''Under the Gaslight'' is a 1914 American silent

melodrama film A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

produced by the

Biograph Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition ...

, for theatrical impresarios

Klaw & Erlanger Klaw and Erlanger was an entertainment management and production partnership of Marc Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger based in New York City from 1888 through 1919. While running their own considerable and multi-faceted theatrical businesses on ...

, and distributed by The General Film Company. It is based on the old Victorian stage melodrama of the same name by

Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...

popular in the 1860s and 1870s and revived periodically for years afterwards. This film was directed by

Lawrence Marston Lawrence Marston (June 8, 1857 – February 1, 1939) was an American actor, playwright, producer, stage director and film director. Biography Marston was born to a Jews, Jewish family in Hammerstadt, Bohemia, Austrian Empire (now Vlastějovi ...

and stars

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

Cast

as William Byke * William Russell as Ray Trafford *Irene Howley as Pearl Courtland *Millicent Evans as Laura Courtland * Isabel Rea as Mrs. Courtland *

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

as Mr. Courtland *

Hector Sarno Hector V. Sarno (April 24,1880 – December 16, 1953) was an American film actor who began in the silent era. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1912 and 1948. He was born in Naples, Italy and died in Pasadena, California. Partial f ...

as Snorky (credited as Hector V. Sarno) *Zoe Gregory as Blossom *Maurice Steuart as Laura as a child *Rosanna Logan as Pearl as a child ''unbilled'' *Mrs. A.C. Marston as Judas

Cast note

In 1874 Maurice Barrymore, father of the star of the movie, arrived in the United States and joined Augustin Daly's stage company playing a role, Ray Trafford, in this play.

Preservation

With no prints of ''Under the Gaslight'' located in any film archives,The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Under the Gaslight''
/ref> it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

References

External links

* * 1914 films American silent feature films Lost American drama films American films based on plays 1914 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films Melodrama films 1914 lost films Films directed by Lawrence Marston 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub