What Happened to Mary series original episode title card

''What Happened to Mary'' (sometimes erroneously referred to as ''What Happened to Mary?'') is the first

serial film A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a film, motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater ...

made in the United States. Produced by

Edison Studios Edison Studios was an American film production organization, owned by companies controlled by inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. The studio made close to 1,200 films, as part of the Edison Manufacturing Company (1894–1911) and then Thom ...

, with

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

s by Horace G. Plympton, and directed by

Charles Brabin Charles Brabin (April 17, 1882 – November 3, 1957) was a British-American film director. Biography Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College. Brabin sailed to New York City in the early 1900s and, while hold ...

, the

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

s starred

Mary Fuller Mary Claire Fuller (October 5, 1888 – December 9, 1973) was an American actress active in both stage and silent films. She also was a screenwriter and had several films produced. An early major star, by 1917 she could no longer gain role ...

. Twelve one-reel episodes were released monthly beginning July 1912, coinciding with the literary serial of the same name published in McClure's ''The Ladies' World'' magazine. In addition to the

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s and regular magazine installments, ''What Happened to Mary'' was also adapted as a stage play, followed by a

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

, making it an early example of the

multimedia franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

Cast

as Mary *

Marc McDermott Marcus McDermott (also credited as Marc MacDermott; 24 July 1871 – 5 January 1929) was an Australian actor who starred on Broadway and in over 180 American films from 1909 until his death.Nick Murphy at the Forgotten Australian Actors webs ...

as Lieutenant Strakey * Charles Ogle as Richard Craig, Mary's uncle *

Herbert Yost Herbert Yost (also credited as Barry O'Moore and Bertram Yost; December 8, 1879October 23, 1945) was an American actor who in a career that spanned nearly half a century performed predominantly on stage in stock companies and in numerous Broadw ...

as Henry, Craig's son *

Miriam Nesbitt Miriam Nesbitt (September 14, 1873 in Chicago – August 11, 1954 in Hollywood) was an American stage and film actress. Biography Born Miriam Schanke or Skanke, she studied at the Stanhope-Wheatcroft Dramatic School, before landing a part in D ...

as Madame Jolatsy, a spy *Bliss Milford as Daisy *

Bigelow Cooper Jackson Bigelow Cooper (December 21, 1867 – 1953) was an American stage and screen character actor prominent in the silent film era. Biography Born in Springfield, Ohio in 1867, Cooper's early acting experience came in stock theater, includi ...

as Mr. Foster, the Lawyer * William Wadsworth as Billy Peart *

Harold M. Shaw Harold Marvin Shaw (also cited in some records as Henry Marvin Shaw; November 3, 1877January 30, 1926) was an American stage performer, film actor, screenwriter, and notable director of the silent era. A native of Tennessee, he worked professio ...

as Rev. Cooper *Harry Eytinge as Secretary, Occidental Trust Company *Walter Edwin as Manager of the Society Queen *Yale Benner as John Chase *James Smith as Stage Manager *

Carey Lee Carey may refer to: Names * Carey (given name), a given name * Carey (surname), a surname ** List of people with surname Carey Places Canada * Carey Group, British Columbia; in the Pacific * Carey Island (Nunavut) in James Bay United Kingd ...

as Leading Lady *

Arthur Housman Arthur Housman (October 10, 1889 – April 8, 1942) was an American actor in films during both the silent film era and the Golden Age of Hollywood. Career Arthur Housman was one of the first screen comedians known to the public by name, and on ...

as Principal Comedian

Production

This serial came to be after the editor of ''The Ladies' World'', Charles Dwyer, met Horace G. Plympton, manager of

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

's New York motion picture studio on Decatur Avenue and Oliver Place in the Bronx. He was interested in the concept of the story and the plan for an installment published in each issue. A few days after the meeting he suggested making a film version of each installment: the parallel release of magazine and movie episodes supporting each other. The first chapter of the story was printed with a competition, with ''The Ladies' World'' cover advertising "One Hundred Dollars For You IF You Can Tell What Happened to Mary". The closest correct guess at the events of the next twenty minutes of the story, in 300 words or less, would win $100. This prize was awarded to Lucy Proctor of

Armstrong, California Termo (also, Snowstorm and Armstrong) is a ghost town in Lassen County, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximatel ...

with the answer that Mary is rescued by a young man in his car. Proctor's solution was printed in the September 1912 issue. Although they would later become synonymous with the medium, and though the heroine did participate in perilous action sequences, no chapter-ending cliffhangers were employed in this production. The sequel '' Who Will Marry Mary?'' (which did pose a question in its title) was released in 1913.

Episodes

The serial consisted of twelve one-reel episodes released from July 26, 1912, to June 27, 1913: # ''The Escape from Bondage'' # ''Alone in New York'' # ''Mary in Stageland'' # ''The Affair at Raynor's'' # ''A Letter to the Princess'' # ''A Clue to Her Parentage'' # ''False to Their Trust'' # ''A Will and a Way'' # ''A Way to the Underworld'' # ''The High Tide of Misfortune'' # ''A Race to New York'' # ''Fortune Smiles'' A stage version written by

Owen Davis Owen Gould Davis (January 29, 1874 – October 14, 1956) was an American dramatist known for writing more than 200 plays and having most produced. In 1919, he became the first elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America. He received t ...

and featuring

Olive Wyndham Olive Frances Wyndham Meysenberg (June 16, 1886 – November 24, 1971) was an American actress on stage and in silent films. Early life Meysenburg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of E. A. von Meysenburg, a German diplomat, ...

as Mary premiered at the Lyric Theatre in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

on March 4, 1913, before opening at the

Fulton Theatre The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in Manhattan, New York City, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. Since the former Little Theatre be ...

in New York on March 24, 1913. The 1913 novelization by

Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasman ...

incorporated material from the play, the films, and the ''Ladies' World'' stories.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:What Happened To Mary 1912 films American silent serial films American black-and-white films 1912 drama films Films directed by Charles Brabin Edison Manufacturing Company films Silent American drama films 1910s English-language films 1910s American films