Dots And Dashes
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''Dots and Dashes'' is a 1910 American silent
short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...
drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. May Wilson is a
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
operator and Jack Wilson is the head bookkeeper of the brokerage office. May teaches Jack how to use
Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
. At the end of the day is called to into the office and learns that something is wrong with the books and he quickly finds the guilty party and confronts him. While he leans into the safe, Bill pushes him inside and locks the safe before fleeing. May, who is waiting for Jack, goes to the office and searches for him. Hearing groans from the safe, she knows he is in danger and uses Morse code to learn the combination and free him. Later, Bill returns to the scene to see if Jack is dead. As he opens the door, the police pop out of the safe and arrest him. The film was released on September 30, 1910 and was met with mixed reviews for the improbable plot and the inaccurate Morse code being tapped out on screen. The film is presumed
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.


Plot

Though the film is presumed
lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
, a synopsis survives in '' The Moving Picture World'' from October 1, 1910. It states: "May Wilson and Jack Preston are employed at a downtown brokerage office, she as
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
operator of the private wire of the firm, and he as head bookkeeper. The young people are fond of each other, and at the opening of the play have just made an engagement to spend the evening in each other's company at one of the theatres. May has been teaching Jack mysteries of the
Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
and is greatly pleased when she finds that he has so far mastered it as to be able to rap back an answer to her messages. After May has left the office for the day, the head of the firm calls Jack into his private office and there confides to him that there is something wrong with the books of the concern, and tells Jack to investigate. On looking into the matter, Jack discovers that his fellow worker, Carson, is the defaulter, and accuses him to his face. Alone in the office, Carson begs Jack to shield him, while Jack insists that he must make their employer conversant with the facts. As Jack leans far into the large safe to deposit the ledgers of the firm, Bill thrusts him inside, and turning the knob entombs him alive in the steel prison. Trembling with fear at his act, Bill steals cautiously from the office." "May, becoming impatient when theatre time arrives and Jack fails to call for her, decides that he must still be working at the office, forgetful of the lateness of the hour. She proceeds to the office to remind him of his appointment, and finding it deserted, she is about to leave, when muffled groans reach her from the safe. She realizes that it must be her sweetheart who is imprisoned, and that unless she can free him in short order, he will surely die of suffocation. Not knowing the combination of the safe, and being unable to reach by telephone her employer, she suddenly conceives the idea that if by telegraphic signal she can make known to the man in the safe that she is there, trying to help him, he in his turn can in the same code give her the combination of the safe. This plan works out successfully, the two lovers tapping out their messages against the steel sides of the safe. The door of the safe finally yields to the combination, and Jack's apparently lifeless body rolls to the floor of the office. May revives him, and amid tears and laughter they rejoice over Jack's narrow escape. Haunted by the fear of what he has done, Bill creeps stealthily back into the office, opens the door of the safe, impelled to learn its horrible secret. As the door opens he is confronted by two officers of the law, who place him under arrest."


Cast

* Anna Rosemond as May Wilson The credits for Jack Preston and Bill, amongst the other minor roles of the manager and the police are unknown.


