''The Old Cobbler'' is a 1914 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
Murdock MacQuarrie
Murdock MacQuarrie (August 25, 1878 – August 20, 1942) was an American silent film actor and director. His name was also seen as Murdock McQuarrie.
MacQuarrie was born in San Francisco, California, and attended school there. He was the ...
. The film features Murdock MacQuarrie,
Richard Rosson
Richard Rosson (April 4, 1893 – May 31, 1953) was an American film director and actor. As an actor, he was known for the nearly 100 films he was in during the silent era. As a director, he directed the logging sequences in the 1936 film ''Co ...
,
Agnes Vernon
Agnes Vernon (18951948) was an American film actress of the silent era. While still in her teens, she experienced a meteoric ascent from obscurity to box-office sensation. After turning twenty-three and a movie career fading away, she abandoned ...
and
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 ...
. ''The Old Cobbler'' was MacQuarrie's
debut film as a director. The film is now considered to be
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 ...
.
Plot
Nathan, an old cobbler, catches his son, Dick, stealing money from his wallet. He throws the boy out, hoping that tough love will shape the boy up. His alcoholic wife is all he has left, but when he goes upstairs, he finds her dead. Nathan heads West and settles down in a mining camp where he develops a reputation for being kind and charitable. One day, Wild Bill, a gunslinger, comes to Nathan to have a boot repaired and treats him rudely. Nathan throws the man out of his shop, and Wild Bill comes to respect the old man's courage. The two men develop a friendship.
Bill's sweetheart, Jess, is a dance hall girl and when she has a slipper repaired by Nathan, he returns it to her with a note inside. The note touches her so deeply that she gives up her dance hall life. One day Bill captures a highwayman who robbed a stage and recognizes the boy as Nathan's son Dick from a photograph Nathan had shown him. He leaves the boy in Nathan's custody and returns the stolen money, reporting that the robbers got away.
Cast
*
Murdock MacQuarrie
Murdock MacQuarrie (August 25, 1878 – August 20, 1942) was an American silent film actor and director. His name was also seen as Murdock McQuarrie.
MacQuarrie was born in San Francisco, California, and attended school there. He was the ...
as the cobbler
*
Richard Rosson
Richard Rosson (April 4, 1893 – May 31, 1953) was an American film director and actor. As an actor, he was known for the nearly 100 films he was in during the silent era. As a director, he directed the logging sequences in the 1936 film ''Co ...
as the cobbler's son
* May Benson as the cobbler's wife
*
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 ...
as Wild Bill
*
Agnes Vernon
Agnes Vernon (18951948) was an American film actress of the silent era. While still in her teens, she experienced a meteoric ascent from obscurity to box-office sensation. After turning twenty-three and a movie career fading away, she abandoned ...
as Jess, the dance hall girl
Reception
Moving Picture World wrote: "Mr. MacQuarrie shines greatest in a character role, and here is one that could not have been improved upon if it had been written especially for him. The supporting cast, with Lon Chaney and Mr. Rosson at the head, gives a telling account of itself. The settings, for the most part, are Western, picturesque and beautifully photographed."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Cobbler, The
1914 films
1914 drama films
1914 short films
American silent short films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Murdock MacQuarrie
Lost American films
Universal Pictures short films
Silent American drama films
1914 lost films
Lost drama films
1914 directorial debut films
1910s American films