The Weakling (1916)
Away back in their childhood days, the Weakling had been domineered by another boy whom he always thought of as the Bully. During play hours the Weakling was continually tormented by the other boy, and grew up in abject fear of him. Even when they were men out in the world this state of affairs continued. In an effort to escape from his evil menaces, the Weakling moved into another section. Soon after he located there, "The Girl" came into his life. At that period she was a very little girl, indeed, a mere child, and the Weakling met her when her doll had fallen into the water and was in danger of being drowned. For the child's sake, the Weakling jumped into the water and rescued the doll. The little girl grew to be a beautiful young woman, and the Weakling was in love with her but afraid to tell it. Then his evil genius, the Bully, appeared. Fate had led him to the quiet little village, and Fate brought about his becoming a lodger with the girl's mother. The Bully was much taken with the young woman, and this feeling was intensified when he discovered the Weakling and learned his secret. He told the Weakling that the girl had made quite an impression on him, and then for the first time in his life the Weakling showed some spirit. He denounced the Bully, and declared he would tell the girl that he was a married man, but the Bully threatened him with death if he didn't keep his mouth shut. The Bully told the girl that the other man was a fugitive from justice and feared arrest. She begged him not to expose the Weakling, to which he replied, "Of course, if you were my wife, your friends would have nothing to fear from me," and believing the Weakling was in danger of a prison sentence, the girl agreed to elope with the other man. That night the Bully drove up to the house prepared to take the girl away, but just in his moment of triumph he was unexpectedly balked. The Weakling came back, but this time he was a different man. As he advanced toward the Bully, the latter told him to go away, and then pulled his revolver, but the Weakling simply said, "You have bullied me all my life, but now the honor of the woman I love is at stake." For a few seconds the Bully held the gun trained upon his antagonist ready to fire, but as the other showed no fear, the gun wavered more and more, for the Bully was really not brave and he did not dare to carry out the threats he had made. The Weakling came to his side, took the revolver from his hand, and sternly ordered him to leave that section of the country forever, and the Bully obeyed. From an upper window the girl had noticed all that had gone on, and she came down to the man she loved just as he was slowly walking away. She complimented him on his courage, but then as the thought of the other man's threats came back to her, she paled with fright. "But your past; that man will have you arrested," she gasped. The Weakling laughed and comforted her. He told her the other man knew nothing against him, nothing for which he could be punished. Then he took her into his arms and caressed her.
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Domestic
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Lloyd Lonergan | Writer |
| Edwin Thanhouser | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Harris Gordon | |
| Barbara Gilroy | |
| Louise Bates | |
| Thomas A. Curran |
