''The Piper's Price'' is a 1917 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 starring

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 ...

, William Stowell and Dorothy Phillips. It was the first in a series of films co-starring

William Stowell William Stowell (March 13, 1885 – November 24, 1919) was an American silent film actor. A handsome actor with matinee idol good looks, Stowell was signed into film in 1909 with IMP (forerunner of Universal Studios), and debuted by sta ...

and

Dorothy Phillips Dorothy Phillips (born Dorothy Gwendolyn Strible, October 30, 1889 – March 1, 1980) was an American stage and film actress. She is known for her emotional performances in melodramas, having played a number of "brow beaten" women on screen, bu ...

together. The screenplay was written by Ida May Park, based on the short story by Nancy Mann Waddel Woodrow (aka Mrs. Wilson Woodrow). The film was released in the U.K. as ''Storm and Sunshine''. The film is today considered lost. A still exists showing Lon Chaney in the role of Billy Kilmartin.

Plot

Ralph Hadley's ex-wife, Jessica, is a shrewd businesswoman, while his new wife, Amy, is the perfect homemaker. Billy Kilmartin (Lon Chaney), an attorney, has sought to woo Jessica for many years, and now that she is divorced from Ralph, he doubles down on his efforts to win her. At a stockholders meeting, Jessica makes several intelligent suggestions that win both the approval of the company and Ralph's admiration. Ralph wants Jessica back and takes her to lunch. Amy soon hears gossip about her husband dating his ex-wife and she worries about losing him to the other woman. Amy learns that she is pregnant, but decides to keep it a secret from Ralph. She goes to Ralph's office and is introduced to Jessica at a meeting there, and after Jessica leaves, Amy starts a fight with Ralph. Ralph considers the whole thing entirely innocent, but soon realizes that it's not just a harmless fling. He is indeed falling in love with his ex-wife. Amy goes to Jessica, telling her that she and Ralph are going to have a child together, and Jessica realizes she must stop seeing Ralph. But when Ralph finally demands to see her, she tells him that she and Billy Kilmartin were married that morning. Ralph goes home, prepared to commit suicide, when the doctor enters and congratulates him on the birth of his child. Ralph realizes that Amy was his true love all the time, and the happy family are reunited.

Cast

as Ralph Hadley *

as Amy Hadleym Ralph's wife *

Maude George Maude George (August 15, 1888 – October 10, 1963) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Born in Riverside, California, in 1888, Maude George is remembered primarily as a regular of director Eric von Stroheim's stock compa ...

as Jessica Hadley, Ralph's ex-wife (credited as Maud George) *

as Billy Kilmartin *

Claire Du Brey Claire Du Brey (born Clara Violet Dubreyvich, August 31, 1892 – August 1, 1993) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 200 films between 1916 and 1959. Her name is sometimes rendered as Claire Du Bray or as Claire Dubrey. Ear ...

as Jessica's Maid

Reception

"Such conduct on the part of the two offenders against common decency should put them outside the pale of sympathy, and the second wife exhibits such a lamentable weakness of character during the affair that pity for her should be mingled with contempt. It cannot be denied, however, that there exists a grade of mind which will follow the fortunes of these three humans with the deepest interest and herald the ending as a triumph for justice and truth. An important factor in bringing about this result is the excellence of the acting by the entire cast." ---Moving Picture World "A well treated domestic drama is THE PIPER'S PRICE, quite conventional when you get down to the bottom of things, but original on the surface, due to a few new twists...Dorothy Phillips, as Amy, gives an emotional performance...while Lon Chaney has the only other part of importance." ---Motion Picture News

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pipers Price, The 1917 films 1917 drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Joseph De Grasse Universal Pictures films Silent American drama films 1910s American films