Cameo Kirby is a 1914 American drama silent film directed by Oscar Apfel and written by Clara Beranger and William C. deMille. The film stars Dustin Farnum, Fred Montague, James Neill, Jode Mullally, Winifred Kingston and Dick La Reno. It is based on the play Cameo Kirby by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson. The film was released on December 24, 1914, by Paramount Pictures.
Dustin Farnum'Cameo' Kirby
Winifred KingstonAdele Randall
James NeillJohn Randall
Fred MontagueColonel Moreau
Jode MullallyTom RandallDick La RenoLarkin Bunce
Ernest JoyAaron RandallAt his father’s insistence Billy Drake heads to the family’s South American ammunition company as an emissary. Before leaving, however, the movie-struck Billy spots a beautiful woman standing in front of a theater and imagines that she is a film star. To his delight, he finds the woman on board his ship, as well as political agitator Count Von Nuttenburg who has stolen a movie camera, thinking that it is a new brand of machine gun. Von Nuttenburg shows the camera to Billy. Thinking the Count is a director, and the ship a set for a movie melodrama when the boat lands at a port torn by revolution, Billy insists that the guns and soldiers are part of the show. Not until he and the girl are seized by the rebels and threatened with death, does he admit his error. By a clever ruse, he escapes from his captors and with the help of Federal troops defeats the Count and wins the heart of his pretty shipmate.
In the dry west, Louise MacLeod works as a secretary for Robert Powell, a lawyer defending businessman John Phelan, whom the ranchers accuse of monopolizing water rights. Louise's father, Gordon, is one of the ranchers, and so Louise keeps him informed of Robert's strategy, resulting in the ranchers winning their case.
Siren is a stone-cold bookie with a score to settle and a temper hotter than a .45 in July. When a slippery debtor tries to skip town with her money, she tears through the concrete jungle, Birkin swinging, to take back what's rightfully hers. They say payback's a bitch—turns out she's got a name.
Phyllis Latimer goes to Fiji to rejoin her husband of three years and finds him in a state of drunken degeneracy, incapable of reform. Fleeing his advances, she escapes to a nearby island; and there she impersonates Pauline Leonard, ward of John Webster. When Latimer incites a native uprising against Webster, who hires Hindu laborers, he finds Phyllis on the island, drags her home with him, and in a frenzy gives her to the natives for a human sacrifice. Webster and the government police arrive in time to save Phyllis, and Latimer is killed in the riot. Phyllis and Webster reveal their mutual love.
Malvini, retires to a monastery after his wife elopes with another man. After 20 years, Malvini returns to find his daughter, Valeria, accused of murder. Her lover, Mario, had actually shot the man in self-defense, but the dying victim blamed Valeria. Mario, initially driven insane by the event, recovers and explains what happened. The priest intervenes with the King, Valeria is freed, and Mario is pardoned. The film ends with the priest marrying Valeria and Mario.
Female gang leader, "The Tigress," is married to a master criminal. She steals a child from a wealthy family and raises him as her own, giving him all her love while keeping him unaware of her criminal activities. She becomes the de facto leader of the gang and rules them with an iron will.
John meets Mary and is invited to her home where he falls in love with her sister, Kate. They begin dating and John introduces her to his coworker Frank Johnson. Johnson lies, claiming John is a thief, causing Kate to leave John for Frank. John quits his job and leaves town, while Johnson marries Kate, but they are unhappy. Mary hires a detective who uncovers that Johnson is the real thief leading to his arrest while Mary informs John of his vindication. John returns, finds Kate denouncing Mary, and publicly rejects Kate by embracing Mary, revealing his true feelings for her.
Mrs. Letitia Summers, owner and principal of an exclusive boarding school, decides to give her two nieces an education while deciding which will be her heir unbeknownst to them. She writes each a letter, stating that a lady of means has provided for their education at Mrs. Summers' seminary. Edith and May are both delighted with the news, but while Edith leaves with her modest belongings May immediately demands a lot of new things to satisfy her vanity and desire to make a great impression. May attracts considerable attention upon her arrival but Edith, in her modest wardrobe, is received with disparaging remarks. Both do well in their studies but on graduation day Mrs. Summers calls the two girls into her private office and tells them that she is their aunt, and she has chosen Edith as her heir in recognition of her kindness and thoughtfulness towards others, particularly towards her poor mother.
