Henry B. Walthall: Film Reviews--The Silents 1909-1910
A Tribute Page to the Silent Film Star

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The proud Confederate before the shutters closed. One blow K.O.!

Note on the grading system: The "Walthall Factor" Grade is not an evaluation of Henry B. Walthall's acting skills as he never gave a bad performance even when the film, and his part in it, was lame. The Walthall Factor is a combination of Walthall's time on screen, the treatment of his role (was the character he played worthy of his talents), and--ultimately--whether or not I enjoyed watching him in the role (it is, after all, my website).

 

 

"Stop! I'm her father! I get to hit her first!"

 

• A Strange Meeting (Released August 2, 1909) A young woman (Stephanie Longfellow), who lives among the impoverished, ruffians, and thieves, is impressed by a minister (Arthur V. Johnson) who visits "the Shadow of the Valley of Death" (A dance hall) to save a lost soul. After sitting in on one of his sermons, she returns home to her father (a white-haired Henry B. Walthall) and brother who earn their living as burglars. She accompanies them on another job. Just by coincidence, their next victim is the minister. Walthall breaks into the pastor's apartment; however, their plans are quickly thwarted when the reverend walks in on them. The minister grabs Walthall and is about to turn them in but sees the young woman from the rough side of town who came to his sermon and, out of pity, lets them go. She returns home with the minister's watch in her coat. Her brother wants her to hand it over. Will she side with family or faith? What do you think?
  
  Walthall was his usual excellent, restrained self. I like how, when jimmying the lock to the minister's room, he immediately pops up smiling and looking around as if he's admiring the place when his daughter warns him of passersby. He has some nice physical moments, too, when he's struggling with the pastor and protecting his daughter when she's threatened by her brother. Although he was only 31 at the time, he looks like an older man not just due to the white hair but also his mannerisms. Walthall Factor: A- Film Grade: B
  

   

  
  "Help! This room doesn't have cable!"

   

• The Sealed Room (Released September 2, 1909) Taken from Edgar Allan Poe's "A Cask of Amontillado," a king has a cozy, windowless hideaway built for him and his concubine. The concubine, however, has a tryst with the court troubadour (Walthall) in that very room. The suspicious king discovers what is going on and instructs his masons to quietly seal the room with the cladestine lovers inside. Once they discover they are trapped, the concubine and Walthall's character quickly suffocate. At the end of their suffering, Walthall's character fans his instrument towards his lover to give her a few extra breaths. This short runs 11 minutes. Walthall Factor: B+ Film Grade: B
  

   

  
  "Hey!! Down in front!"

   

• The Little Darling (Released September 2, 1909) In this 3-minute comedy, Henry lives with a bunch of crazy bachelors in a boarding house. The landlady receives as letter that an old school chum whom she hasn't seen for many years is sending her little darling daughter to stay with her. Excited about meeting the girl for the first time, she tells her tenants and they rush out to practically buy out a toy store while the landlady gets a crib ready. When the "little darling" arrives, they are all surprised to see she is, in fact, a teenager (it would have been even funnier if she were smoking).
  
  The intertitle for the letter in the Grapevine Video edition (D.W. Griffith Director series #4) is obviously not the original and states that it is the landlady's niece who is visiting which makes no sense because why wouldn't she know the age of her own niece? The publicity sheet found in the book Biograph Bulletins states that the letter came from a school chum.
  
  Walthall is on the left side (from the perspective of looking at the screen) while in the boarding house. He is usually behind some tall guys, but can be spotted periodically as the guys move around. You can see him best when he is walking out of the toy store (I can't tell what toy he chose), and when he bends to the side to get a good look at a baby stroller. He is cute with the mustache and shows a lot of excitement. Due to his background status, though, I can't give a grade higher than C. The short is a bit slap-sticky for D.W. Griffith, but cute. Walthall Factor: C Film Grade: C+
  

   

  
  "Oh, very funny! You poured a glass
  of water in my bunk! How original!"

