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The Gutter-Snipe
Also known as [The Guttersnipe]
(1915) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Wilfred North (Wilfrid North)
Cast: Lillian Walker [the gutter-snipe], Charles Kent [Peter Van Nuys], Darwin Karr [Victor Van Nuys, Peter’s son], Harry Northrup [Edgar, Peter’s nephew], George Stevens, Edward Elkas
The Vitagraph Company of America production; distributed by The General Film Company, Incorporated. / From a screen story by Elaine Sterne (Elaine S. Carrington). / Released 21 April 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy-Drama.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Living in the hope that the lost treasure chart of the Van Nuys family will someday be found, old Peter Van Nuys hangs onto their old mansion, although he is really too poor to keep it up. His blind son, Victor, lives with him, and is kept in ignorance of their real poverty by little subterfuges on the part of his father. Peter’s nephew, Edgar, is the only visitor, and after reading the ancient parchment stating their ancestors buried a treasure on — but here the parchment is torn and the chart missing, Edgar tries to get the old man to sell the place to him. Peter refuses. Then Edgar goes to Victor and cruelly disillusions the son in regard to their real financial condition, hoping he will persuade his father to sell. Meanwhile Peter steals out, unnoticed, to sell some of his precious books so they will have enough to eat. He meets “The Guttersnipe,” a ragged, selfish little creature, homeless and dirty, but bewitchingly pretty. He saves her from the just wrath of an Italian fruit peddler and she follows Peter home. Unable to turn the homeless waif away, he takes her in and gives her a home. The Guttersnipe exhibits her gratitude in peculiar ways, but her heart is pure gold and all become greatly attached to her. She and Victor fall in love, and one day she throws a book at Edgar to repel his undesirable advances, and from its leaver out falls the chart. Edgar manages to ruin the chart, after noting the directions, but that night the Guttersnipe surprises Edgar in the act of making away with the treasure box. Her cries bring the neighbors, and Edgar is hustled away to jail, while the Van Nuys discover a double treasure, a box full of jewels and in the heart of the little Guttersnipe Victor finds a treasure of love.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 8 May 1915, page ?] The story of this one reel comedy-drama “is too good to be true.” A street waif with a heart of gold, a buried treasure, and a life of ease and new frocks for the “Snipe’s” future, all the delights of a fairy tale Lillian Walker fills the physical measure of her role to overflowing, but acts the waif with consummate art. Charles Kent and Darwin Karr are, as usual, thoroughly competent.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 10 November 2022.
References: Bohn-Light p. 108 : Website-IMDb.
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