Photo courtesy of Allison Shealy

BACK TO LIFE

Released 11/24/13 by Universal/Victor; Director: Allan Dwan; Screenplay: M. de la Parelle; 2 reels

CAST: Pauline Bush (The Gambler's wife), William Worthington (The Gambler), Jessalyn Van Trump (The Charmer), Lon Chaney (The Rival), Jack Warren Kerrigan (Jim)

SYNOPSIS: A gambler has brought his sick wife to the mountains where a doctor informs him that she has tuberculosis and will need special care to recover. The gambler soon tires of the dreary life of caring for his wife and he finds comfort in the smiles of one of the charmers at a local saloon. Nearby, a local bad man, Jim, is being chased by a posse and escapes into the mountains. The gambler's wife has discovered her husband's infidelity and wanders off into the hills to die. There she finds Jim, weak from loss of blood, and she nurses him back to health. Jim, in turn, takes her to an old couple in the hills who take care of her until her health returns. The wife soon feels that she can regain the love of her husband, but while returning home, she finds her husband dead, having been shot after a saloon brawl. She returns to Jim and they find happiness together.

"Warren Kerrigan, as a redeemed bad man in this admirable picture, presents a likable character...The story is well dramatized, the action is spirited and the whole gets over in good shape." --Moving Picture World

NOTES: BACK TO LIFE was the first of over a dozen films that Chaney would work on with director Dwan.


© 1996,2013 Jon C. Mirsalis


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