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A Cure for Pokeritis

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A Cure for Pokeritis
John Bunny and Flora Finch as George and Mary Brown
Directed byLaurence Trimble
Starring
Production
company
Distributed byGeneral Film Company[1]
Release date
  • February 23, 1912 (1912-02-23)
Running time
13 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles

A Cure for Pokeritis is a 1912 domestic comedy silent film short starring John Bunny and Flora Finch. After Bunny's death, it was re-released with the announced alternative title A Sure Cure for Pokeritis. The film depicts a woman who stops her husband's gambling habit by having her cousin stage a fake police raid on the weekly poker game. It was one of a large number of similar shorts produced by Vitagraph Studios, whose popularity made Bunny and Finch early film stars. Although its style of humor is dated, it has been recognized as a historically important representative of its period and genre.

Plot

Upon returning home from an evening spent losing at poker, George Brown swears off gambling forever. However, his friend Bigelow convinces him to secretly continue attending the weekly poker game and to tell his wife Mary that he has been admitted to the Sons of the Morning, a fraternal lodge, to explain his absences. When George talks in his sleep, she becomes suspicious and has her cousin Freddie Dewdrop follow him, allowing her to learn the truth. Together with the wives of the other poker players, she enacts a plan to end the gambling. Freddie and the members of his Bible study group dress up as police officers and raid the game. The gamblers' wives then arrive, and the police leave the men to be scolded, purportedly in place of being arrested. As the film ends, the Browns reconcile.[2]

Cast

The intended names of the characters played by John Bunny and Flora Finch are not entirely clear. In the film itself, the letter written to gather the wives together identifies the two main characters as Mary and George Brown. However, Vitagraph's house organ published cast lists for all of the studio's films, including A Cure for Pokeritis. There, the main characters are referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Sharpe, and "Mr. Brown" is given as the name of one of the minor characters.[2]

Production

The full public domain film

A Cure for Pokeritis was one of many Vitagraph Studios one-reel or shorter comedies starring Bunny and Finch in a domestic setting. The exact number of such shorts, known popularly as Bunnygraphs[4] or Bunnyfinches,[5] is unknown because Vitagraph's films were not generally archived[6] and most are now lost:[7] estimates range from over 150,[8] to over 200,[6] to over 260.[9]

The film was an early example of efforts to move beyond theater blocking conventions. During the police raid, depth was demonstrated by having action take place in both the foreground and the background, and by allowing actors to move between them. This cinematography technique improved the realism[10] and pacing of the scene.[11]

Music

Theaters projected silent films with a variety of musical accompaniment. Depending on the film and the venue, accompanying music might have been the performance of a live pianist or orchestra, recorded music, or absent entirely.[12] Some films were distributed with cue sheets indicating when music was to be played, or anthologies of specific songs to use as accompaniment.[13] Especially between 1910 and 1912, these selections were often popular music[14] chosen because the song's title or lyrics related to the film in some way, in contrast to later efforts to provide music with appropriate texture.[15] Beginning in 1910, Vitagraph provided lists of this nature for all of their films.[16]

Vitagraph's recommended music for A Cure for Pokeritis began with "I'm Glad I'm Married"[a] and "I've Got My Eyes on You".[b] The studio suggested either "I Don't Believe You"[c] or "I'm an Honorary Member of the Patsy Club"[d] be played as George presented his purported lodge membership. His sleep-talking was to be accompanied by "If You Talk in Your Sleep, Don't Mention My Name",[e] followed by "Back to the Factory, Mary"[f] as Freddie investigates. "Whoops, My Dear"[g] was to score the police raid, and "Don't Take Me Home"[h] would play as the film ended.[25]

Reception and legacy

The Bunnygraphs, as a genre, were representative of the cinema of the period,[6] and were very successful, making Bunny the first American comic film star[4] and Finch the first female star comedian.[7] Individually, A Cure for Pokeritis was well-received, including in showings outside the United States. The Thames Star, a New Zealand newspaper, described the film as "screamingly funny".[26] After John Bunny's death, interest in his films led Vitagraph in 1917 to announce the re-release of this film (retitled A Sure Cure for Pokeritis), along with many of his other works, as "Favorite Film Features".[27] However, the comedy style of A Cure for Pokeritis has not aged well, especially in contrast to Mack Sennett's slapstick films[28] and the works of later comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.[29] According to film scholars Donald McCaffrey and Christopher Jacobs, modern viewers "will hardly get a flicker of a smile" from the film, despite the skill of its actors.[28]

The film's themes and relationship to later works have been the subject of critical analysis. Its plot and setting have been compared to sitcoms of both the 1940s[5] and the end of the 20th century.[30] Film historian Wes Gehring of Ball State University considers George to be a forerunner of the modern antihero archetype and compares the Browns to Laurel and Hardy.[31] Other authors have examined the film's gender issues. Gerald Mast wrote that the comedic aspects overlaid a conflict between masculinity and moralist or feminist values.[32] Brunel University lecturer Geoff King viewed the male lead's efforts to escape from an "imprisoning" wife to be a recurring theme in silent comedy.[33]

