The Profligate (1916)

movie

Country: USA
Genres: Drama, Short
Release: 1916-05-11
Director: Tom Ricketts
Writers: C.B. Hoadley
Language: None | English
Stars: Edward Coxen , Winifred Greenwood , George Field , Charles Newton , Jimsy Maye , Dick La Reno , Louise Lester , George Webb , James L. McGee
Runtime: min
Awards: N/A
AKA: The Profligate (United States of America) , The Profligate
Plot: Richard Potter and Irene Roberts are affianced secretly. Richard is a young and rising lawyer, with a future, but Mrs. Roberts, an aristocratic mother, has ambitions to marry her daughter to a man of wealth and social standing. Gerald Winters, the son of David Winters, a wealthy banker, is expelled from college and taken into the bank. Mrs. Roberts and David Winters plan to bring about the marriage of Gerald and Irene. Irene is commanded to break all relations with Richard and receive the attentions of Gerald. She does so reluctantly. Gerald is thoroughly bad at heart and has vicious tendencies that he cannot overcome. He meets Polly Lee, the ignorant but vain, pretty daughter of Dan Lee, a dissolute character, and ruins her. Polly will not betray him to her father. Gerald steals from the bank to obtain money to give Polly to induce her to leave the city. Gerald loses heavy to Murdock, the gambler, and is unable to meet his gambling debts and resorts to theft to recoup his losses. Richard Potter is elected prosecuting attorney, and Irene is secretly pleased at his rise, still loving Richard. Dan Lee learns the identity of the man who is responsible for the downfall of his daughter and nurses a hatred. Murdock and Gerald meet one night at a low saloon and are alone in a drinking stall. Murdock demands money and threatens Gerald with exposure, saying he will apply to his father. A quarrel ensues, as both have been drinking. They grapple and Gerald draws a revolver. Dan Lee has followed Gerald to the place. He reaches through a window, grabs the gun away from Gerald and fires, killing Murdock and makes his escape. The hangers-on in the saloon hear the shot, rush in, find Murdock dead and Gerald's revolver on the floor. Gerald is charged with the murder of the gambler, the evidence being overwhelmingly against him. Richard, as the prosecuting attorney, conducts the case and Gerald is found guilty and sentenced to electrocution. The night of the appointed execution all concerned are tense. David Winters is firm in the assertion that his son is innocent. Irene, pitying the bereaved father, visits the office of Richard. The time of the execution is set for one minute after midnight. Irene implores Richard to make one last effort to save Gerald from the electric chair, but he tells her nothing can be done, unless new evidence has been discovered tending to establish the innocence of Gerald. Irene is in despair. At the penitentiary all preparations are being made to carry out the mandate of the law. The governor refuses David Winter's plea to save his son. As the very moment of the execution approaches Dan Lee staggers into the office of Richard. Irene is unconscious in the adjoining room. Lee is in a dying condition and confesses to the murder. Richard has a short but decisive battle with himself. If he destroys the confession, Gerald will be executed and he will be free to marry Irene. He decides; he will save Gerald. He must act quickly. He tries to get the governor on the telephone. The secretary to the executive tells him the governor has gone out. Richard thinks quickly. He has defended a lawsuit against a patent electrical appliance at the power house and is quite familiar with the intricacies of the switchboard. He runs to the power house that supplies the electrical current at the penitentiary, turns off the power and it is impossible for the execution to proceed at the appointed moment. Then he rushes back to his office and finally gets the governor on the telephone. The governor communicates with the penitentiary and Gerald is saved just as he is being led to the electric chair. Irene, realizing the great sacrifice of Richard, goes to him and says nothing can come between them now.
IMDB:tt0880975