Production

The writer of the scenario was
Lloyd Lonergan Lloyd Lonergan (March 3, 1870, Chicago, Illinois - April 6, 1937, New York City) was one of the most prolific scenario and screenwriters in American silent film. A brother-in-law of Edwin Thanhouser he worked for the Thanhouser Company based ...
, who was an experienced newspaperman employed by ''
The New York Evening World ''The Evening World'' was a newspaper that was published in New York City from 1887 to 1931. It was owned by Joseph Pulitzer, and served as an evening edition of the ''New York World.'' History The first issue was on October 10, 1887. It was pub ...
'' while he was writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions. The film director is unknown, but it may have been
Barry O'Neil Barry O'Neil (September 24, 1865 – March 23, 1918) was a film director and writer. His real name was Thomas J. McCarthy. He directed several Thanhouser films including the production company's first two-reeler,https://www.thanhouser.org/TCOCD/Nar ...
. Film historian
Q. David Bowers Quentin David Bowers (born October 21, 1938) is an American numismatist, author, and columnist. Beginning in 1952, Bowers’s contributions to numismatics have continued uninterrupted and unabated to the present day.
does not attribute a cameraman for this production, but at least two possible candidates exist.
Blair Smith Blair Smith (born September 25, 1990) is a Canadian football linebacker who is a free agent. He attended Angelo State University where he played college football for the Angelo State Rams. He played for the Edmonton Eskimos from 2015 to 2020. E ...
was the first cameraman of the Thanhouser company, but he was soon joined by
Carl Louis Gregory Carl Louis Gregory (1882–1951) was an American cinematographer and director. Early life Carl Louis Gregory was born in Walnut, Kansas, in 1882. He ventured into photography while he was 11 years old. He grew up in Geneva, Ohio, the only boy am ...
who had years of experience as a still and motion picture photographer. The role of the cameraman was uncredited in 1910 productions. The only one credit is known and that is Anna Rosemond as May Wilson. The rest of the credits are unknown and like other productions are fragmentary. In late 1910, the Thanhouser company released a list of the important personalities in their films. The list includes G.W. Abbe, Justus D. Barnes,
Frank H. Crane Frank Hall Crane (January 1, 1873 – September 1, 1948) was an American stage and film actor and director.
,
Irene Crane Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...
,
Marie Eline Marie Eline (February 27, 1902 – January 3, 1981) was an American silent film child actress and sister of Grace Eline. Their mother was an actress. Eline acted on stage for three years before she acted in films. Nicknamed "The Thanhouser ...
,
Violet Heming Violet Heming (27 January 1895 – 4 July 1981) was an English stage and screen actress. Her name sometimes appeared as Violet Hemming in newspapers. Biography Born Violet Hemming in Leeds, Yorkshire, she was the daughter of Alfred Hemming w ...
, Martin J. Faust, Thomas Fortune, George Middleton, Grace Moore,
John W. Noble John Winthrop Noble (born Winfield Fernley Kutz; June 24, 1880 – September 10, 1946) was an American film director and screenwriter during the silent era. Career John Winthrop Noble was the professional name of Winfield Fernley Kutz (someti ...
, Anna Rosemond, Mrs. George Walters. A surviving film still gives the possibility of identifying one other actor. The actual
Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
being tapped out did not match what was actually being said according to Walton of ''
The Moving 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 ...
''. Another reviewer wrote, "It is rather to be regretted that the Thanhouser people did not make the most of this climax by introducing telegraphic dots and dashes in a manner to create suspense. By this is meant that had a few lines of dots and dashes been flashed on the screen, word by word, and with each word spelled out in letters beneath each dot and dash, it would have given a telegraphic semblance or realism to the scene." This film was an early example of the use of the character names Jack and May, which were to be repeatedly used by Lonergan in various productions. Bowers writes, "It developed that Lloyd F. Lonergan, who wrote the scenario, liked these names, and during the years to come used them again and again. One can imagine that it must have become a studio joke to decide who was to play Jack and who was to play May. In actuality, names such as Jack and May were used in printed synopses to keep track of who was who, but such names were usually not mentioned in the film's subtitles. Patrons watching the picture in a theatre had not the foggiest idea whether the hero was named Jack, Bertram, or Ezekiel." Previously, May had been a name used by
Marie Eline Marie Eline (February 27, 1902 – January 3, 1981) was an American silent film child actress and sister of Grace Eline. Their mother was an actress. Eline acted on stage for three years before she acted in films. Nicknamed "The Thanhouser ...
in '' The Best Man Wins'' and Jack had been used in ''
The Writing on the Wall "The writing on the wall" is an idiomatic expression that suggests a portent of doom or misfortune, based on the story of Belshazzar's feast in the book of Daniel. The Writing on the Wall, The Writing's on the Wall or similar titles may also refer ...
'' by an unknown actor.


Release and reception

The single-reel drama, approximately 950 feet long, was released on September 30, 1910. The film had a wide national release, with advertising theaters known in
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
, and
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
. The film was released in Britain on December 18, 1910. '' The New York Dramatic Mirror'' reviewer stated, "The story is clear and interesting, and the acting is excellent. Perhaps the best actress of the lot is the vivacious scrubwoman, although she has the easy comic role. Good as the acting is, it does not cover up several improbabilities in the plot. It takes the hero a marvelously short time to find out who has been tampering with the books of the company, and he foolishly lets the villain lock the vault doors upon him. A real girl would never have set out to find her escort to the theatre, even if he was late; least of all would she have gone unchaperoned to the office at night. The villain would not have returned to discover the fate of the hero; he would lose no time in getting miles away from the scene of his crime. Dots and Dashes is well mounted." Aside from these "improbabilities" Walton of ''The Moving Picture News'' praised the film and the story after being critical of Morse code tapping being not accurate. Walton wrote, "The general public - excluding such cranks as I am - will enjoy your honest work." A reviewer for ''The Moving Picture World'', who saw the film at the studio, also praised the film and its climax.


See also

*
List of American films of 1910 A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


References

{{reflist, 30em 1910 films 1910 drama films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Thanhouser Company films 1910 short films 1910s American films