The Hermit of Bird Island (1915)
The young Earl of Betzwood is forced, because of an injured arm, to give up racing his famous speed boat in the races of the next day. His fiancée, Viola Van Tassell, an American girl, insists that someone else must take charge of the boat and win the cup. The Earl demurs, but is overruled, and Viola goes away by herself to think it over. By accident she wanders into the fishing village and there becomes interested in Dave Hallow, a young fisherman, who, though he owns a high-power fishing boat, has greater aspirations and longs to be the possessor of a real racing craft. Viola leads him on and Dave, who has never before known a woman of the upper classes, becomes infatuated and promises to race the boat and win for her. Fully believing in her intimations, Dave starts out in the race while Viola flies over his head in an aeroplane shouting down encouragements. Dave wins the race only to discover that the girl of his dreams is in love with and engaged to the young Earl. That she could care for a young fop like the Earl in preference to a real man like himself deeply hurts and angers Dave. His first impulse is to thrash the Earl, but the hurt being deeper than his anger he leaves them and, in a fit of depression resolves to swim out to sea, becoming exhausted, end it all. Out at sea the shock of the cold water brings Dave to his senses and he resolves to live. He floats and swims with the tide until washed up on a lonely island far from the coast. Soon afterward Viola's country cousin, Agnes Carroll, comes to visit but finds herself miserable with her snobbish cousin's friends. The young Earl takes a fancy to her and by paying the difference himself enables Agnes to buy an expensive wardrobe with her small savings. Viola accuses Agnes of trying to steal the Earl from her and she learns the trick the Earl played on her and realizes his reasons. She runs away and rows out to sea, loses her oars and later drifts upon the same island. Dave rescues her, remembers his vow, and thinking her a shallow society girl like the others, leaves her at his palmetto hut. For days and weeks thereafter he watches over her and brings her fruit and fish. She constantly and in the most vigorous ways tries to find him but he always eludes her. Finally the Earl's yacht, being in the vicinity of the island, he leaves his party to explore it. Agnes sees and runs to meet him. He tries to take advantage of her being alone, but Dave, seeing it all from afar, comes to rescue and gives the Earl a thrashing. Then, unable to keep his secret longer, Dave bursts out his love to Agnes. She almost gives in to his pleading, then pushes him away and sends a note to Viola by the Earl telling her to bring a minister back with them that evening and if her fisherman lover proved a real man during the day's test she would marry him. Dave proves his manhood and when the party arrives late they are married and stay on the island for their honeymoon.
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Domestic
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| George Terwilliger | Director |
| Siegmund Lubin | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Earl Metcalfe | |
| Mary Keane | |
| Kempton Greene | |
| Hazel Hubbard |
