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Harry Gribbon (bottom, left) and
Alice Howell (bottom, center).
Photograph: Silent Era image collection.
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Blue Blood and Yellow Backs
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Two reels
Directed by Harry Gribbon
Cast: Harry Gribbons (Harry Gribbon) [the baron], Reggie Morris [Reggie], Gertrude Selby [?] [Miss de Millyun or Miss de Millyuns]?, Sylvia Ashton [?] [Mamma de Millyun or Mamma de Millyuns?, her mother], Alice Howell [the maid]
L-KO Motion Picture Kompany production; distributed by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated. / © 12 June 1915 by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated. Released 20 June 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Universal release number 0593. The film was marketed in the USA with one-sheet, three-sheet and six-sheet posters. The film was released in Canada on 27 June 1915.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [The Universal Weekly, Volume VI, Number 24, 12 June 1915, page 26] Baron Peastring, ambassador to the Canary Islands, is shot in both the reception room and the salon while Mamma de Millyuns sustains an assault from the rear in “Blue Blood and Yellow Backs,” a two-reel L-Ko comedy featuring Harry Gribbons, Gertrude Selby and Reggie Morris which will be released on June 20. / Miss de Millyuns and her mother receive a letter from the Baron reading as follows: / “I love you. My blue blood curls and give me the gooseflesh when I think that I might be accused of wanting to marry you for your money. So I spend my days roaming in the woods waiting for the day to come.” / From which it might be surmised that the Baron is fond of Miss de Millyuns — which he is. But, as a matter of fact, he is more than fond of her kopecks and her rubies. Now it was perfectly true that the Baron passed much of his time roaming in the park. The park was his favorite promenade and in its leafy dells he often bowed profoundly to the ladies of fashion who passed by. / Being new to the ways of American women, the Baron little realized that he was flirting with a maid when he made the acquaintance of a pretty miss in the park. The maid invited him to what supposedly was her home, but, as a matter of fact, it was the home of Miss de Millyun, where she was employed. Realizing that if he was to call upon the Fifth Avenue heiress he would need some money, the Baron, who was absolutely penniless in his own name, “touched” a park dilettante for a few simoleons. / Upon calling at the Fifth Avenue address given to him . . . [missing text due to torn page in reference copy] . . . flirtatious maid, the . . . himself in the . . . de Millyuns. . . . presumes, . . . Baron has . . . upon her- . . . She . . . comfort- . . . out for . . . and puts . . . his feet. . . . scion of . . . family, who sincerely loves Miss de Millyuns . . . is being superseded in the affections of . . . propose at once. He does so, but both . . . are so infatuated with the charming . . . Reggie is abruptly asked to leave . . . / . . . the baron, however, and recognizes him as the man who borrowed two dollars from him in the park. He calls the Baron’s attention to the fact and when the latter indignantly denies having received the loan hostilities are imminent. Reggie is a gentleman, however, and he restrains his wrath. / Discouraged by his throw-down, he goes into the next room and is about to waft himself into the Elysian fields when the butler interferes and takes the pistol away from him. Reggie struggles desperately to make an angel of himself and in the struggle the pistol goes off. Six bullets go through the curtain and attack the Baron in a painful spot. Mamma de Millyuns also received several stray lead pellets in embarassing places and the house is soon in an uproar. / In the excitement the Baron sees an opportunity to get the millions of the family without marrying the daughter of the house. He makes for the family safe. While Mamma de Millyun is running around displaying her anxiety the Baron tampers with the big lock on the strong box. He gets the safe open and is about to make off with the yellow backs with which the safe is filled when the maid with whom he flirted in the park sees him at his nefarious work and determines to get some of the bills herself. She projects herself on the Baron and snatches half a million from him. Reggie in the next room. struggling with the butler, loads his gun up again and determines that if he must die he will take everybody in the neighborhood trough the Pearly Gates with him. / He shoots through the curtains and partitions and another of the bullets turns a corner and bits a piece out of the Baron’s trowsers [sic]. The Baron feels that he has been unfairly taken advantage of and drops his roll. / The corner cop hears the shots and sends in a call for the reserves. The patrol wagon rolls up a few minutes later just at the moment Reggie is emptying his fifth box of cartridges. The dum-dum bullets at once take an indistinctive dislike for the cops and the latter meet with a hot reception. Feeling that they have stepped into a hostile arsenal, the cops pull their own guns and start peppering away. When they finish with their ammuntion they start in with their clubs and the guests at Miss de Millyun’s reception make their first acquaintance with the business end of a police billy. / Meanwhile the heiress, feeling that Reggie is the only true friend she has, after all, rushes into his welcoming arms, while the Baron beats it precipitately.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Domestics: Butlers, Maids - Letters - Society - Suicide (Attempted)
Listing updated: 6 January 2010.
References: UnivWeekly-19150612 pp. 26, 34 : Website-IMDb.
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