If I Were Young Again (1914)
Aged Jonathan Wise is head curator of the Department of Anthropology in the great museum at X. - He has a considerable fortune saved in the bank, and when Director Henshaw, head of the institution, jokingly shows him an advertisement of a brokerage firm which claims to make investors wealthy, the aged Curator shakes his head and replies, that if he were young again he would venture his savings in such an enterprise. The day following a shipment containing a mummy arrives from Egypt to the museum, and while examining this new addition to his treasures. Professor Wise discovers among the bandages a vial containing a liquid, and on the vial is an inscription in ancient characters which the Professor quickly translates, reading as follows: "One drop with each new moon brings back youth." Professor Wise secretes the vial on his person and takes it to his room. He pours a few drops on a withered plant which reposes in his window seat and is astounded to witness the immediate rejuvenation of the plant. The next day he goes to the bank, draws out his accumulated savings and that night, seeing that the moon is still new. He swallows a few drops of the magic liquid. A glance at the mirror shows him revealed again as a young man. Then the various problems in connection with his sudden change of appearance present themselves. Not wishing to explain to his landlady his sudden change from old age to youth he packs some necessary articles in his valise, and stealing silently to the door, rings the bell, and upon the appearance of the landlady, announces himself in search of lodgings. The landlady shows him to a room across the hall from his own room. He visits the promoters of the Mexican oil stocks which he has seen advertised and unhesitatingly turns over all his available cash in exchange for beautifully printed stock certificates. He finds much enjoyment in visiting various places of public interest where he comes among acquaintances, who however do not realize that the sprightly looking young man in their immediate vicinity is good old Professor Wise. Director Henshaw of the museum is much perturbed in spirit by the sudden and unaccountable disappearance of the Curator. He notifies the police and an article is printed in the newspapers, giving a few known facts in connection with his mysterious disappearance. Professor Wise reads the newspaper article and chuckles over the mystery which his transformation has occasioned. In his own room upon glancing through the columns of the newspaper which tells the story of his disappearance, he is horrified and shocked to read an account of the swindling operations of the promoters who sold to him shares in the alleged Mexican oil wells. His fortune is gone and he finds is necessary to begin at once to recuperate his losses by obtaining employment. He answers advertisements in the newspapers, but is rejected in one instance because of his apparent youth, and another advertiser declares that he wants only stylish young men, glancing disapprovingly at the well-made but old-fashioned garments worn by the transformed professor. Finally, after many fruitless endeavors, he obtains employment in the museum as a clerk in the department built up and conducted by himself. The salary, however, is but a small part of that which he received as Curator. Wishing to obtain some necessary articles from his own room, he enters the chamber surreptitiously and the landlady catches him, as she thinks, intruding upon the premises of the absent lodger. She demands the reason for his intrusion, and he finally confesses to her that he is none other than the late Professor Wise, who has been transformed by a magic liquor from an old man to his present appearance. She is astounded, but withal delighted. The landlady has recently come into an extensive fortune and has expressed a wish that she might become younger in order to enjoy the benefits of unlimited money. The professor has discouraged her, but when he exhibits the mysterious vial and explains to her that it contains additional quantities of the magic fluid, she frantically begs him to permit her to taste the contents and become youthful again. The experiences of Professor Wise in his transformed condition have been so fruitless and so bitter that he counsels her earnestly to refrain from making such an experiment. She insists and he finds it necessary to eject her from the room. He believes that no good can come from the continued existence of the contents of the magic vial. So he pours the remainder of the contents into an open dish and sets fire to the liquid. It burns for a few seconds while the pungent fumes pervade the atmosphere. He is overcome and falls into an easy chair. Upon awakening he finds himself returned to his previous condition. The landlady is overjoyed to find him again in his natural stage of life. He returns to the museum and takes up again his work as Curator after astonishing the director beyond words by his brief explanation. He states that he has been on a long journey in which he lost everything and gained nothing. The landlady gives him her hand in marriage and he thereby recuperates his lost fortune.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Francis J. Grandon | Director |
| Gilson Willets | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Charles Wheelock | |
| Lafe McKee | |
| Lillian Hayward | |
| Edith Johnson |
