Produced by Irving Cummings; Released 8/27/22 by Western Pictures Exploitation Company; Director: Irving Cummings; Screenplay: not credited, from a story by Louis Duryea Lighton; 6 reels (5300'); Print Source: George Eastman House
CAST: Lon Chaney (David Webster), DeWitt Jennings (Detective Doyle), Noah Beery (Li Fang), Ralph Lewis (Fletcher Burton), Jack Mulhall (Ted Burton), Edith Roberts (The Angel Lady), Togo Yamamoto (The Prince), Kate Price (The Landlady), Wilfred Lucas (The Policeman)
SYNOPSIS: David Webster escapes from prison after 15 years, having been framed by Fletcher Burton, a prominent businessman. He hides out with Li Fang, a Chinese politician and former friend of Webster's. In order to move about the city undetected, he disguises himself as a cripple, dragging himself about on a pair of crutches. At a local mission, he meets his daughter, a young girl known as "The Angel Lady" because of her many kindly deeds and good works. She befriends the cripple, unaware of his identity, and the two play songs together, he on violin and the girl on piano. Detective Doyle is determined to capture Webster and, learning that Li Fang knows his whereabouts, gives the Chinaman the third degree until he reveals his identity. Webster breaks in on Burton and forces him into signing a confession stating that he framed Webster; however, his victory is a hollow one, as he learns that his daughter plans to marry Ted Burton, the son of the elder Burton. Realizing that the imprisonment of Burton would ruin the son and destroy his daughter's happiness, Webster destroys Burton's confession and returns to prison.
"Lon Chaney's enviable reputation as an actor will probably be strong enough to pull 'em in to see this picture, but it is likely that many persons will consider that the story does not fill the requirements for so capable a player. In this particular play Chaney does everything that is required of him--and does it well, as do also the others of the cast--but there is not quite enough action to make the production noteworthy." ---Moving Picture World
NOTES: A brief sequence in the middle of the picture has Li Fang relating a tale of philosophy shown with color tints. This section of the picture does not survive in extant prints. The popular song, "Just a Song at Twilight" is featured in the film, and was usually performed by the accompanists as the main musical theme for the film.
The film was also known as FIRES OF VENGEANCE. Either by an oversight or a record- keeping error, it appears that the film was never copyrighted.
© 1997,2008 Jon C. Mirsalis
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