The Call of the City (1915)
Bessie Graham has been a sort of maid-of-all-work in her mother's boarding-house for years. Determined to make a change, she tells her mother that she is striking out for herself and heading to the city to look for a job. When she gets to the city she rents a cheap room and starts to hunt for work. At two or three different places she is told that only trained assistants are required. Coming out of an office building where she has met with another refusal, she starts down the street, almost in tears. A flashily-dressed woman of the underworld sees her, as does her male companion. The woman approaches Bessie and tells her that if she's in trouble, she might be able to help her, and Bessie is glad. The man trails along behind, then suddenly approaches them and speaks; the woman introduces him to Bessie as her husband. Together the three continue down the street. Turning a corner, they run into a tough-looking customer who, the moment he sees the woman's "husband," halts the party and starts hurling epithets at him. When the man gets back at him, the tough lands a stinging blow to his face and declares that this is one time that his game of trapping young girls will be thwarted. A furious struggle commences, while the woman quickly bolts from the scene. Bessie stands there paralyzed with fear as both men draw revolvers. A moment later a shot is fired and the tough turns and flees down the street. leaving the other man dead at Bessie's feet. In an upper room of the of the building in front of which all this has taken place, young newspaperman Jim Ross is hard at work when he hears the shot and rushes downstairs. Taking hold of Bessie's hand, he pulls her into the hallway, closing and locking the door. A moment later, two policemen dash around the corner. The janitor tells the cops that a girl was with the murdered man when the fight started. The cops have the body removed and one of them remains on guard, waiting for a chance to get into the house, they having discovered that the door is locked. At last, Jim tells Bessie that the policeman will probably stay on guard all night, and offers to let her sleep in his room. She trusts him instinctively and accepts the offer. The next morning the police, armed with a search warrant, come to his room, accompanied by the janitor. As they knock on the door, Jim tells Bessie that she had better pretend to be his wife. When the police enter, Jim tells them that Bessie is his wife, and that they know nothing of the murder. The janitor, "getting wise," does not give Jim away, and after the police have gone satisfied with their investigation. Jim tells Bessie that he wishes, now that she has posed as his wife, that she would make it come true. And Bessie does.
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| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Harry Beaumont | Director |
| Mark Swan | Writer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Bessie Learn | |
| Margery Bonney Erskine | |
| Robert Walker | |
| Marjorie Ellison |