   

• Getting Even (Released September 13, 1909) In this 7-minute comedy, a group of miners are met by a young gal named Lucy (Mary Pickford) who falls for the charms of Bud, the youngest of the miners. The other miners can't have the kid take the girl so they, lead by big, bad Jim Blake (James Kirkwood), spank Bud right in front of Miss Lucy. Bud plans his revenge. While the miners dress up for a masquerade ball, Bud feigns illness and lets them leave without him. As the others are dancing in the pavilion, Bud chooses his outfit and comes out in full drag. He is so convincing, he soon wins the affections of Jim Blake, himself, who falls to his knees professing his devotion. Bud then takes off his wig and the joke is now on Jim.
  
  Walthall is first seen on the top bunk when the miners bust into the dorm laughing at their humiliating treatment of Bud. Upon learning of the masquerade party, he jumps off the bunk and picks out a Mexican outfit with large sombrero. He is also seen at the pavilion dancing with some lucky gal. As in The Little Darling, he is a background character who, unfortunately, is often behind tall guys and can't always be seen. He comes into fuller view when Lucy walks into the dance hall and shakes her hand. He is also spotted in the punch-line scene on the right side of the screen looking shocked and then laughing when Bud removes his wig. Walthall Factor: C Film Grade: C
  

   

  
  "Are you making fun of my hat?"

   

• The Broken Locket (Released September 16, 1909) This short was a bit difficult to follow as the intertitles are missing in the Grapevine Video issue, but the invaluable book Biograph Bulletins 1908-1912 filled the gaps. Mary Pickford stars as Ruth who is in love with George (Frank Powell), a young man (though he looks old enough to play her father) who likes to drink and carouse. He heads West to find his fortune and promises Ruth he will avoid all temptations. She gives him one half of her locket as a symbol of their commitment. Once out West, however, he succumbs to drink, gambling, and the attentions of a Mexican girl. Wanting him for herself, the girl sends Ruth a letter stating George has died. Ruth collapses into a grave illness from which she barely survives, losing her eyesight in the process. Meanwhile, George loses all his money and the Mexican girl and limps home. When he sees Ruth, he is ashamed and does not want her to know the state he is in and, of course, she cannot see him, so he leaves without acknowledging their reunion.
  
  Walthall is a background character in this short. He plays a Mexican man complete with fancy outfit and a huge, elaborate sombrero (probably the same costume he wore in Getting Even). Sometimes his back is to the camera as he drinks at the bar, other times he looks suspiciously at the Mexican girl as she flirts with George and, at one point, seems to bark something at her. I'm assuming they are an item as they walked into the saloon together. Although he looks like he might want to start something, he leaves without incident, probably realizing that his senorita is playing George who is doing well financially at this point in the film. Walthall is seen for one minute in this 13-minute short. His character gives atmosphere to the fact that George is in a very different environment than Ruth and emphasizes that the Mexican girl is already spoken for but is pretending an interest in George to connive away his riches. Walthall Factor: C- Film Grade: C+
  

   

  
  "Wait, I feel a pulse!...Just kidding."

   

• A Corner in Wheat (Released December 13, 1909) Silent Film curator Paul Killiam called this 11-minute D. W. Griffith short "one of the most important films of the movies' earliest years." The film juxtaposes scenes of a poor farming family, starving patrons at a small town bakery, and the wheelings, dealings, "winings", and dinings of the Wheat King and his friends to launch an indictment on greed [Note: this film was made 8 years before the revolution in Russia]. The Wheat King (played by Frank Powell) works the commodities exchange to engineer a corner in wheat, driving up the price of flour. The poor at the local bakery must now pay double the cost for loaves of bread--a price of 10 cents that many cannot afford. Henry B. Walthall plays the first assistant to the Wheat King. He is there in the Wheat King's office when he plans to corner the market as well as in the crowd at the commodities exchange. Walthall's character is also at the celebratory dinner toward the back of the room. As the Wheat King shows a group of friends through the grain elevator, Walthall's character brings him a message of a further development in the market. Quickly leaving the scene, Walthall's character does not see his boss slip and fall down the elevator shaft. Once the Wheat King is found to be missing, it is too late. The Wheat King is pulled from the elevator and Walthall's character, cradling his boss in his arms, announces to the stunned crowd that he is dead (an ending inspired by Frank Norris's The Pit). Stephen Kern, in his innovative study The Culture of Time and Space: 1880-1918, also found historical significance in this short. In part of his study on the changing ideas regarding the nature of time, Kern noted that "In A Corner on (sic) Wheat (1909) Griffith first used the freeze-frame technique by having his actors hold still to create the illusion of stopping time" (p. 30). Walthall plays a pivitol role in this early silent classic. Walthall Factor: B Film Grade: A-
  

   

  
  "Merry Christmas . . . now get out! "

   

• A Trap For Santa (Released December 20, 1909) A 16-minute short where Henry Walthall plays Arthur, husband and father of two children, who experiences rough financial times. He resorts to drink and, after an argument with his wife, decides he is a burden to his family and leaves. A short time later, his wife inherits a fortune and moves into a mansion. Christmas Eve has arrived, and the children set a trap for Santa Claus inside their living room window. In the meantime, a desperate Arthur resorts to burglarizing homes to survive. I wonder which window he'll choose to climb into next? Walthall Factor: B+ Film Grade: B-
  

   

  
  Alessandro and Ramona forced to leave their humble dwelling.

   

• Ramona (Released May 23, 1910) Ramona: A Story of the White Man's Injustice to the Indian was based on the novel Ramona written by Helen Hunt Jackson and first published in 1884. According to a clipping I have, D.W. Griffith's re-telling of the story was the first time a novel was filmed. The Griffith crew went on location to Camulos, Ventura County, California, where the scenes of the novel took place, to bring authenticity to the film. No expense was spared on this 16-minute one-reeler as, according to the commentary to the DVD release in the set Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film 1900-1934, it was billed as the most costly film created at that time including a unprecedented $100 paid for the movie rights to the novel. The Biograph Bulletin does not mention the historic expense, but does explain the location of the filming in such a way that seems to imply that the book was a true story and not a work of fiction.
  
  Mary Pickford plays Ramona, a young orphan woman adopted by the Spanish household Moreno. She has a suitor in Filipe, son of her step mother, but Ramona's attentions are focused on another: the Indian Alessandro played by Henry B. Walthall. Her step mother is against such a union and, upon seeing them together, banishes Alessandro from the ranch. In his absence, his native village is destroyed by the whites. Curiously, this same step mother informs Ramona of Indian blood in her heritage and she immediately casts off her Spanish roots to join Alessandro. They elope, find a place to live among the ruins of his village, and have a baby. Their life is uprooted again when they are forced by the whites out of their home carrying everything they have on their backs. While travelling across the land that was once inhabited by Alessandro's people, their baby dies. They are hasseled by whites claiming land rights even as they bury their child. Alessandro goes temporarily mad, but is assuaged by Ramona. At this point, the whites catch up to him and shoot him in the head. A devastated Ramona gives her beloved what appears to be a traditional Native American burial (showing how much she has immersed into her husband's culture). Filipe finds Ramona grieving at Alessandro's grave and she is relieved at the sight of her old friend.
  
