''The Embezzler'' is a 1914 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 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

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

and featuring

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 ...

, Pauline Bush and

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 is now considered

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 still exists showing Chaney in the J. Roger Dixon role.

Plot

John Spencer's daughter is completely unaware that her father has a criminal past. A seedy character named J. Roger Dixon attempts to blackmail the old man, threatening to tell his daughter the truth about her dad. After a while, Dixon becomes bolder and insists on marrying the young girl. The problem is she is already engaged to Arthur Bronson, a handsome young attorney. Dixon tells Spencer he must aid him in sullying the attorney's reputation, and Dixon hires two underworld thugs to help him frame Bronson as an embezzler. Spencer's daughter overhears the criminals plotting and tells her father about the scheme to frame her fiance. At this point, Spencer confesses everything to his daughter and tells her how Dixon's been blackmailing him for years. Although Spencer's daughter is now aware of her dad's former misdeeds, Dixon now threatens to reveal the sordid story to the whole world unless the girl marries him. The young woman agrees to the marriage in order to save her father's reputation, but before the marriage can take place, Dixon is killed in a falling out between him and his two criminal compatriots. With Dixon dead, the young woman is now free to marry Arthur.

Cast

as John Spencer * Pauline Bush as Pauline, his daughter *

as J. Roger Dixon, a blackmailer * William C. Dowlan as Arthur Bronson, the young attorney * William Lloyd as William Perkins (Thug #1) * Richard Rosson as Dick (Thug #2) *

Gertrude Short Carmen Gertrude Short (April 6, 1902 – July 31, 1968) was an American film actress of the silent and early sound era. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1912 and 1945. Biography Carmen Gertrude Short was born in Cincinnati, ...

Reception

"Moving Picture World" wrote "The plot is familiar in most of its details. The girl's father is in the power of the villain, played by Lon Chaney, who blackmails him at will...The story is well constructed, but not very fresh in subject matter." --

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Embezzler, The 1914 films 1914 lost films 1914 drama films 1914 short films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by Allan Dwan Lost American films Lost drama films Universal Pictures short films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links