A Timely Interception (1913) Biograph
A Timely Interception (1913)
| Directed by D.W. Griffith | |
| Release date: June 7, 1913 /Re-released July 9, 1915 |
Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)
| Christy Cabanne | … | (writer) |
Cast (in credits order)
| The Farmer | W. Chrystie Miller | … | The Farmer | |
| The Farmer’s Daughter | Lillian Gish | … | The Farmer’s Daughter | |
| The Farmer’s Adopted Son | Robert Harron | … | The Farmer’s Adopted Son | |
| Uncle James – The Farmer’s Brother | Lionel Barrymore | … | Uncle James – The Farmer’s Brother | |
| May – Uncle James’s Daughter | Lucille Hutton | … | May – Uncle James’s Daughter | |
| The Oil Syndicate Prospector | Joseph McDermott | … | The Oil Syndicate Prospector | |
| The Oil Syndicate Officer | William J. Butler | … | The Oil Syndicate Officer | |
| The Oil Syndicate Officer | Alfred Paget | … | The Oil Syndicate Officer | |
| First Oil Rig Foreman | Frank Evans | … | First Oil Rig Foreman | |
| Second Oil Rig Foreman | Frank Opperman | … | Second Oil Rig Foreman | |
| Uncle James’s Friend | Adolph Lestina | … | Uncle James’s Friend | |
| The Policeman | Charles Gorman | … | The Policeman | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | ||||
| Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) | Christy Cabanne | … | Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) | |
| Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) | Mae Marsh | … | Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) | |
| Cinematography by G.W.Bitzer | ||||
Summaries
After a hard struggle the old man has just saved enough money to justify the marriage of his daughter and adopted son, when word comes from the oil fields nearby that his brother has lost his job, the little girl is very ill, and there is no money in the house. The sacrifice is a big one, but it has to be made. The wedding is postponed. One day his brother rides over on a bicycle to pay a visit to his benefactors, but does not bring the money. The little family is at a desperate pass; the house has been put up for sale. An oil prospector discovers oil on the premises and takes an option on the property, then hastens away to form a syndicate. The old man’s brother and the boy go out in a field to dig postholes, and strike oil. The importance of the discovery is appreciated by the former oil man, and the pair rush off to the house. On the way they fall into a disused well, from which the boy contrives to escape. The oil syndicate is on the way in a fast motor car when they are intercepted by a traffic policeman who has seen a little girl clinging to the back of the car. She is the old man’s niece, who has risen from her sick bed, put on her roller skates, and gone on a lark. The oil men bundle the half-fainting girl into the car, rush to the house, and are forcing the old man to sign the papers when the boy enters and stops the transaction. The syndicate is foiled, and the great event takes place after all, some days later.
Technical Specifications:
| Runtime | 17 min (16 fps) |
| Sound Mix | Silent |
| Color | Black and White |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.33 : 1 |
| Film Length | 305 m (1 reel) (USA) |
| Negative Format | 35 mm |
| Cinematographic Process | Spherical |
| Printed Film Format | 35 mm |
Produced by Biograph, distributed by General Film Company 1913
Filmed in Nogales – Arizona and California USA
Aside from its dramatic qualities, “A Timely Interception”, the fifth Biograph re-issue of subjects directed by D.W. Griffith, offers the many followers of W. Chrystie Miller an opportunity to see “the grand old man,” as he is called, in one of the deepest bits of acting he has ever done before the camera.
The story tells of an old man who has saved enough money to justify the marriage of his daughter and adopted son when word comes from the old man’s brother that he had lost his job, his little girl is very ill and there is no money in the house. The sacrifice is a big one, but it has to be made. This postpones the wedding and eventually leads to the home being placed on sale. Later, the adopted son and the old man’s brother are digging post-holes on the farm when they discover oil, and in their haste to tell the old man of the lucky strike, they fall into an old abandoned oil well. In the meantime, a prospector for an oil syndicate was busy with the old man in a effort to force him to sell the farm, and had fairly well succeeded when the boy rushes into the house and stops the transaction. A short while after, the great event takes place with far more pomp than it would have otherwise.
The situations of the story are well constructed, there is plenty of action, and the acting of W. Chrystie Miller, Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Lionel Barrymore, Jos McDermott and Wm. J. Butler is up to the usual high standard to be expected of these players. (Biograph Program)
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