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Ethel Has a Steady
(1914) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Eddie Dillon (Edward Dillon)
Cast: Fay Tincher [Ethel], Tammany Young [Bill], Tod Browning [Mr. Hadley], Anna May Walthall [Bill’s girlfriend], Eddie Dillon (Edward Dillon) [Ethel’s boyfriend], Mae Gaston [Mr. Hadley’s fiancée], Lucille Brown [the divorcée], Max Davidson [the janitor], May Gaston [the janitor’s girl], Walter Long
Komic Company production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation. / From a screen story by Paul West. / Released 22 November 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The 11th film in the “Bill the Office Boy” series.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Mr. Hadley receives an early call from his fiancée, and it is arranged that she shall come back and go to luncheon with him. Bill, that morning, while delivering a message at another office, is smitten with the pretty stenographer, and on his return begins a letter to her, couched in terms of fondest endearment, on the typewriter. Before he has finished, however, he is sent on another errand, leaving his billet doux in the machine. Ethel has planned to take luncheon with her “steady,” but being very busy at noon with some important letters, is unable to meet him at the time agreed. The steady comes to the office to find out what is the matter and sees Bill’s love missive in the typewriter, and concludes this is the explanation. A few minutes later Mr. Hadley’s fiancée returns and also discovers the letter. She hears sobs coming from the private office, and while they issue from an unhappy wife trying for a divorce, of course the young lady does not know this and suspects the worst. When at last the letter reaches the girl for whom it was intended, it falls into the hands of her sweetheart who promises that a recurrence of the offense will be painful for Bill. The luckless office boy has to explain all round, until at last everybody is pacified. But Bill makes up his mind that he had better journey through life in single blessedness.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 5 December 1914, page 1384] Fay Tincher has the best stenog costume yet . . . the piece makes an unusually laughable comic offering.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 29 October 2022.
References: Skal-Browning p. 250 : Website-IMDb.
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