A King o’ Make-Believe (1916)

movie

Country: USA
Genres: Drama, Short
Release: 1916-07-01
Director: Robert Broadwell
Writers: Crane Wilbur
Language: None | English
Stars: Crane Wilbur , Joseph Hazelton , John Oaker , Mae Gaston , Pearl Elmore , O. Bigelow , Joseph Singleton
Runtime: min
Awards: N/A
AKA: A King o' Make-Believe , A King o' Make-Believe (United States of America)
Plot: Hope Hathaway, motherless and fatherless, has been afflicted with a spinal disease that has prevented the use of her limbs since childhood, confining her to an invalid's chair. On his deathbed Hope's father, a prosperous New England farmer, had left his daughter and her inheritance to the guardianship of his legal adviser, Rufus Flint, and had expressed a wish that she would one day marry Rufus' son, Abner. Thus he aroused the selfish ambitions of Rufus Flint and his son, who possessed the prosperous Hathaway farm. Hope is protected from their constant persecution and efforts to force her into a distasteful marriage with Abner by her faithful old colored nurse, Susie. In the nearby village a moving picture company is working, producing a romantic drama that is to feature the famous moving picture star, Neil Stuart. While the company is lunching, Neil goes for a canter over the country roads, attired in his King's costume and riding the beautiful white charger that he uses in the picture play, in search of water to quench his thirst, he comes upon Hope as she sits in a wooded grove near the Hathaway farm, dreaming over her latest romantic novel. The hero of her novel, as he is pictured in the book, is identical with the character of the King, for which Neil is costumed and to Hope it seems as if her hero lover had stepped in the flesh from the covers of her book to confront her. Discovering Neil's presence on the farm Rufus and Abner attempt to expel him, but they meet with unexpected resistance and are driven away themselves. The next afternoon the moving picture company start for the city and Neil decides to pay a farewell call to the little dreamer in the invalid chair. Finding a ready sympathizer in her hero, Hope tells him of Rufus and Abner Flint's persecution and he gives the old colored nurse his telephone number with instructions that she should call him in case of her mistress' need. Soon after, Rufus decides to bring matters to a speedy climax. He is a Justice of the Peace himself, so he plans to marry Hope to his son by force. They lock Susie in the barn by a clever ruse and after procuring a license proceed to perform the ceremony, but Susie escapes, phones Neil that Hope is in trouble, and he, true to his word, burns the road in his car to the Hathaway place. He arrives too late to prevent the ceremony and Susie tells him that Abner has already started off with Hope on their wedding journey. Incensed at the outrage, Neil gives chase in his car and overtakes Abner and his unwilling bride. Abner's horses run away and the coward jumps to save his own life, leaving the crippled girl to her fate. Entrusting the steering wheel to his chauffeur, Neil leaps to the running board of his car and succeeds in stopping the runaway horses. Abner's leap for life results fatally to him, for his father finds him dead at the edge of the road. Neil takes Hope to his mother's home and soon by the magic of love and science a wonderful change is wrought. A famous specialist restores to Hope the use of her limbs and in the arms of Neil she finds her Land of Heart's Desire.
IMDB:tt0487662