The Parasite (1913)
Howard Lynn and his wife, Lottie, are typical parasites and blackmailers. They select as their next victim John Wellington, a rich society man, who is about to announce his engagement to Florence Randall. Lottie meets John and plays her cards so well that he is soon deeply infatuated with her and his engagement to Miss Randall is broken. The innocence, culture and wealth that the other woman so well simulates has its rapid effect upon John and he begs her to marry him. After a consultation with her husband she agrees upon condition that they live as husband and wife in name only. Wellington, sure that he can eventually make her love him, agrees and they go through a mock marriage, in which Howard officiates. After the marriage Lottie starts in to gradually and effectively fleece Wellington, the money thus secured going to Howard. Later Howard insists that she is not getting enough money from Wellington and at the same time Wellington tells her it is time they settle down and have a family. Her conscience, stifled up to now, gets the better of her and she leaves Wellington and goes back to Howard. A letter of farewell and her hat and cloak found by the riverside convince Wellington that Lottie has committed suicide. Howard realizes Lottie is in love with Wellington and does his best to conquer her feeling, but to little avail. Wellington, in his sorrow, turns to Miss Randall for sympathy and later marries her. Lottie and Howard go from bad to worse until eventually they quarrel and Howard in the ensuing struggle plunges down the stairs of their home to his death. After Lottie comes out of the hospital the doctor tells her that to touch whiskey again will mean her death. Thinking only of Wellington and not knowing of his subsequent marriage she goes to his home. The meeting is a painful one and Wellington to show her the enormity of his trouble lets her look in upon his wife's bedroom, where she lies asleep with a baby in her arms. Lottie is overcome with emotion and knowing full well the penalty she will have to pay accepts the glass of whiskey from John's hands to steady her. Back at the hospital she writes him a full confession, and, half crazed with the situation confronting him, John phones the hospital to learn definitely that not only was he never married to Lottie, but that she la now at peace.
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Domestic
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Arthur V. Johnson | Director |
| George Terwilliger | Writer |
| Siegmund Lubin | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Arthur V. Johnson | |
| Florence Hackett | |
| Howard M. Mitchell | |
| Lottie Briscoe |