Bill Grimm, a taxicab driver, falls in love with Barbara Baxter, from Lyons, New York, the minute she steps off the train, and has him take her to Mrs. Whipple's boarding house, in spite of the interference by Jack Fairfax, Bill's rival. Boarders at Mrs. Whipple's include a prizefighter named "Butch,", his manager O'Brien, and Pansy the maid. This first entry in the series introduces the leading characters in the future films, and a few comical interludes.
Garment manufacturer Sergius cuts his workers' wages, prompting a protest led by two Russian sisters, Olga and Vera. Sergius's affluent daughters, Hattie and Helen, decide to support the workers' cause, moving into the sisters' tenement and joining the workforce, much to their father's dismay. In a dramatic turn, the daughters bring their work to the factory and confront Sergius. They make a final appeal to him in his office, where he eventually relents and agrees to meet the workers' demands. Following this victory, Hattie and Helen decide to return home to their father, and the good news is shared with all the factory girls, ending the story on a note of general rejoicing.
Dalton, a promising young doctor, becomes infatuated with a dancer named La Stella who introduces him to drugs, and he becomes a morphine addict. His addiction leads to the death of a child due to a fatal medical error while he is under the influence, ultimately ruining his career.
Paul Sturgess is engaged to Grace Van Austin. At a party at their Newport home, Grace flirts with Howard Esterbrook leading to a fight between the two men. Later that night, a servant witnesses Paul, with a revolver entering Esterbrook's room. The servant follows, sees a hand emerging from a window curtain, stab Esterbrook then vanish mysteriously. Paul is arrested based on circumstantial evidence. Six months later, a woman known as "The Woman of Mystery" is shot during a raid while trying to assist the police. Moved by hearing about Paul's denied pardon and impending execution, the "Woman of Mystery" reveals information to the detective leading the raid. This revelation leads to a call to the Sing Sing Warden just in time to halt Paul's electrocution.
A drama about a devoted daughter, Delia, and her mother, who has never stopped hoping for the return of her husband who disappeared years ago.
In this recently found and restored banned underground classic from 1984, four girls go into a bathroom to hide in the middle of a war and, after an impulsive act by one of them, they find themselves trapped there. As panic gives way to despair, tragedy approaches.
Reverend Darwin Kirby falls in love with a woman described as fond of "all the gaieties of life". She refuses to marry him, and ultimately, the Reverend abandons his ministry for the sake of his love for her.
Driven from home because of his father’s temper, 20-year-old Frank Bradbury struggles to control his own strong emotions. When a schoolmate harasses his sweetheart, Rose Claybourne Frank attacks him and is expelled from university. After becoming engaged to Rose they return to his home, seeking his father's consent for their engagement. Their mothers are hopeful for reconciliation, but Frank’s father is enraged. Frank arrives while the father is attacking his mother and Frank kills him with a paper weight. Brought to trial he is acquitted on the grounds of justifiable homicide and Rose and he marry.
A physician advises Helen Blair to seek a different climate. She is without money. Philip Cobb, her daughter's sweetheart, tells them his employer, Richard Standing, has refused him an increase. Thus Mrs. Blair discovers the whereabouts of Standing, whom she rejected years before to marry Blair. Standing treats her savagely when she appeals to him. His son, John, overhears the conversation and, seeing the girl, forces them to take the necessary funds to save the mother. The father discovers his love affair and sends him to Honolulu. The jealous Cobb gets a letter from a friend there and forges a new note telling that young Standing has become a drunkard. Ailene and Cobb are married. John Standing returns after months and he and Ailene learn of the deception. Cobb repents his deceit and drowns himself.
Wealthy miner, Ben Cameron's son, Bruce, becomes the criminal "The Shadow" after being disinherited for spendthrift ways and theft. "The Shadow" attempts to extort money from Mary, Cameron's former love who is married to a struggling bookkeeper. Eventually he is shot and killed by his father, Ben, during a confrontation over the extortion attempt. In the end, Cameron collapses in grief, while Mary and her husband remain unaware of the dramatic events.
A physician is dragged down to the depths by the drug habit, losing position and wealth. After pawning every available possession except a revolver to satisfy his craving for the drug, he returns to his cheap lodging house to end his life. Half stupefied, he gets into the wrong room, where he finds a woman and daughter almost starved. He takes his revolver and pawns it to buy food for them. His own act of kindness gives him a new view of life and he struggles to break his habit. Many times he almost falls again, but is aided by a nurse whom he had known years before. Finally he throws off the yoke altogether and wins back to manhood and the love of a woman.
Neal Frazer, a performer with old-fashioned ideas about women attending a Broadway show, saves the life of the star, Emily Alden. Their friendship matures into love. After marriage, Emily feels her loss of independence and Neal's restraint on her spending.