The Skull and the Crown (1914)
Dr. Loring is the jovial head of an insane asylum. His particular friend, Jack, calls one day to present a curiosity in the form of a peculiarly-shaped skull. Jack takes a stroll through the corridors, and during his absence Betty, the doctor's niece, enters the office. Betty has secured the regal robes of a queen to wear at a masquerade. With natural curiosity she notes the skull on the doctor's table and asks about it. The doctor, being in a jovial mood, and feeling free to play a joke on his friend, tells Betty that the skull belongs to one of the inmates, who fancies himself to be Hamlet. When Betty leaves the office, she forgets her crown, so when Jack returns, he asks the doctor who owns the ornament. The doctor sees an opportunity for furthering the jest, so he informs Jack that the crown belongs to a patient who fancies herself to be the Queen of Navarre. Jack feels sorry for the poor girl and suggests that he would like to meet her, unless she is too insane. The doctor falls into the plan very nicely and later, when Betty comes back in search of her crown, she expresses the desire to see the poor young man who fancies he is Hamlet. The wily doctor arranges a meeting in the reception room, and each one endeavors to play the assigned part with due fidelity because the doctor explained that either one would become violent if it were apparent that the other might be pretending. The scene in the reception room is a particularly ludicrous one. "Hamlet" plays his part with a full measure of insanity injected, and the force of the scene frightens the bogus queen, who flees in dismay. On the following day Jack and Betty meet on the public street. Each believes the other to have escaped from the asylum, and following the doctor's instructions, each plays the part assigned. The police arrest them, and they are taken to the station. The desk sergeant telephones the asylum for the padded wagon, in which they ride in consternation in to the presence of Dr. Loring, who explains the joke with great gusto, but to their comical dismay.
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Domestic
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GenresDrama
Short
Western
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| E.A. Martin | Director |
| James Oliver Curwood | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| William Stowell | |
| Adele Lane | |
| Edwin Wallock | |
| Joseph Hazelton |
