Volume II: Filmography

 

WAITING AT THE CHURCH

 

March 21, 1911 (Tuesday)

Length: 1,000 feet totally (split with Divorce at the beginning)

Character: Comedy

 

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, March 18, 1911:

"A humorous description of the man's efforts to find the right wife, and this will command laughs aplenty when it hits your screen. Especially will this go on a bill strong in drama. It depicts a wife-hunting experiences of a delightful dude and shows how he won out in the end - to lose out. How could he win out to lose out? Sounds queer, and a doubt, but that's just what he did! And the picture proves it."

 

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, March 25, 1911:

"Tommy found his fate in a boarding house, but fate was unkind to him. Tommy was one of a number of unhappy men and women who managed to drag out an existence in the establishment of Mrs. Miggs, where the company was bad and the food was worse. So it could be understood that the advent of a new boarder, the person of one Flossie Footlights, who elevated the drama by song and dance, pleased Tommy very much. It was love at first sight, excusable on the part of Tommy, but hard to explain, so far as Flossie was concerned. But Flossie had never seen anyone like Tommy before, and that may be the answer. In his wooing, Tommy showed himself a hero, although it hurt. He went on the stage once, and he dared the perils of a bargain counter rush, and won a smile from the one he adored.

"He proposed to her verbally, and was interrupted. Then he tried to express his affection by letter. He proposed an elopement, and that came off on the scheduled time. But - Well, Tommy won a bride, but it was not the one he wanted. And when he took his pen in hand to explain, he only made a bad matter worse. Tommy lost his beloved Flossie Footlights, but he still has his boarding house. And the thing that causes him sorrow is that his meal ticket in that unpleasant place is marked 'FOR LIFE.' It is a terrible thing to be the husband of a boarding house keeper, particularly when you don't have any idea of applying for the job. And that was the fate of poor Tommy."

 

REVIEW, The Billboard, March 25, 1911:

"A very good comedy picture this, along the lines of the song by the same name, made famous by Miss Vesta Victoria. Also much of the typical theatrical boarding house comedy, of which Helen Green has written so many good stories that are used so much. We also have a little professional jealousy, for the landlady disguises herself as the leading lady, with whom the star boarder has fallen in love, and goes to the church and meets him by appointment, and is married to him before he finds out his mistake. The star boarder gets his bride, but not the one he wanted."

 

REVIEW, The Morning Telegraph, March 24, 1911:

"A good farce comedy and one which might be dedicated to a certain comedienne, the introducer of a somewhat famous song of the same title. It caused much hilarious laughter, all of which was not to be wondered at. The types of characters displayed, though not new, were each of them sufficiently different from one another, and each was well made up and acted. The finish at the church and the return home of the newlyweds made a climax suitable to the performance."

 

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, April 1, 1911:

"A comedy showing how Tommy won a wife, but lost at the same time. The mix-up affords opportunity for much laughter."

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Copyright © 1995 Q. David Bowers. All Rights Reserved.