» » Oh, Uncle! (1909)

Oh, Uncle! (1909) Online

Oh, Uncle! (1909) Online
1909 James Kirkwood Billy Quirk Mary Pickford D.W. Griffith
Original Title :
Oh, Uncle!
Genre :
Movie / Short / Comedy
Year :
1909
Directror :
D.W. Griffith
Cast :
James Kirkwood,Billy Quirk,Mary Pickford
Writer :
D.W. Griffith
Type :
Movie
Time :
3min
Rating :
5.3/10

Watch online HD Download HD

Oh, Uncle! (1909) Online

Zeke Wright, a wealthy old batch, has intimated his intention of making his two nephews his heirs, and having nothing but time on his bands, lakes it into his head to visit his nephew Tom, who is married and settled. Tom and his wife are goodies, no doubt, and the gay old chap is soon disgusted, so he decides in pull up stakes and visit Harry Wright, whom he thinks unmarried, not having been apprised of his romantic elopement and marriage. So he sends Harry a note, to wit: "Am disgusted with your cousin's wife. If you ever marry I'll cut you off. Am coming to visit you to-morrow." Holy smoke! Up against it for fair. Well, wits work, and Bessie plays the maid for the time being, but Foxy Nunky is wise and starts a persistent flirtation, much to the perturbation of Harry, who is at length forced to divulge. However, Uncle exclaimed: "Harry, you're all right and I'll double your allowance." So Nunky prolonged his stay with the Wrights.
Credited cast:
James Kirkwood James Kirkwood - Zeke Wright
Billy Quirk Billy Quirk - Tom Wright - Zeke's Nephew
Mary Pickford Mary Pickford - Bessie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mack Sennett Mack Sennett

Released as a split reel along with the drama The Seventh Day (1909).


User reviews

Deeroman

Deeroman

James Kirkwood sends word to nephew Billy Quirk that he will be visiting. Billy know that his uncle disapproves of women (save possibly for his own mother), so he and fiancee Mary Pickford agree that she will pose as his maid. They hope she will charm Kirkwood so that he won't object to her marrying his heir. Miss Pickford, however, is so charming that the old man takes a lively interest in her in this sprightly D.W. Griffith comedy.

That's what I can glean from the five minutes of shots and the plot synopsis at the Library of Congress' National Screening Room site. Unfortunately, what they posted (drawn from the Library's Paper Print collection) seems to be unedited footage from the movie, including a lot where Kirkwood ruins the take by breaking up at Quirk's antics and asides. Miss Pickford seems to be having a good time too, once the scene is blown.

This is not the only film that survives in this condition. Movies could not be copyrighted at this time (which is why so many scenes are decorated with the Biograph 'AB', to establish a trademark). Biograph, while they sent paper prints of their films to the Library (which were nominally books, and so could be protected), seems to have sent them in batches. Some of the films, which had been shot but not edited, wound up preserved in this manner.

It was better than what Vitagraph did. That company produced many innovative films in the era. However, they sent highlights, resulting in a few intriguing clips.
Raelin

Raelin

If the moving image is a progression of the novel and the play, then the silent film is also a progression of classical music because it relies on incidental music in order to advance the story. This three minute offering has a score that is equivalent to Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'. It doesn't explain the classical piece in visual terms, but merely creates a vocabulary for classical music to have dialogue with moving imagery. Incidental music should enhance the experience of the viewer, and in this short film you begin the origins of that process taking place. I'm sure that Prokofiev, Elgar, Shostokovich and Grieg must have watched this piece and wondered if their music would be enriched in the Nickelodeons.