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Short summary

Richard Garvie, a prosperous young boatman, owns a small pleasure craft on which he frequently takes his wife and son for short outings. Mabel, his wife, objects strenuously to her ... See full summary
Richard Garvie, a prosperous young boatman, owns a small pleasure craft on which he frequently takes his wife and son for short outings. Mabel, his wife, objects strenuously to her husband's disregard of the appearance of the boat. She holds Herbert Wayne, one of his business rivals up to him as a model and asks him why he doesn't buy a new boat and a fine yachting coat with brass buttons. Finally, after working herself up into a terrible fit of temper, Mabel vows never to set her feet in the dirty old tub again. To take a Sunday School class on an outing, Garvie's and Wayne's boats are both engaged. Mabel takes her little son, and true to her promise, refuses to go into her husband's boat. Instead she and her boy go on Wayne's speedier and more up-to-date craft. Suddenly the faster boat is found to be on fire. A dingy is lowered and filled with passengers while Mabel runs down to the cabin for her boy. The smoke pours out, and the boat pushes off without her. After they have left the...

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Zacki
    A fair commercial offering by Ashley Miller, featuring a fire on a large naphtha launch, which is well suggested, though we have seen even better ones. The story is melodramatic with a well-dressed man shown-up as a coward and a roughly-dressed man proving himself a hero indeed. Herbert Prior plays the hero, who runs a little lake launch for picnics. His wife (Mabel Trunnelle) notices a difference between the fine uniform of a competing captain (Richard Neill) and her husband's suit. Then we have the picnic and the fire with its rescue. The minister is, as often in Edison pictures, burlesqued and made unpleasant. The backgrounds are pretty lake scenes and the photography is fair. - The Moving Picture World, August 23, 1913
  • comment
    • Author: Peras
    Mabel Trunnell is wed to Herbert Prior, but for a nice holiday outing on the water, she prefers Richard Neill's better appointed ship and his dapper outfit to her husband's common seaman's garb. When a fire breaks out on board her chosen vessel, will she regret her decision?

    This Edison short subject can be viewed on the Eye Institute site on Youtube and it is a nicely performed effort. Although the camera composition may seem a bit odd to the modern eye -- especially when compared with offerings from Biograph -- it is interesting. The folks at Edison had their own way of shooting and editing, and it is just as effective as the methods that Griffith developed at Biograph. This is how movies might look today if Griffith had not come along.

    Portions of this movie were clearly shot on the Hudson River. The Palisades are clearly visible in the background.
  • Credited cast:
    Herbert Prior Herbert Prior - Richard Garvie
    Mabel Trunnelle Mabel Trunnelle - Mabel - Richard's Wife
    Richard Neill Richard Neill - Herbert Wayne
    Kathleen Coughlin Kathleen Coughlin - The Little Garvie Boy
    Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
    Edward Boulden Edward Boulden
    Ethel Browning Ethel Browning
    Edward Mack Edward Mack
    Frank McGlynn Sr. Frank McGlynn Sr.
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