Volume II: Filmography

THE NORWOOD NECKLACE

February 10, 1911 (Friday)

Length: 1,000 feet

Character: Drama

Cast: Julia M. Taylor (Violet Gray)

Note: This film was one of the "Violet Gray, Detective" series, which consisted of the following: Love and Law (December 13, 1910), The Vote That Counted (January 13, 1911), The Norwood Necklace (February 10, 1911), and The Court's Decree (July 7, 1911).

ADVERTISEMENT, The Moving Picture World, February 4, 1911:

"The Norwood necklace and its mysterious disappearance give Miss Gray fresh food for reflection and solution. Reflecting on the freeing from custody of a pretty female suspect, Violet decides that a police error was made in the release - and not in the detention of the suspect; and the aftermath of her decision is formed in a solution of the whole necklace puzzle. The case of the Norwood necklace easily shows bright Violet at her best, and you will admit that though her methods are odd they certainly get the results."

SYNOPSIS, The Moving Picture World, February 11, 1911:

"The disappearance of the famous Norwood necklace gave Violet Gray, the girl detective, a chance to gain new laurels, and also to have a laugh at her superior officer. The jewels disappeared in another city, and the police obtained a clue to their whereabouts just too late to make an arrest. But they wired the authorities at Violet's city to detain and search a well-dressed woman who was a passenger on a certain train. Enroute, however, the suspect received warning by telegraph, and when the woman is taken in charge there are no signs of the gems. Under the circumstance there is nothing for the captain to do except apologize profusely, which he does in good style, as the prisoner is well-dressed and of refined appearance.

"The only person who did not believe an error had been committed was Violet Gray. So certain was she that her suspicions would be confirmed that she made a bet with the captain on the subject. And she won. Her first clue was the little girl. Her second, a doll. The final links were a hand and head of hair! Each one of these incidents was a trifle, but they united to form the chain that dragged a pretty woman to prison. The captain admitted he had been mistaken and paid over his wager. Violet was too diplomatic to tease him about it, but she spent the money for a new ring so that her commander would be constantly reminded of his error of judgment, and yet unable to complain of being nagged about it."

REVIEW by Walton, The Moving Picture News, March 4, 1911: This review is reprinted in the narrative section of the present work.

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, February 15, 1911:

"A detective story, presenting a complication which fooled a trained policeman, but which was untangled and the guilty person brought to justice by a clever woman. Like all detective stories it is prepared to magnify the exploits of one particular party and it does this to good advantage. The acting is good, the photography is clear, and there is no complaint to make about the clearness of the story itself."

REVIEW, The New York Dramatic Mirror, February 15, 1911:

"This is a detective story quite cleverly worked out and capably acted. It starts with the announcement that the necklace has been stolen, and we see a man, evidently the thief, pass it to a woman confederate on the street. How the detectives find out that the woman has the necklace, but never suspect the man's part in the game, is never explained. But so it is; the man is so free from suspicion that he listens over the shoulders of the detectives at the railroad station and hurries to telegraph the woman that she is suspected and to get rid of the necklace. She does so by contriving to put it inside the doll of a little girl on the train. She is arrested and searched, but is released because nothing is found on her. Now steps in the female detective, who follows the woman to the hotel, where she has gone to secure the necklace from the little girl's doll. Disguised as a maid, she secures the woman with goods."

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