The Tragedy of Whispering Creek
- May 2, 1914 (1914-05-02)
English intertitles
The Tragedy of Whispering Creek is a 1914 American silent short Western film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Murdock MacQuarrie, Pauline Bush, and Lon Chaney.[2] Chaney expert Jon Mirsalis says Chaney also wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Elliott J. Clawson,[3] but the Blake book says the film's director Allan Dwan wrote the screenplay himself.[4] A print exists in the Deutsche Kinemathek film archive, making it Chaney's earliest surviving moving picture.[5] A still exists which shows Chaney in his role as "The Greaser".[6]
Plot
A vile bully known as The Greaser (Lon Chaney) is terrorizing the young ladies in a mining town called Whispering Creek. When he tries to accost a young teenage orphan girl, her fiance Bashful Bill gives the Mexican a sound beating. Soon after, a handsome stranger (Murdock MacQuarrie) rides into town and saves the same girl from the Greaser again. Falling in love with her himself, he tries to romance the young lady, unaware that she is engaged to Bashful Bill.
When he learns they are set to be wed, he decides to not interfere in their happiness. The stranger leaves town, but on the way out, he spots the Greaser lying in ambush, plotting to kill Bashful Bill and the girl. The stranger and the Greaser shoot it out, and wind up killing each other in the ensuing gunfight, saving Bill's and the girl's life in the process.
Cast
- Murdock MacQuarrie as The Stranger
- Pauline Bush as The Orphan
- William C. Dowlan as Bashful Bill
- Lon Chaney as The Greaser
- George Cooper as The Kid
- Mary Ruby as The Kid's Sweetheart
- Doc Crane as Prospector
- William Lloyd as Prospector
- John Burton as Prospector
Reception
The Moving Picture World wrote "The story is very uncertain in development, but has an unusually pleasing setting throughout the entire production. The backgrounds were selected with a good eye to artistic effects. The story is vague in places and the photography not quite up to standard. The closing scenes are of a tragical nature."[7]
Universal Weekly opined "And then there is Mr. Chaney in the role of the Greaser. Mr. Chaney has used his own ideas in working out the character, a pervert, in this play and what he has given us is startling to an unusual degree. True, he paints a horrible picture for us...one that is apt to cause a feeling of revulsion. But that is as it should be. In fact, Mr. Chaney has created a new character -- one that will live long -- that will be copied as a newer standard for others."[8]
References
- ^ Blake, Michael F. (1998). "The Films of Lon Chaney". Vestal Press Inc. Page 16. ISBN 1-879511-26-6.
- ^ "Silent Era: The Tragedy of Whispering Creek". silentera. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ^ Mirsalis, Jon C. "The Tragedy of Whispering Creek". Lonchaney.org. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Blake, Michael F. (1998). "The Films of Lon Chaney". Vestal Press Inc. Page 16. ISBN 1-879511-26-6.
- ^ Bennett, Carl. "The Tragedy of Whispering Creek". silentera.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Mirsalis, Jon C. "The Tragedy of Whispering Creek". Lonchaney.org. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Mirsalis, Jon C. "The Tragedy of Whispering Creek". Lonchaney.org. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Blake, Michael F. (1998). "The Films of Lon Chaney". Page 17. Vestal Press Inc. ISBN 1-879511-26-6.
External links
- The Tragedy of Whispering Creek at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- Woman's Honor (1913)
- Calamity Anne's Vanity (1913)
- Quicksands (1913)
- The Greater Love (1913)
- Her Big Story (1913)
- The Restless Spirit (1913)
- Back to Life (1913)
- Red Margaret, Moonshiner (1913)
- Bloodhounds of the North (1913)
- The Lie (1914)
- The Honor of the Mounted (1914)
- Remember Mary Magdalen (1914)
- Discord and Harmony (1914)
- The Menace to Carlotta (1914)
- The Embezzler (1914)
- The Lamb, the Woman, the Wolf (1914)
- The End of the Feud (1914)
- The Tragedy of Whispering Creek (1914)
- The Unlawful Trade (1914)
- The Forbidden Room (1914)
- The Hopes of Blind Alley (1914)
- Richelieu (1914)
- The Unwelcome Mrs. Hatch (1914)
- Wildflower (1914)
- The County Chairman (1914)
- The Straight Road (1914)
- The Conspiracy (1914)
- The Dancing Girl (1915)
- A Small Town Girl (1915)
- David Harum (1915)
- The Love Route (1915)
- The Commanding Officer (1915)
- May Blossom (1915)
- The Pretty Sister of Jose (1915)
- A Girl of Yesterday (1915)
- Jordan Is a Hard Road (1915)
- The Habit of Happiness (1916)
- The Good Bad-Man (1916)
- An Innocent Magdalene (1916)
- Manhattan Madness (1916)
- Fifty-Fifty (1916)
- Accusing Evidence (1916)
- Fighting Odds (1917)
- A Modern Musketeer (1917)
- Panthea (1917)
- Headin' South (1918)
- Mr. Fix-It (1918)
- Bound in Morocco (1918)
- He Comes Up Smiling (1918)
- Cheating Cheaters (1919)
- Soldiers of Fortune (1919)
- The Luck of the Irish (1920)
- The Scoffer (1920)
- The Forbidden Thing (1920)
- A Splendid Hazard (1920)
- A Perfect Crime (1921)
- The Sin of Martha Queed (1921)
- A Broken Doll (1921)
- The Hidden Woman (1922)
- Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (1922)
- Lawful Larceny (1923)
- Zaza (1923)
- Big Brother (1923)
- A Society Scandal (1924)
- Manhandled (1924)
- Her Love Story (1924)
- Wages of Virtue (1924)
- Argentine Love (1924)
- The Coast of Folly (1925)
- Night Life of New York (1925)
- Stage Struck (1925)
- Sea Horses (1926)
- Padlocked (1926)
- Tin Gods (1926)
- Summer Bachelors (1926)
- The Music Master (1927)
- The Joy Girl (1927)
- East Side, West Side (1927)
- French Dressing (1927)
- The Big Noise (1928)
- The Iron Mask (1929)
- Tide of Empire (1929)
- The Far Call (1929)
- Frozen Justice (1929)
- South Sea Rose (1929)
- What a Widow! (1930)
- Man to Man (1930)
- Chances (1931)
- Wicked (1931)
- While Paris Sleeps (1932)
- Her First Affaire (1932)
- Counsel's Opinion (1933)
- I Spy (1934)
- Black Sheep (1935)
- Navy Wife (1935)
- Song and Dance Man (1936)
- Human Cargo (1936)
- High Tension (1936)
- 15 Maiden Lane (1936)
- Woman-Wise (1937)
- That I May Live (1937)
- One Mile from Heaven (1937)
- Heidi (1937)
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
- Suez (1938)
- Josette (1938)
- The Three Musketeers (1939)
- The Gorilla (1939)
- Frontier Marshal (1939)
- Sailor's Lady (1940)
- Young People (1940)
- Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)
- Look Who's Laughing (1941)
- Rise and Shine (1941)
- Friendly Enemies (1942)
- Here We Go Again (1942)
- Around the World (1943)
- Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)
- Up in Mabel's Room (1944)
- Brewster's Millions (1945)
- Getting Gertie's Garter (1945)
- Rendezvous with Annie (1946)
- Calendar Girl (1947)
- Northwest Outpost (1947)
- Driftwood (1947)
- The Inside Story (1948)
- Angel in Exile (1948)
- Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
- Surrender (1950)
- Belle Le Grand (1951)
- The Wild Blue Yonder (1951)
- I Dream of Jeanie (1952)
- Montana Belle (1952)
- Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)
- Sweethearts on Parade (1953)
- Flight Nurse (1953)
- Silver Lode (1954)
- Passion (1954)
- Cattle Queen of Montana (1954)
- Escape to Burma (1955)
- Pearl of the South Pacific (1955)
- Tennessee's Partner (1955)
- Slightly Scarlet (1956)
- Hold Back the Night (1956)
- The River's Edge (1957)
- The Restless Breed (1957)
- Enchanted Island (1958)
- Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961)