Volume II: Filmography

THE GOVERNOR'S DAUGHTER

June 24, 1910 (Friday)

Length: 985 feet

Character: Drama

Cast: Marie Eline (Nell, the governor's daughter)

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, June 25, 1910:

"The wreck of a $40,000 railroad passenger car is in this picture! With the Thanhouser Kid as the daughter and a real train wreck as the feature - so real it will make you sit up and wonder how he did it - a marvelous creation that will make your patrons faint. Great show tonight!"

ARTICLE, The Moving Picture World, July 2, 1910:

"We mentioned the Thanhouser Thelma at some length in last week's issue, and this week we want to say a word about the second release of the week in question. On Tuesday, Thelma is issued, and on Friday is that second release which we feel will set a new standard for realism in motion picture production. It is called The Governor's Daughter, and little Marie Eline plays the part of the daughter. And now to those scenes, the realism of which still stands out in our memory - which is the kind of realism that counts. The scenes were portrayals of a train crash and they give you startling before-and-after wreck views. They made you shiver when they showed you the fate that came to a car full of passengers - sudden, cruel and without warning. They made you shiver; they brought fear-stroke to your heart. You winced, you clutched the arms of your chair - you tried to feel that it was no car chair but only a handy seat in the inspection room of a moving picture establishment. And you thanked God that the thing before you was only a picture on the screen!"

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, June 25, 1910:

"Bill Raymond, a convict, sentenced to a long term, is on his way to prison, in custody of the sheriff. A little girl is a passenger in the same train. She shows that she feels sorry for the man. He in turn appreciates her sympathy. The train is wrecked, and the sheriff, who is handcuffed to Bill, is killed. Bill takes the key of the handcuffs from the pocket of the dead man, frees himself, and is about to escape, when he notices that the little girl, abandoned by her nurse, is lying unconscious in the car, which is now on fire.

"The convict risks his life to save the child, and carries her out in his arms. He takes her to her nurse and is recognized by a policeman and taken in custody, his chance for freedom lost. The child, who is the daughter of the governor, although Bill does not know it, is restored to her parent. The nurse fears to mention the incident, and the governor does not know how his darling's life was saved. Later the governor goes to the state prison on a tour of inspection, and Nell accompanies him. She has some flowers which she wants to give to the prisoners. In her tour of the prison, she recognizes Bill. She tells her father about it, and he pardons the hero-convict on the spot...."

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, July 9, 1910:

"One of those improbable stories that somehow strikes a responsive chord in every breath and makes one want to applaud the governor when he announces his irregular pardon. But however one may view this picture, one is certain to like it. That a convict should save a little girl's life is not altogether strange, nor is it impossible. Yet in not many instances would the daughter of a governor be the one. However, the story works out logically, yet is so improbable that it is in the realm of fairy tales, though none the less interesting. The train wreck and afterward the meeting in the prison are both dramatic situations which are well managed, and show careful work in arranging the details. It is all done in the Thanhouser way, and that is only another name for well."

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