An Interrupted Séance
(1914) United States of America
B&W : [?] One or Two? reels
Directed by Eddie Dillon (Edward Dillon)
Cast: Tod Browning [the actor], Jimmy Young [the actor’s pal], Max Davidson [the landlord], Eddie Dillon (Edward Dillon) [the clairvoyant]
Reliance Motion Picture Corporation production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation. / Released 21 February 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? A couple of actors are thrown out of a job and spend their last dollar for a reading at a séance by a famous clairvoyant, who lives up the street from their boarding house. He gets their dollar so easily that they decide to get some easy money too, and disguised as a clairvoyant, one of them goes to work. His pal and he put up a sign under the clairvoyant’s, pointing up to their house, and then hang a sign on their door. The crowds begin to come. The landlord hears the noise of the spirits rapping. One of the actors is covered with plaster knocked down on him by the other actor, who is hiding under the table to help out his pal in the “clairvoyanting.” The landlord calls on them. The real clairvoyant discovers the plan and calls, and the two actors are unmasked and chased miles out of town.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 28 February 1914, page ?] This is a rather interesting offering somewhat conventional, but still it is interesting and rather laughable. The parts were all well rendered. The actors were full of snap and ginger, reflecting credit on the director. The cameraman did his full duty with the photography and lighting. Tod Browning, Jimmy Young and Max Davidson mixed things up. It will cause hilarity.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 28 October 2022.
References: Skal-Browning p. 232 : Website-IMDb.
|