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The Smuggler’s Sister; or, Duty
(1914) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Colin Campbell
Cast: Bessie Eyton [Bessie], Harold Lockwood [Bessie’s brother], Wheeler Oakman [the revenue officer]
The Selig Polyscope Company, Incorporated, production; distributed by The General Film Company, Incorporated. / Produced by William N. Selig. Scenario by Bessie Eyton. / Released 3 March 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama: Western.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Bessie, a fisherman’s daughter, loves the seashore and everything connected with it. Her big brother is her idol, but she deprecates his desire to evade governmental duties and smuggle. She knows the cave where he lands his goods and resorts there to meet him. A keen-eyed revenue officer half suspects the beach beauty, but he wavers between the regard for her and the reward that the Government will give for the capture of the man who has been “putting it over” in that locality. The brother has rowed his boat, coming from a sloop in the offing, when the officer discovers the pernicious activity through his binoculars. The girl, about the same time, observes her brother and runs to him, expostulating upon the dangers of dodging duty. Her sisterly advice sinks in, and the young man finally declares solemnly that he will never smuggle again. She has hardly left the rendezvous when the revenue officer, who has taken the scene in from afar, meets her. He tries to snatch a kiss from her, and puts it as a disarm to a threat: “Give me a kiss and I’ll shut my eyes.” Maidenly modesty flames her cheek and inflames her temper. Thereupon the lovelorn revenue officer calls his minions, rushes into the cave and overcomes the smuggler. The big brother is handcuffed and thrown into a boat. Then the boat is shoved off the shore and tethered with a long rope. The officer ties the boat to a rock and again seeks out Bessie. She has come back to the cave and is much worried over the absence of her brother. The officer tells her he has caught her brother, but will free him on condition. He again resumes his unwelcome attentions, and she escapes him. She plunges into the water, swims to the boat and unbinds her brother. The officer attempts to capture them, but cannot swim, he runs for help, stumbles and falls over a cliff and is badly hurt. Bessie and her brother, who have come ashore at the sight, minister to him, and, unknown, the girl gets from him the key and unlocks the handcuffs on her brother, A few days later, the officer, who has recovered from his injuries, but is still in bandages, gets a letter from headquarters reprimanding him for not getting his man. Once again he tries the game of capturing; once again the beauty disarms him, and so, with a despairing glance, he tears the star from the bosom of his uniform as the scene dims.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 8 October 2023.
References: Lahue-Selig p. 170 : Website-IMDb.
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