''The Stepping Stone'' is a

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * J ...

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 ...

, directed by

Reginald Barker Reginald C. Barker (April 2, 1886 – February 23, 1945) was a pioneer film director. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Barker's family moved to Scotland when he was an infant and then to the United States. Living in California, ...

and

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

. It is a

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 ...

film.The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: ''The Stepping Stone''
Wayback)

Plot

Mary Beresford (Boland) is the wife of unambitious law clerk Al Beresford (Beresford). Thanks to Mary's tenacity and carefully calculated social-climbing, Al is promoted to the position of personal secretary of prominent financier Elihu Knowland (Keenan). Unfortunately, success goes to Al's head like a narcotic, and soon he has alienated everyone in New York, including Mary, who runs off for parts unknown.

Cast

Frank Keenan Frank Keenan (born James Francis Keenan; April 8, 1858 – February 24, 1929) was an American stage and film actor and stage director and manager during the silent-film era. He was among the first stage actors to star in Hollywood, and he pur ...

as Elihu Knowland *

Mary Boland Mary Boland (born Marie Anne Boland; January 28, 1882 – June 23, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boland was the daughter of repertory actor William Augustus Boland, and his wife M ...

as Mary Beresford * Robert McKim as Al Beresford * Margaret Thompson as Flora Alden *

Joseph J. Dowling Joseph Johnson Dowling (September 4, 1850 – July 8, 1928) was an American stage and silent film actor. Early life and career Born in Pittsburgh, the son of James and Fredericka (''nee'' Edstrem) Dowling. His father was a native of Pennsy ...

as W. B. Prescott * J. Barney Sherry as Horatio Wells

References

External links

* * 1916 films American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1916 drama films Films directed by Thomas H. Ince Lost American films Silent American drama films Triangle Film Corporation films 1916 lost films Lost drama films 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub