William J. Butler

During the Civil War a young soldier loses his nerve in battle and runs away to his home to hide; his sister puts on his uniform, takes her brother's place in the battle, and is killed. Their mother, not wanting the shameful truth to become known, closes all the shutters (hence the film's title) and keeps her son's presence a secret for many years, though two boyhood chums stumble upon the truth... (imdb)

In this movie suggested by Poe's "A Cask of Amontillado", The king constructs a cozy, windowless love-nest for himself and his concubine. However, she is not faithful to her sovereign, but consorts with the court troubadour. In fact, they use the king's new play chamber for their own lovecraft. When the king discovers this, he sends for his masons. With the faithless duo still inside, the masons use stone and mortar to quietly seal the only door to the vault... (imdb)

The manicure lady spurns the barber and dates a rich cad instead. (imdb)

Mike breaks into an apartment to steal an old man's money, not realizing it's his girlfriend's father. When he discovers whose apartment it is, he begs her for forgiveness. (imdb)

The children set a trap for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, knowing he has to come through the window because their estate has no chimney. Their father, who abandoned them and his wife before she inherited her fortune, plans to burglarize that very house, unaware of the occupants or the trap. (imdb)

A lonely young woman lives with her strict father who forbids her to wear make-up. One day at an ice cream social, she meets a young man you seems interested in her. However, unknown to her, he is a burglar who is only interested in breaking into her father's house. One night she is awakened by a noise. Grabbing a pistol, she enters her father's downstairs office where she confronts a masked intruder . . . (imdb)

During the American Revolution, a young soldier carrying a crucial message to General Washington is spotted and pursued by a group of enemy soldiers. He takes refuge with a civilian family, but is soon detected. The family and their neighbors must then make plans to see that the important message gets through after all. (imdb)

A country girl is persuaded to elope with the minister's nephew but she discovers that he is worthless. After he is killed in a brawl, her former sweetheart takes her back to her home. (BFI)

After the Civil War, an ex-soldier and his family settle in the Dakota Territory. The son quarrels with the father and leaves home. Riding in the hills, he spots a band of Indians attacking a neighboring homestead, and he races back to warn his family as the Indians chase him. (imdb)

Based on Shakespeare's play: Petruchio courts the bad-tempered Katharina, and tries to change her aggressive behavior. (imdb)

A Greek woman marries a struggling sculptor. When he can't support her and their baby, she offers to sell herself as a slave to allow them to buy food. (imdb)

Two lovers elope and expect to be pursued by her father. But the clever father has tricked them into running off, and celebrates their wedding when they return home. (imdb)

Mr. Jones stays out late playing poker with his buddies. While he's gone, a burglar starts to break into his home. Mr. Jones arrives home just in time to catch him. Instead of calling for the police, he restages the capture in an overdramatic fashion and makes sure his wife sees it. She is so grateful she forgets to be mad at him for staying out so late. (imdb)

Elizabeth is in love with a young man, but she is pressured by her mother to marry a wealthy but kind older man. After the marriage, her suitor still pursues her. Her husband finds them together and gives them his blessing. Soon Elizabeth learns her lover is not the man she thought he was and longs for her kindly older husband. (imdb)

Adele is in love with a rich Wall Street trader, but he treats her indifferently. With the help of another suitor, she plots to ruin him financially. (imdb)

Harry leaves his new wife at home while he goes out to play poker. Angry, his wife fakes evidence that she has had a male caller while he was gone. (imdb)

A woman in love with an unsuccessful author tries to convince a publisher to accept his work. (imdb)

Brothers George and Robert enlist on opposite sides in the Civil War. Robert is captured as a spy for the South, but escapes and hides in his parents' house. George leads the search party, but doesn't reveal his brother's hiding place, and Robert escapes. After the war, George is a hero and Robert is down on his luck. George cautiously welcomes him back into the family home. (imdb)

Harry, preparing to leave on a business trip, tells Bessie that her photograph will always be with him. To test his sincerity she removes the photo from his bill case, and when he writes her that he is looking at her picture, she writes back that she knows otherwise. Realizing that he has been found out, Harry obtains his mother's photograph of Bessie, and upon his return home convinces her that he had it all along. (imdb)

Marie has two suitors. She accepts Victor and rejects Tony, who stabs Victor in a fit of jealousy. When he learns that Victor is still alive, he breaks into the room in Marie's house where Victor is convalescing and attacks him again. He is threatening to attack Marie when lawmen burst in and arrest him. (imdb)

During the Civil War, a father living in a border state leaves to join the Union Army. After he leaves, Confederate troops forage on his property, where a soldier encounters one of his daughters. The father himself is wounded on a hazardous mission and must run for his life, pursued by Confederate soldiers. (imdb)

Peggy is a high-spirited young woman from a poor family. One day she catches the eye of a wealthy lord, who proposes marriage and wants to introduce her into his social circle. But complications arise when the lord's nephew also becomes attracted to Peggy. (imdb)

An elderly carpenter is told by a doctor that his wife is seriously ill. Soon afterwards, an insensitive shop foreman lays him off from his job because of his age. Unable to find work, and with his wife's condition getting worse, he soon becomes desperate. (imdb)

A crippled girl marries a fisherman, who also has eyes for the town flirt. (imdb)

As they have breakfast in their hunting lodge Howard jokingly tells his wife to improve her coffee or he'll shoot her. Later she meets him as he's out hunting and is accidentally shot and killed by another hunter. Because the maid overheard his joke at breakfast Howard is arrested for her murder. (imdb)

Jose becomes engaged to Pepita, but still has eyes for Mariana. He runs off with Mariana, but he is accidentally blinded, and she deserts him. Pepita discovers him wandering blindly, and forgives him. (imdb)

A rancher's daughter runs away and hides in the barn, where she falls asleep. A workman throws away a cigarette and the barn catches fire. A ranch hand sees the hay starting to burn but, angry that he's just been fired, decides to do nothing. He overhears the rancher calling for his missing daughter... (imdb)

Bill hits a rich gold strike and sends for his wife, Edith, to join him. While traveling on the stage, Edith meets and flirts with Jack, an old friend of Bill's. Once they arrive at the mining camp, Edith and Jack continue meeting secretly, and plan to run off together. Bill confides in Jack, wondering why Edith has become cold to him. Jack realizes that Bill's love for Edith is more worthy than his, and he leaves the camp. (imdb)

Marta asks her husband Jose to buy her a new dress she saw at the market. On his way home, he goes with a friend to a saloon and drunkenly gives the dress to a barmaid. At home Jose tells his wife he lost the dress. She retraces his steps and finds the barmaid modeling her new dress. Faced with the truth, she goes mad. (imdb)

A gypsy woman must take revenge on her lover after he kills her brother. (imdb)

Annie remains faithful to her husband, Enoch, even though he's been lost at sea for many years. Finally her grown children convince her to marry Philip, her former suitor. Enoch is rescued from the deserted isle where he has been stranded, and returns home. He discovers Annie's new life, and decides not to interrupt her happiness. (imdb)

Bobby's girlfriend thinks he's a coward when he refuses to fight a gang of toughs after they insult him. But when the gang breaks into his apartment, he fights them off, and wins his girlfriend's respect again. (imdb)

A farmer takes in a young orphan after her mother's death and sends her off to school. After she's grown, he encourages her to consider his younger brother as a husband. When the younger brother proves to be a coward, she chooses the older brother instead. (imdb)

A poor girl is secretly in love with a wealthy young planter. During the Civil War she helps him escape capture by Union soldiers. After the war, with his fortune gone, she confesses that she loves him. (imdb)

Wild Flower follows her banished lover, Gray Fox, into the wilderness. Her departure is witnessed by Silver Fawn, who mistakenly thinks Wild Flower is stealing her fiancé. Silver Fawn sets out in pursuit and jealously attacks Wild Flower. They fall into the river but are rescued by Gray Fox. (imdb)

Dan has returned from the university weak and lazy. His father wants to toughen him up so he hires a tramp to pick a fight. This doesn't work, but when the tramp starts paying attention to a young heiress, Dan resolves to toughen up and win the heiress for himself. (imdb)

An attractive young woman is ashamed of her shabbily-dressed mother, and won't introduce her to her suitor. Distraught, the mother wanders into the street and is killed. Too late, the daughter realizes how badly she treated her. (imdb)

A young woman becomes infatuated with the leading man of a traveling theatrical troupe. She sneaks away to join him in the next town, but her father forces her to return home... (imdb)

Thieves decide to steal the money an old miser has hidden away. He refuses to open the safe for them, so they threaten to kill a girl who lives in his building. (imdb)

An aristocrat is delighted when a nobleman asks for his sister's hand in marriage. But delight turns to shock when he discovers that the engaged couple are already lovers. He kills the nobleman in a duel, watches his sister die of grief, and then poisons himself. (imdb)

While their mother is away from home, Billy and his sister are set upon by marauding Indians, who trap them in their cabin. Billy rigs a keg of gunpowder and tricks the Indians into entering the cabin, while he and his sister escape. (imdb)

A poor young man is seriously ill, but his rich employer won't help him. Instead he spends a fortune on a pearl necklace for his wife. The poor man recovers with the help of his kindly neighbors while the rich man's wife becomes sick and dies, with the useless necklace by her side. (imdb)

A rich man's daughter marries against his will, and is disinherited. A manipulative attorney contrives to keep the rich man poisoned against his daughter in order to make himself heir. (imdb)

Two business partners pursue the same woman. She accepts the marriage proposal of the irresponsible partner, much to her later regret. He squanders money on gambling, as his interest in her gradually wanes. One day after losing the company money in a card game, he decides to commit suicide. He telephones his wife from the office, as he puts a revolver near his head. The wife tries to keep him talking while the reliable business partner races to the office in an attempt to save his old friend. (imdb)

A primitive tribe are attacked by apemen and menaced by various prehistoric monsters. (imdb)

Mr. Wilkens gets drunk at his club one night and has to rely on the other clubmen to carry him home. In order to cure his drinking, Mrs. Wilkens and the clubmen conspire to play a trick on him. They enlist the aid of a young lady who writes to Mr. Wilkens accepting his marriage proposal of the night before. Mr. Wilkens tries frantically to keep his wife from finding out what he supposedly did. (imdb)

A wife is waiting for her fun-loving husband to return from a club masquerade. The husband returns home with two companions who set up a diversion to transform the wife's wrath into compassion. She becomes aware of the joke and, rolling pin in hand, suggests that the friends leave her alone with her husband. (imdb)

Two vagabonds read about a visit from an aristocrat, and one tries to pass himself off as the aristocrat after his buddy steals him a suit.

A Mack Sennett comedy from the time he worked for Biograph starring Fred Mace & Fred Mace. (imdb)

A Mack Sennett comedy from the time he worked for Biograph starring Mabel Normand & Fred Mace. (imdb)

Alice has two persistent suitors, one rich, one poor. Each buys her an engagement ring; the rich man pays cash, but the poor man must pay on installments. He has trouble making the payments, but then he's injured in an auto accident and the settlement allows him to pay off the ring and propose to Alice. (imdb)

In this one, Mabel Normand plays the title role, a wild child who keeps tormenting people and getting into scrapes. Mack is courting Kate Toncray, who plays Mabel's aunt and William Butler plays Mabel's father and Kate's brother, who tells Mack he may marry his sister if he amuses his daughter. This consists of letting her torment him and of setting a local chicken farmer on them all. (imdb)

Seemingly every man is in love with Gladys (played by Mabel Normand). Wherever she goes, man start following her with much enthusiasm. Two men at the place her father works want to marry her...both send her letters asking for such. She accepts both! Her father finds out and decides to play a trick on her. (imdb)

A Mack Sennett comedy short starring Dell Henderson & Mabel Normand. (imdb)

Here it is nice to see Sennett playing a different character than his usual hillbilly lover. Sennett looks quite dashing as the big game hunter. He's quite comically cowardly when the real big game shows up. Mabel is so calm and natural with the bear that she appears like a goddess or other worldly creature. She acts as if she's doing the scene with a cat or dog. (imdb)

A Mack Sennett comedy short starring Mack Sennett, Kate Toncray & Mabel Normand. (imdb)

The movie begins with Tom carrying a ladder for an elopement with Helen. Unfortunately, as soon as Helen climbs down the ladder, her parents, played by Grace Henderson and Frank Opperman, come out armed, and Opperman chases Tom away. (imdb)

This is quite like "Helen's Marriage" which came out a few months earlier in 1912. Once again, Edward Dillon is trying to elope with Mabel Normand, but papa interferes. The big joke is when Ford Sterling and Elmer Booth kidnap the minister in order to marry Dillon and Normand. They mistakingly get Papa instead. It is the one strong gag in the film. (imdb)

Mabel Normand is the wife of a rather rotund businessman, Dell Henderson. She doesn't get along with her mother Kate Bruce. She steals some money from her hubby to go shopping. Mack Sennett appears briefly as a shop salesman who sells her some furs. (imdb)

A group of tourists spend too long checking out the Indian Arts and Crafts at the station and miss their train. While waiting, Normand in a picture hat and black outfit, wanders off and takes an interest in Chief Evans, precipitating the usual chase, here by ax wielding Indian wives. (imdb)

A Mack Sennett comedy for Biograph released as a split reel along with the comedy The Baron. (imdb)

Joseph Graybill, learning that his friends have been making a lot of money in the stock market, takes a flyer himself. However, when a drop in the shares he has bought wipes him out, he breaks into his employer's safe for money to pay for a margin call. Will the thought of his grey-haired mother and the importunities of his co-worker Mabel Normand stop him or will he descend to a life of crime? (imdb)

A Mack Sennett comedy short for Biograph released as a split reel along with the comedy The Villain Foiled. (imdb)

STRONGHEART (1914) is a rare Native American Indian drama that was produced by the Biograph Company in New York City. Based on a famous play of the time, the film features an all-star cast: Henry B. Walthall (later of BIRTH OF A NATION), Blanche Sweet, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore, and Alan Hale (father of "Gilligan's Island" skipper). Originally five reels, the film was reissued at three reels in 1916. (youtube.com)

A Biograph short drama directed by George Reehm.

A romantic film in which the good-hearted Charles falls in love with Mary, a girl whom he has employed because she cannot pay her rent. When she receives an inheritance, she moves in with her aunt and uncle, and the man falls ill.

A crime drama in which a police officer does everything possible to help his criminal younger brother.

Mrs. Thurston, a socially ambitious widow, is holding one of her famous Bohemian parties. To these functions are invited the leading lights of the several professions, actors, artists, musicians, etc. Surrounded by these men and women of art and letters, she was at first entertained, but they soon palled and bored. On this evening in particular, she is especially possessed of ennui, until the appearance of Raymond Hartley, a wealthy young bachelor, who is introduced into the circle by a newspape

With her uncle she visits the seashore and goes bathing with a party of her brother's friends. Uncle also takes a dip and is annoyed at the perilous performance of the girl. He orders her from the water and locks her in her room, but brother releases her. He finally concludes that home is the best place for her, for there she will run no chance of drowning.