Good Resolutions (1914)
Captain Ellsmere, of the Twenty-First Lancers receives a Victoria Cross for bravery in action, but the same recklessness that prompted deeds of valor led him to be reckless in other ways, and his escapades soon become a byword and reproach in army circles, so that he is forced to resign. He goes away into the Canadian Northwest. Happily he harms no one but himself, but drops lower and lower in the social scale as a habitué of low saloons. However, one day in a restaurant his manhood flares up when a gambler insults a waitress. He forces the gambler to apologize, makes an enemy of him and makes a stanch friend of the little girl. In the altercation the Victoria Cross is dropped and the waitress, Mary Loveridge, picks it up and afterward learns his identity. Later, through her good offices, when he is not himself, she saves him from probable death at the hands of a number of his dance-hall acquaintances. Finally she prevails upon him to stop drinking, induces him to turn over a new leaf, and he goes to look for work. On the way he stops a runaway team and rescues the daughter of a rich mine owner. When he drives Jack to the mine he receives the thanks of her father, and is given a position, which he fills to the satisfaction of his employer. A sensational episode follows when the girl, Ruth Graham, decides to go down in the mines, but she is subsequently forced to change her plans, as the cage is loaded with explosives. The girl, having given up one thing, finds another thing to do, and goes out shooting coyotes. In the interim, a fire breaks out in the mine and all is excitement above ground, as the owner thinks his beloved daughter is down in the burning shaft. The cage is blown up by the explosive, and the entire working superstructure of the mine is shattered. Dick had early rushed to the rescue and gone down the burning shaft. He is tossed back to earth again by the force of the explosion and Ruth returns to discover that he has once more risked his life to save her. The little waitress, in the meantime, has seen a cable message in a local paper to the effect that Dick's father has died and he is now the possessor of a title, and a search is being made to ascertain his whereabouts. Dick has been cared for at the home of the mine owner most solicitously by the wealthy girl, who has formed an affection for him. However, when Mary Loveridge, the little waitress, comes with the news, he rallies and recognizes her. It was she who regenerated him and it is she who is the woman of his heart. He proposes to her instantly, but she gently waves him away, as her heart was given to another. In fact, she is a married woman, working to defray the expense of an invalid husband, who has recovered, and she now leaves the west to join him. Her influence on Dick's life is lasting; his old friends try to win him back, but he has forsworn whiskey and its accompaniments and he feels himself worthy to once again wear the Victoria Cross.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| William Duncan | Director |
| William Duncan | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| William Duncan | |
| Myrtle Stedman | |
| Florence Dye | |
| Marshall Stedman |
