''Embers'' is a 1916

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...

that was made by the American Film Manufacturing Company at their Flying "A" Studios in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

Plot

Rhea Woodley (Constance Crawley) and her husband Martin (Arthur Maude) have a baby, but the child dies soon after birth, and Rhea's doctor tells her that she cannot risk another pregnancy. Devastated, Rhea becomes withdrawn, and Martin, who is continuing to live an active life, begins to show interest in Rhea's lively cousin Maysie Stafford (Nell Franzen). Wesley Strange (William Carroll), a former suitor of Rhea's, shows up unexpectedly, and when he observes Martin and Maysie flirting, he tells Rhea about it, hoping to drive the Woodleys apart. Rhea still loves Martin, but she fears that she can now no longer meet his needs, so she offers him a divorce, hoping that he can find happiness with her cousin. However, Martin still loves Rhea and declines her offer. Desperate to make Martin happy, Rhea next arranges for him to catch her faking a fondness for Wesley. Taken in by the ruse, Martin finally agrees to a divorce. Maysie then moves in to take over Martin's household, and Rhea, instead of taking up with Wesley, moves to a sanitarium, where she falls deeper and deeper into depression. Realizing that Rhea is fast losing the will to live, her doctor finds her an orphaned infant to care for, and the baby gives Rhea new meaning to her life. Martin meanwhile stumbles across Rhea's diary at his house and learns from it that she never really cared for Wesley Strange and that when he saw them together it was all a ruse to get him to agree to a divorce. He rushes to the sanitarium to be by Rhea's side, and when he finds her with the baby, the couple reconcile when they realize that they still love each other.

Cast

Constance Crawley Constance Crawley (30 March 1870 – 17 March 1919) was an English actress best known for leading roles in Shakespeare tragedies. She gained notice on the American stage at the start of the 20th century, and later starred in and wrote several si ...

as Rhea Woodley * Arthur Maude as Martin Woodley *

Nell Franzen Nell W. Franzen (November 17, 1889 – August 21, 1973) was an American film and stage actress of the silent era. A native of Portland, Oregon, Franzen began her career acting in local theatre. She signed with the Baker Theatre Company and perfo ...

as Maysie Stafford *

William A. Carroll William A. Carroll (January 9, 1875 – January 26, 1928), was an American silent film actor. Biography He was born on January 9, 1875, in Manhattan, New York City. Entering films with the ''Selig and Vitagraph'' film company, Carroll starred ...

as Wesley Strange

References

External links

* American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1916 films American Film Company films Films directed by Arthur Maude 1910s American films {{short-silent-film-stub