The Woman in Black

Charles Hill Mailes has lost all the money he has collected on his city contract. So he goes to his bandsman, Lionel Barrymore. Barrymore gives him enough money to carry out his contract, which Mailes soon loses. Meanwhile Barrymore has gone on a vacation, during which he seduces and abandons gypsy Marie Newton. Barrymore returns and promises to gives Mailes the money to keep him out of jail in return for his daughter, Millicent Evans. He also insists that Mailes fire his engineer and Miss Evans' intended, Alan Hale. Hale gets himself nominated as the Reform candidate in the upcoming election.

It's one of the features that Klaw & Erlanger produced for Biograph after they rid themselves of D. W. Griffith. All of the reforms he made are gone, except for the Biograph Right Wall. The story is from a stage success, and told via titles and excessive arm-waving, even by Barrymore, who knew better; blame director Lawrence Marston. The copy was not in good shape, and whoever produced this copy decided to fill the soundtrack with jazzy hits of the 1920s that bore no relation to what was happening onscreen. So: decent if antiquated story, bad production, idiotic soundtrack.