''Dolly's Scoop'' is a 1916 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Joe De Grasse Joseph Louis De Grasse (May 4, 1873 – May 25, 1940) was a Canadians, Canadian film director. Born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, he was the elder brother of actor Sam De Grasse. Biography Joseph De Grasse had studied and was a first-class grad ...

and featuring

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

. It was written by Ida May Park, based on a story by Hugh Weir. This was one of the few silent films that subtitled the actors' dialogue at the bottom of the screen, instead of using title cards. Also, this was one of the only Lon Chaney films in which Chaney wound up getting the girl at the end of the picture. A still exists showing Lon Chaney in the role of the reporter, Dan Fisher. A print of the film survives at the British Film and Television Institute in London. It is missing the main title but is otherwise essentially complete.

Plot

James Fairfax is the editor of the Morning Argus, a scandal sheet that will publish any juicy story, no matter who it hurts. His employees resent his underhanded methods, especially Dolly Clare, one of his reporters. Editor Fairfax is very jealous of his wife Alice's former relations with a man named Philip Ainsworth. Philip's sister comes to see Alice and pleads with her to use her influence to get her brother Philip to give up drinking. Alice goes to see him one afternoon and finds him drunk, holding her old love letters that she had written him before she married James Fairfax. He tries to embrace her drunkenly, but she dodges him; when he falls to the floor unconscious, she picks up her letters and leaves. Dolly arrives in time to see a veiled woman leaving the building. In Philip's room, she finds a photo of Alice Fairfax and, not knowing who she is, she calls Mr. Fairfax with the juicy story. Alice learns that Dolly's on her way to her husband's office with the photo of her, and she rushes there to intercept her. There she pleads with Dolly to destroy the picture, so Dolly tries in vain to stop Mr. Fairfax from publishing the photo, even though he still has not seen it yet. Just then a reporter named Dan Fisher (Lon Chaney) wanders in with a photo of a suicide victim, and Dolly decides to switch the two photos. Alice confesses everything to her husband and, convinced she's telling the truth, he orders the story squelched. The papers are coming off the press and Fairfax discovers how Dolly substituted the photo. He changes the policy of the paper to cover only genuine news stories from then on. Dolly and Dan, who had been attracted to each other for some time, decide to start a relationship.

Cast

Louise Lovely Louise Lovely (born Nellie Louise Carbasse; 28 February 1895 – 18 March 1980) was an Australian film actress of Swiss-Italian descent. She is credited by film historians for being the first Australian actress to have a successful career i ...

– Dolly Clare (as Louise Welch) *

– reporter Dan Fisher * Marjorie Ellison – Alice Fairfax *

Hayward Mack Hayward Seaton Mack (March 20, 1882 – December 24, 1921) was an American actor of the silent era. Born in Albany, New York, in 1882, Mack appeared in more than 80 films between 1910 and 1921. Mack's motion picture career began in 1910; he ap ...

– James Fairfax * Mae Gaston – Helen * Laura Praether – Maid *

Millard K. Wilson Millard K. Wilson (May 5, 1890 – October 5, 1933) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in 94 films between 1914 and 1930, co-starring with Lon Chaney Sr. in some of them. Chaney and Wilson were life-long friends.Blake, ...

– Philip Ainsworth * Edward Nes – Jap Boy (sic) *

Charles Emmett Mack Charles Emmett Mack (November 25, 1900 – March 17, 1927), was an American film actor during the silent film era. He appeared in 17 films between 1916 and 1927. Biography Born Charles Emmett McNerney in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to an Irish f ...

– Office boy (uncredited) *

Antrim Short Antrim Short (July 11, 1900 – November 24, 1972) was an American stage and film actor, casting director and talent agent. As a juvenile he enjoyed some success on the Broadway stage notably appearing as a boy with Mrs. Fiske and Holbrook Blinn i ...

– Office boy

Reception

"To the general public, newspaper stories always have a certain fascination and so ''Dolly's Scoop'', a melodramatic number of that sort, will doubtless appeal despite the fact that judged from a reportorial standpoint, it is unreal." —

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founded ...

"The cast is a large one and this makes the opening scenes a little confusing. Later a very pleasing story develops in which the editor in his quest for sensational news almost involves his own wife in a scandal. The photography is good and the production as a whole a pleasing one, even though the story is not at all times convincing." —

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0006603, title=Dolly's Scoop 1916 films 1916 drama films 1916 short films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by Joseph De Grasse Universal Pictures short films 1910s American films