''Barbara Frietchie'' is a

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

silent

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Herbert Blaché Herbert Blaché (5 October 1882 – 23 October 1953), born Herbert Reginald Gaston Blaché-Bolton was a British-born American film director, producer and screenwriter, born of a French father. He directed more than 50 films between 1912 and ...

and starring

Mary Miles Minter Mary Miles Minter (born Juliet Reilly; April 25, 1902Louisiana Birth Certificate, Caddo Parish, No. 119, Book A, Page 97, Birth Date: April 25, 1902, Name: Mary M. Reilly ic – Original Caddo birth record was recorded as "J.H. Riley's Child" ...

. It is based upon the 1899 play ''

Barbara Frietchie ''Barbara Frietchie, The Frederick Girl'' is a play in four acts by Clyde Fitch and based on the heroine of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Barbara Frietchie" (based on a real person: Barbara Fritchie). Fitch takes a good bit of artistic libe ...

'' by

Clyde Fitch Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909). Biography Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (cl ...

, which was in turn inspired by the

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

poem of the same name. As with many of Minter's movies, the film is thought to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

.The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Barbara Frietchie''
/ref>

Plot

The film is set in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. As described in

film magazines Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, young Barbara Frietchie (Minter), just turned eighteen, lives with her grandmother and namesake (Whiffen) in a town occupied by Northern troops. She falls for Captain Trumbull (Coombs), a Union officer, to the disappointment of her father (Sealy), but her grandmother supports the match. When the Confederate forces re-take the town, Captain Trumbull is shot and severely wounded by Barbara's brother (Scott), a Confederate officer. Although he is carried to the Frietchie home and cared for by Barbara and her grandmother, Captain Trumbull dies from his injuries. Both Barbaras are devastated, and wave the stars and stripes from their balcony in defiance of the passing Confederate soldiers. One of these soldiers, Jack Negly (Fraunholz), a suitor whom Barbara had rejected in favour of Captain Trumbull, fires a single shot at the balcony. The bullet hits the younger Barbara, and she is re-united in death with her Union sweetheart.

Cast

Blanche Whiffen Blanche Galton Whiffen, known on stage as Mrs. Thomas Whiffen, (1845–1936) was an American actress born in London. She was educated in France; made her stage début at the Royalty Theatre, London, in 1865; came to America in 1868; and toured t ...

(billed as Mrs. Thomas Whiffen) as

as Barbara, Mrs Frietchie's granddaughter *

Guy Coombs Guy Coombs (June 15, 1882 – December 29, 1947) was an American stage and screen actor who had a prolific career during the silent era. He was born in Washington, D. C. and died in Los Angeles, California. He left films in 1922 to work in real-es ...

as Captain Trumbull *

Fraunie Fraunholz Fraunie Fraunholz (1876–1938) was a Canadian film actor active during the silent era. He starred in a number of films directed by the pioneer Alice Guy.McMahan p.335 Selected filmography * '' Matrimony's Speed Limit'' (1913) * '' The Pit and t ...

as Jack Negly *

Lewis Sealy William Armiger Sealy Lewis (1851 – March 19, 1931), known professionally as Lewis Sealy, was an Irish actor and a film exhibitor. Career Sealy was a character actor. A native of Ireland, he worked on the London stage for years. He co-wrote and ...

as Judge Frietchie * Wallace Scott as Arthur Frietchie * Frederick Heck as Colonel Negly *

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from her ...

as Sue Negly

Trivia

The December 1915 issue of ''

Photoplay ''Photoplay'' was one of the first American film (another name for ''photoplay'') fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago, the same year that J. Stuart Blackton founded '' Motion Picture Story,'' a magazine also directed at fans. For mo ...

'' notes an incident from filming wherein Minter accidentally shot her co-star William Morse in the arm – fortunately the wound did not prove to be serious.

References

External links

* 1915 films 1915 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Lost American drama films Metro Pictures films 1915 lost films Films directed by Herbert Blaché 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Trivia

See also

References

External links