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Flat to Rent
Also known as {Flat for Rent}
(1910) United States of America
B&W : Split-reel / 475 feet
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: (unknown)
Essanay Film Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. / Released 27 April 1910; in a split-reel with The Latest in Garters (1910). / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 30 April 1910, page ?] As the story goes, Mr. U.R. Beaten, a real estate agent, calls on one of his tenants, Mrs. Flat-Dweller, with a newly written lease, asking her if she will sign up for another season. But Mrs. Flat-Dweller has resolved to make a move, and the flat she is now occupying is too dark and there are other inconveniences besides the rent being too high. Mr. Beaten argues, but she is persistent. Finally Mr. Beaten gives in, but states that he will have to place a ‘Flat to Rent’ card in her window. After some argument, Mr. Beaten is permitted to place the card in the window and then withdraws. The trouble starts immediately when Mrs. Smith-Brown, a very haughty dame, enters, desiring to look at the flat. Mrs. Smith-Brown makes herself disagreeable in contemptuously examining Mrs. Flat-Dweller’s furniture and is finally ordered out by the latter when her comments become too pernicious. Mrs. Flat-Dweller is hardly seated again when Mr. and Mrs. Newlywed ask permission to look at the flat. Their sickly lovemaking exasperated Mrs. Flat-Dweller, who is finally forced to remind them that if they desire to see the flat to cut out the billing and cooing and attend to their business. After the Newlyweds have left, Mrs. Flat-Dweller resolves to tear the sign out of the window, but is interrupted again by the clamor of the street doorbell. She opens the door to Mr. and Mrs. Levinsky, with three or four smaller Levinskys and also the Levinsky dog. The younger Yiddishers begin to make themselves perfectly at home by climbing over Mrs. Flat-Dweller’s furniture and starting a row with the dog. Isaac has an awful time in subduing his children as they are led from the room by Mrs. Flat-Dweller, who is forced to continually reprimand the playful youngsters. In the end she finds it necessary to order the family out of the house. When this is accomplished she pulls the ‘Flat to Rent’ card from the window and tears it to bits. Mr. U.R. Beaten appears now and finds the card has been taken from the window. He enters and demands furiously that he be permitted to place another card in the window. She refuses. They quarrel and soon come to blows, he endeavoring to protect himself from the fury of the housekeeper. Overturning furniture, smashing vases and statuettes, they make the circle of the room. A policeman, hearing the cries of the frightened landlord, enters through the window and separates the two. In the name of the law he arrests them for disturbing the peace and orders them to go with him to the station. The whipped agent hesitates and on bended knee asks for just one more favor, that he be permitted to place his ‘Flat to Rent’ card in the window. This is granted and the real estate agent with a smile of triumph on his face is led off with Mrs. Flat-Dweller to tell the judge about it.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 7 May 1910, page ?] A comedy of every-day life in the flat dweller’s world. In reality it is the experience of those unfortunates who are compelled to allow everyone that desires to enter and go through the flat because a ‘To Let’ appears in the window. The way the people who enter the flat act is perilously near the truth. The rough house is a bit exaggerated, but is the feature which serves as a sort of climax that convinces the audience of the reality of the scene. Not all go to court to tell the judge about it, yet if they gave such vigorous expression to their feelings they would probably land there in more than one instance.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 15 February 2024.
References: Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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