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Little Nell’s Tobacco
(1910) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Thomas H. Ince
Cast: Mary Pickford [Nell], Hayward Mack
Independent Moving Pictures Company, Incorporated [IMP] production; distributed by Motion Picture Distributing & Sales Company. / Scenario by Thomas H. Ince. / Released 22 December 1910. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Ince’s first film as director.
Drama.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 17 December 1910, page ?] Grandpa Turner lived happily with his daughter Ella and her husband, Robert Fuller. Little Nell, his grandchild, was his inseparable companion, the love between them being touching and beautiful. Ella is finally taken sick and dies, and after a short lapse of time, Robert Fuller marries again. The new wife is a hard-hearted young creature, who makes things very unpleasant for Grandpa and Nell, but especially for Grandpa. She deeply resents the fact that he, the first wife’s father, is allowed to remain under the same roof with herself. She begins her persecutions by forbidding him to smoke, taking his pipe and tobacco away from him, and throwing them out of the window. As soon as her stepmother leaves the house with her father, Nell, her grandfather’s little champion, climbs out of the window and, finding his smoking outfit, returns it to him, and he enjoys another smoke. But, alas, the stepmother returns and, catching him a second time, takes the pipe and tobacco and throws them in the stove. She then orders him to go up to an attic room and remain there. After the old man has tottered up the stairs, the husband and wife sit down and enjoy themselves, the former taking out a cigarette, which the wife lights for him. In the meantime, little Nell, gets down her little hoard of pennies and, going to the grocery store, buys Grandpa a nice big paper of tobacco and, returning, presents it to him, much to his delight. But the excitement and exertion, coupled with the harsh treatment, have been too much for the enfeebled old man’s heart and he suddenly sinks back in his chair and his spirit goes to join his daughter. Nell rushes downstairs and informs her father and stepmother of the sad occurrence, and they hastily run upstairs and behold the terrible result of their heartlessness. And then the new wife suffers the pangs of remorse, while the husband sees her at last in her true colors. The next day, poor little Nell sorrowfully returns the tobacco to the grocer, ‘’Cause Grandpa’ll need it no more.’ Later, she is seen plucking flowers and decorating his grave, while she meditates upon what she will do to her father when he grows old and feeble.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 7 January 1911, page ?] A touching picture representing the love which existed between an old man and his granddaughter, the death of his daughter, the coming of another wife, and her heartlessness to the old man, which resulted in his death, and the loyalty of the granddaughter. The little one’s loyalty in securing his pipe and tobacco after the step-mother had thrown it out the window is a tender bit of acting. Then comes the cruel banishment to the attic, and the little one’s using her hoard of pennies to buy more tobacco, only to find that her grandpa was dead. The last scene, where she is placing flowers on his grave, will arouse the emotions very strongly so pathetic and natural it is. The film is all good, with sufficient pathos to make an unusual heart interest.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Tobacco
Listing updated: 7 August 2023.
References: Fell-History p. 109; Ramsaye-Million p. ? : Website-AFI.
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