Grist to the Mill (1913)

movie

Country: USA
Genres: Drama, Short
Release: 1913-09-12
Director: N/A
Writers: N/A
Language: None | English
Stars: E.H. Calvert , Irene Warfield , Richard Travers , Thomas Commerford
Runtime: 22 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Grist to the Mill , Grist to the Mill (United States of America)
Plot: Will Ward and his wife, Marion, have lived together in true happiness and contentment for several years. The man, whose only weak spot in an otherwise strong character, is his credulity and an inclination to place too much trust in his fellow men, possesses a sense of honor to a high degree, and his every ambition and thought in life is centered in his wife. Marion is an ideal woman, and her whole life is wrapped up in her love for her husband. Her beauty and nobleness of character make her loved by all who know her. On his way home from work one evening, Ward as he nears his home, comes upon a man whose automobile has broken down and is impatiently waiting while his chauffeur tried to repair the damage. Ward recognizes in Hammond an old friend, and invites him into the house until the mechanic can get the machine in running order. Hammond accepts the invitation. He is presented to Marion by her husband and immediately becomes fascinated by her charm of face and manner. Before he leaves the house he has formed a plan to get rid of the husband and win the wife. He is a man of great influence in the political world, and offers to get Ward a position that will enable him to live in ease. The husband and wife are pleased and grateful. Sometime later, while Ward is busy in his new position, Hammond brings him a paper to sign, and without reading it, the man affixes his signature. Later, Hammond has Ward arrested and sent to jail on the strength of the document. Marion is grieved over her husband's imprisonment, and a suspicion of Hammond's motive dawns on her. She resolves to let nothing undone to free her husband and punish Hammond, so she sacrifices herself for a time in order to gain her desire. Her husband's conviction grants her a divorce, and immediately after obtaining it, she becomes engaged to Hammond. She loathes the man, but for her husband's sake, simulates love for him. Ward learns that his wife has obtained a divorce and is engaged to Hammond, and the knowledge almost drives him distracted. After a dinner given to his friends by Hammond, in celebration of his engagement to Marion, the girl, knowing that he is stupid with too much wine, and off his guard, manages to draw the whole story from him, how he duped her husband and had him sent to jail. With the help of an expert telephone man, Marion had previously arranged things so that every word Hammond said was transmitted over the wire and recorded by an operator at headquarters. She cleverly gets possession of the paper, which proved her husband's undoing. Marion's hatred of Hammond, and her cunning have their effect, and her revenge is complete when the man is arrested at her instigation. Ward is released and his wife's actions are satisfactorily explained to him. Husband and wife are overjoyed at their reunion.
IMDB:tt0402234