A Wife by Proxy (1917)
The film opens in Ireland, as a dying Patrick McNairne tells his daughter Jerry to go to New York and look up Norton Burbeck, a wealthy young man whose life Patrick had saved some time earlier (the surviving print, largely complete, lacks the second page insert of a letter explaining the full background). The affable Burbeck is due to inherit his uncle’s fortune provided he’s married by November; if not, the inheritance will go to his cousin Howard Curtis. An adventuress, Beatrice Gaden, and her husband Dick are in cahoots with Curtis: Beatrice pretends to be single in order to string Norton along up to the November date, at which time Curtis will come into the money and give a share to his unscrupulous partners.
Director: John H. Collins
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Mabel Taliaferro as Jerry McNairne |
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Bob Walker as Norton Burbeck |
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Sally Crute as Beatrice Gaden |
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Fred Jones as Frederick Gaden |
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Yale Benner as Howard Curtis |
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George D. Melville as Timothy McNairn |
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Ricca Allen as Scraggs (housekeeper) |
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Jerome N. Wilson as Guyler (Burbeck's lawyer) |
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Edward Mack as Flynn (the butler) |
| Writing | John B. Clymer | Story |
| Camera | Arthur A. Ross | Director of Photography |
| Writing | Charles Logue | Story |
| Writing | June Mathis | Scenario Writer |
| Directing | John H. Collins | Director |
