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The Mascot
(1914) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Eddie Dillon (Edward Dillon)
Cast: Tod Browning [Tom Gaylord], Fay Tincher [Fay], Max Davidson [Fay’s father]
Komic Company production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation. / [?] From a screen story by Russell E. Smith? / Released 6 September 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [Reel Life, 15 August 1914, page ?] Tom Gaylord, suitor for Fay’s hand, is repulsed by her father because he has no money. Soon after a traveler comes to town with a Hindu image, a mascot of the gods. He is trailed by two Hindu priests who are sworn to hill the person who has stolen the precious idol. Closely pursued, the traveler throws the image in Fay’s father’s window, who, being a collector of antiques, is delighted with his windfall. But later, when he finds that the priests are seeking to kill the possessor of the mascot, he is terrified. After trying vainly to get the image off on numerous persons, he is glad to let a mysterious Hindu take it off his hands in return for a considerable sum of money and the promise of his daughter in marriage. When the “Hindu” removes his disguise, the father finds that Tom Gaylord has made capital of the mascot scare. / [From Moving Picture World] The suitor for Fay’s hand runs up against her father, who refuses his attentions to his daughter because he is lacking in this world’s goods, and the suitor goes away discouraged. Soon after, a traveler comes to town with a Hindu image he has stolen in India, a Mascot of the Gods, and trailed by two Hindu priests who have sworn to kill the person they find with it in their possession. Closely pursued by the Hindus, the traveler in passing Fay’s home, hastily throws it in the open window, hitting the father, who thinks his daughter gave it to him in that unceremonious manner. Being a nut collector of antiques and things, the old man is delighted with it. Later, however, he reads in a paper that the Hindus have threatened death to the possessor of the Mascot of their Gods and the father is scared stiff. The police have been offered a large reward for the return by the Hindus, who have left town, but when the collector offers the Mascot they refuse to have anything to do with it, scared of their lives. The collector then has all sorts of hard luck trying to get rid of the Mascot, but with no luck at all. The suitor finally reads of the death threat and with a pal, and in the confidence of Fay. he dresses up as a Hindu and with his pal call on the father and offer to return the Mascot for a consideration, a sum of money and Fay’s hand, and father is obliged to consent. The real Hindus return and the suitor runs into them and is forced to disgorge the Mascot and the money, but as he has the girl he is content.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 12 September 1914, page ?] This is an amusing comedy number, in which a robber throws a Hindu statuette into the girl’s home. The father thinks it will prove lucky, but nothing but hard luck follows its appearance. The lover impersonates a Hindu and terrifies the father into giving up the girl and $5,000. Later the real Hindus appear. There is considerable amusement in this film.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 28 October 2022.
References: Skal-Browning p. 244 : Website-IMDb.
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