  It was worth the wait for this film to finally be released from the Mary Pickford collection in the Library of Congress. It was beautifully photographed with the hills in the background and Walthall's performance was excellent. The commentary mentions that male viewers did not identify with Alessandro because they considered him weak. Ramona is definitely the stronger character here, but Walthall delivered appropriate emotion to show the fatalistic aspect of his character. Throughout the story, Alessandro is resigned to his fate. He suffers torment and helplessness as he watches his village as it is attacked and is dazed and confused in the aftermath, but his spirits are quickly lifted by Ramona's show of love and devotion. He is overjoyed when he and Ramona find a humble place to live and is, later, passive and beaten when he is forced to leave even this lowly dwelling. He breaks up dirt perfunctorily with a knife, as if in a mental/emotional cloud, as he sits by the grave of his child, seemingly oblivious to the white men demanding he and Ramona continue on their way. Any madness or attempt at violence towards his oppressors is quickly appeased by Ramona. Pickford was the star, but Walthall gave a stellar and, emotionally, more substantial performance. Walthall Factor: A Film Grade: A
  

   

  
  "Aw, shucks"

   

• A Child of the Ghetto (Released June 6, 1910) This 13-minute short follows a girl named Ruth who is orphaned and forced to fend for herself in the industrial area of New York City. She finds work at a shirt factory. Unfortunately, she gets caught up in her boss's son's plan to get extra money. When the father refuses to give the money, the son takes it but, when his father finds the funds missing from his billfold, slips the money into Ruth's shirt bundle. The boss discovers the money on Ruth and calls in the detective. Ruth gives the authorities the slip and manages to flee to the countryside where she collapses in front of a farm. A farmer (Walthall) finds her and takes her to his farm house and the care of his mother. At the farm, she "learns to smile" and wins the affections of the bashful farmer who looks down shyly and runs off whenever they share a sweet moment.
  
  Meanwhile, the detective takes time off to go fishing and, by coincidence, finds a fishing spot near the farm. He takes a kettle to the farmer who is working with Ruth to draw water from a well. The farmer agrees to give him some milk. While he runs off to fetch the milk, the detective stands alone with Ruth who appears frightened. The detective thinks she looks familiar but, only after he returns to the fishing hole does he remember chasing her after the alledged theft attempt. He returns to arrest her and finds her alone by the well. She pleads her case. The farmer comes back and, seeing the two of them together, the detective has a change of heart and leaves. The bashful farmer musters up the nerve to ask Ruth to marry him and she wraps her arms around him and he impulsively throws a brush that he was holding so he can hug her. They leave carrying a bucket of water and he steals a kiss. Henry succeeds in his usual excellent acting performance, showing much concern on his face when he finds Ruth and shy giddiness during their tender moments. He's also very cute in this one. Walthall Factor: A- Film Grade: B-
  

   

  
  "OK, we'll let y'all win the Civil War but us in
  the South can still marry our cousins, deal?"

   

• In the Border States (Released June 13, 1910) A Confederate Corporal, Henry Walthall flees Union troops and happens upon the spunky little daughter of a Union soldier drawing water from a well. He pleads with her to conceal his presence as Union soldiers draw near. Reluctantly, she throws his pursuers off the trail. Before he can express his gratitude, she demands that the Confederate soldier leave as he is still her enemy. Meanwhile, her father is given sealed orders and must pass through Confederate lines to deliver them. Wounded and exhausted, he makes his way to his home only to find himself about to be ambushed by enemy troops. His little girl by his side, the Union soldier burns the documents. Henry's character is the first to force his way into the house and, seeing the destroyed papers, is about to kill the Union soldier...then he spots the little girl who saved his life at the well. Walthall Factor: A- Film Grade: B

   

  
  One can escape a riding while drunk charge if it
  can be proven that the horse is trained to carry its rider home.

   

• The House with Closed Shutters (Released August 8, 1910) In quite a contrasting role from Birth of a Nation, Henry Walthall plays Charles Randolph, son of an old and dinstinguished family of fighters. When the American Civil War breaks out, Charles is carried away by enthusiasm and is urged on by his high-spirited sister Agnes. Joining the Confederate Army, Charles is willing to take on any challenge at first. Soon, however, cowardice and drink cause him to flee the battlefields for home. