''The Old Cobbler'' is a 1914 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 Murdock MacQuarrie. The film features Murdock MacQuarrie,

Richard Rosson Richard Rosson (April 4, 1893 – May 31, 1953) was an American film director and actor. As an actor, he was known for the nearly 100 films he was in during the silent era. As a director, he directed the logging sequences in the 1936 film ''Co ...

Agnes Vernon Agnes Vernon (18951948) was an American film actress of the silent era. While still in her teens, she experienced a meteoric ascent from obscurity to box-office sensation. After turning twenty-three and a movie career fading away, she abandoned ...

and

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 ...

. ''The Old Cobbler'' was MacQuarrie's debut film as a director. The film is now considered to be lost.

Plot

Nathan, an old cobbler, catches his son, Dick, stealing money from his wallet. He throws the boy out, hoping that tough love will shape the boy up. His alcoholic wife is all he has left, but when he goes upstairs, he finds her dead. Nathan heads West and settles down in a mining camp where he develops a reputation for being kind and charitable. One day, Wild Bill, a gunslinger, comes to Nathan to have a boot repaired and treats him rudely. Nathan throws the man out of his shop, and Wild Bill comes to respect the old man's courage. The two men develop a friendship. Bill's sweetheart, Jess, is a dance hall girl and when she has a slipper repaired by Nathan, he returns it to her with a note inside. The note touches her so deeply that she gives up her dance hall life. One day Bill captures a highwayman who robbed a stage and recognizes the boy as Nathan's son Dick from a photograph Nathan had shown him. He leaves the boy in Nathan's custody and returns the stolen money, reporting that the robbers got away.

Cast

* Murdock MacQuarrie as the cobbler *

as the cobbler's son * May Benson as the cobbler's wife *

as Wild Bill *

as Jess, the dance hall girl

Reception

Moving Picture World wrote: "Mr. MacQuarrie shines greatest in a character role, and here is one that could not have been improved upon if it had been written especially for him. The supporting cast, with Lon Chaney and Mr. Rosson at the head, gives a telling account of itself. The settings, for the most part, are Western, picturesque and beautifully photographed."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Old Cobbler, The 1914 films 1914 drama films 1914 short films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by Murdock MacQuarrie Lost American films Universal Pictures short films Silent American drama films 1914 lost films Lost drama films 1914 directorial debut films 1910s American films