The Salvation of Nance O'Shaughnessy (1914)
Left an orphan as she is just emerging from her teens, Nance O'Shaughnessy finds herself quite unprotected in the slums of Greater New York. She goes to work to earn an honest living, but soon attracts the attention of one of those human hawks that ever hover over innocence, in the person of Pat McGuire, a smug spieler of a cheap dancing academy. The so-called "dancing academy" is probably one of the worst vice-breathers masquerading under the form of amusement, that has ever been created. The girls in the laundry where Nance works frequent McGuire's with their "steadies," and induce the new girl to join them. Nance does not care for the man himself, but she is crazy over the dancing and the only liberty that comes into her circumscribed life seems to be in the waltz when McGuire places his arms about her and swings her cleverly about the floor to the rhythmic move of the music. Presently drinks begin to follow the dance and lead poor Nance up to the brink where darkness lurks in the depths. The second reel shows a new masculine influence coming into Nance's life that is the wholesome antithesis to the sodden spieler. Sandy McCarthy is a husky, honest, fresh-blooded lad from the country, who comes to the city to make his way, and occasionally drops into the dance hall to pass away the loneliness of evenings. There he meets Nance, and the Celtic instincts of the two draw the pair together, but the moment the spieler comes around, his spell seems to reassert itself over the girl. Sandy sees the danger and induces the girl to visit the neighboring country on Sundays and shows her some of the beauties outside of the murky depths of the canyoned streets of the big, noisy, feverish city. A contrasting feature of this triangle is brought about by Mame Ryan, whose only solace in life is her brave little boy Dicky, as she lives in a wretched tenement with a sodden sort of a husband. Mame, having no affection or joy at home, naturally seeks it in other places, and is enamored of the spieler McGuire. That unworthy, however, quickly wearies of her attentions, and after giving her a few drinks, when she calls, casts her aside. Mame has become what is technically known as a "souse." She has a bottle constantly at home to which she returns when her boy cannot steal it and put it away. Even with his childish hands clinging to her, she races off to the dance hall. Then, if she is away from home after a certain hour, little Dicky runs up to the dance hall to pull her back without letting Ryan know where he has gone. The poor boy knows that his mother's absence is a sign that she is too tipsy to come home promptly. One night, Mame desperate in drink and green-eyed with despair throws her arms about McGuire when he is crossing the floor with Nance, and begs him to come back to her. He fells her with a brutal blow. Dicky appears at this moment for his mother, and he gets a slap that sends him down. This opens Nance's eyes, and she at last sees the brutal McGuire in his true light. Sandy strides into the crowd and when Mame has been helped to her feet, McGuire steps forward menacingly. Incidentally Sandy hands him a left on the jaw which sends him down for the count as the parties leave the dance hall. Sandy takes Nance out to the park overlooking the harbor where the night wind blows cool from over the Bay, that she may recover herself. Poor Mame demoralized, breaks away from Dicky in the street, and runs down the wharf to end her miserable life in the welcome waters of the harbor. Sandy and Nance see her and drag her back from the brink. At this moment little Dicky runs into the scene, and the light that has come into the younger lives seems to touch the sodden soul of the elder woman, and mother-love promises to regenerate. The last scene is the reconciliation with her rough, old husband, who promises to treat her better, which peace compact is accomplished through the young lovers, Nance and Sandy, who have seen the better way themselves.
All Releases
Domestic
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International
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Colin Campbell | Director |
| Colin Campbell | Writer |
| Honore Morrow | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Bessie Eyton | |
| Joe King | |
| Wheeler Oakman | |
| Eugenie Besserer |
