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The Starring of Flora Finchurch
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Short film
Directed by Lee Beggs
Cast: Flora Finch [Flora Finchurch], Jay Dwiggens, Templer Saxe, Jack Bulger
The Vitagraph Company of America production; distributed by [?] V-L-S-E, Incorporated, or The General Film Company, Incorporated? / From a screen story by W.A. Tremayne. / Released 28 May 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Upon receiving word from her friend, Annabelle Mason, president of the Mothers’ Charitable Organization, that she has been selected to give her famous recital, “Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight,” Flora Finchurch immediately gets busy and with Hirum, her farmer sweetheart, for an audience, recites and recites, until the poor fellow falls fast asleep. She is shocked at the effect of her speech and angrily tells him to go home and sleep it out. A reporter is sent to write up the Charitable Organization’s entertainment, and he gives Flora’s recitation an awful roast, but the editor makes him change it to a highly commendatory writeup, in the name of sweet Charity. Shortly afterwards, Flora receives a handsome legacy, and remembering the splendid writeup in the local newspaper, at once advertises for a theatrical director to manage her planned theatrical venture. Senor Bird, a down-and-out “ham” actor, applies for and gets the position. Of course he tells her she has a splendid theatrical future before her, so they organize a company and start on tour. By distributing plenty of advertising, they secure some good advance press notices, while Hirum stays home and raves helplessly. At the very first town where they open, the show, particularly Flora’s “acting,” is so poor the actors are hooted off the stage. Two weeks later, after another trying time at their next stand, in the language of the stage, the show “goes broke.” Flora’s five thousand has vanished, and in that town’s local paper appears a notice containing the interesting sentence: “Another example of a talentless amateur trying to force herself on the public.” Hirum is the only one who feels at all sorry for her, and with her pride completely humbled, Flora sadly and wearily wends her way back to the home village and Hirum, on “Shank’s Mare,” by the arduous, but inexpensive route of the ties.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 9 August 2023.
References: Lahue-World p. 17 : Website-IMDb.
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