and recolored according to instructions written on the nitrate copies themselves.

DVD release

In 2004, Serial Squadron released the series on DVD. On September 30, 2008, Hermitage Hill Media also released the series on Region 1 DVD in the United States.

Radio adaptation

''Beatrice Fairfax'' was a program on NBC radio March 10-June 30, 1934, on CBS in May 1936 and on Mutual August 31, 1937 – February 25, 1938. The program "usually offered two love dramas and a gamut of 'heartthrob' problems each week."

Film scores

Ithaca based songwriter

Anna Coogan Anna Coogan is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter. Biography After studying opera at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg for a year, Coogan went to Seattle to work as a limnologist. In 2012 she moved to Ithaca, New York, where sh ...

wrote and performed a filmscore and operetta for episode 7 "A Name for the Baby (or) The Curse of Eve" (2018)

In popular culture

Beatrice Fairfax is featured in the lyrics to '' But Not for Me,'' a popular song of 1930 by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

References

External links

*
''Beatrice Fairfax''
at silentera.com

at ithacamademovies.com {{Theodore Wharton 1916 films American action films American adventure films American silent serial films American black-and-white films Films directed by Leopold Wharton Films directed by Theodore Wharton Films shot in New York (state) 1910s action films 1910s American films Silent adventure films