In 2011, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" representative of the Bunnygraph films.[4]

Home media

A Cure for Pokeritis is in the public domain and so is widely available, including online. In 1998, Kino International included it in Slapstick Encyclopedia, an eight-volume VHS collection of silent films[34] that was re-released in 2002 as a five-disc DVD collection by Image Entertainment.[35]

Notes

  1. ^ music by Albert Von Tilzer, lyrics by Jack Norworth[17]
  2. ^ music by Theodore F. Morse, lyrics by F. W. Hager and J. Ringelben[18]
  3. ^ music by Harry Von Tilzer, lyrics by William Dillon[19]
  4. ^ music by Harry Von Tilzer, lyrics by Andrew B. Sterling[20]
  5. ^ music by Nat D. Ayer, lyrics by A. Seymour Brown, published by Jerome H. Remick[21]
  6. ^ music and lyrics by Clarence Gaskill[22]
  7. ^ music by Bert F. Grant, lyrics by Billy J. Morrissey, published by Jerome H. Remick[23]
  8. ^ music by Harry Von Tilzer, lyrics by Vincent P. Bryan[24]

References

  1. ^ "A Cure for Pokeritis (1912)". Silent Era. Progressive Silent Film List. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  2. ^ a b "A Cure for Pokeritis". Vitagraph Life Portrayals. 1 (16): 13. 1912-02-17.
  3. ^ "Responses to Inquires". The Motion Picture Story Magazine. 4 (12): 140. 1912-12-01.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ a b c "2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates" (Press release). News from the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. 2011-12-28. ISSN 0731-3527. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  5. ^ a b McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. 1999, p. 121, "Finch, Flora"
  6. ^ a b c Brewster B. 2005, pp. 679–681
  7. ^ a b Cullen F. 2006, p. 157, "Bunny, John"
  8. ^ Slide A, Grevison A. 1987, p. 47
  9. ^ Lowe D. 2004, p. 208
  10. ^ Keil C. 2002, pp. 133–134
  11. ^ McCaffrey D. 1968, p. 16
  12. ^ Altman R. 2007, pp. 199–200
  13. ^ Marks MM. 1997, p. 68
  14. ^ Altman R. 2007, p. 223
  15. ^ Altman R. 2001, p. 22
  16. ^ Altman R. 2007, p. 256
  17. ^ Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 3 (40–44): 890. Oct. 1908. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ "I've Got My Eyes on You". The UT Sheet Music Collection. University of Tennessee. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  19. ^ Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 5 (44–47): 1344. Nov. 1910. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 5 (44–47): 1345. Nov. 1910. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ^ Jasen DA. 2002, p. 93
  22. ^ Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 6 (13): 1616. 1911. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ^ Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 5 (44–47): 1422. Nov. 1910. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ^ "Don't Take Me Home". National Jukebox. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  25. ^ "Music Suggestions". Vitagraph Life Portrayals. 1 (16): 14. 1912-02-17.
  26. ^ "Local and General". Thames Star. Thames, New Zealand. 1912-09-14. p. 2.
  27. ^ "John Bunny is Back!". Motography. 17 (25): 1331. 1917-06-23.
  28. ^ a b McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. 1999, p. 59, "Bunny, John"
  29. ^ Nuckols B. (2011-12-27). "'Forrest Gump' to be preserved in US film registry". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  30. ^ King G. 2002, p. 23
  31. ^ Gehring WD. 2004, p. 62
  32. ^ Mast G. 1979, p. 41
  33. ^ King G. 2002, p. 130
  34. ^ Johnson G. (1998-08-04). "Slapstick Encyclopedia". Images. p. 2. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  35. ^ Bourne M. (2002). "Slapstick Encyclopedia". The DVD Journal. Retrieved 2013-11-07.

Bibliography

  • Altman R. (2001). "Cinema and Popular Song: The Lost Tradition". In Wojcik PR, Knight A. (ed.). Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-2800-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Altman R. (2007). Silent Film Sound. Film and Culture. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-11663-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Brewster B. (2005). "Vitagraph Company of America". In Abel R. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Early Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-23440-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Cullen F. (2006). Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-93853-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Gehring WD. (2004). Leo McCarey: From Marx to McCarthy. The Scarecrow Filmmakers. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5263-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Jasen DA., ed. (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-415-93700-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Keil C. (2002). Early American Cinema in Transition: Story, Style, and Filmmaking, 1907–1913. Wisconsin Studies in Film. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-17364-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • King G. (2002). Film Comedy. Wallflower Press. ISBN 978-1-903364-35-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Lowe D. (2004). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films: 1895–1930. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7890-1843-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Marks MM. (1997). Music and the Silent Film: Contexts and Case Studies, 1895-1924. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-506891-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Mast G. (1979). The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-50978-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • McCaffrey D. (1968). 4 Great Comedians: Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Langdon. International Film Guide Series. Zwemmer. OCLC 309961. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. (1999). Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema. Reference Guides to the World's Cinema. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-30345-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Slide A, Grevison A. (1987). The Big V: A History of the Vitagraph Company. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-2030-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
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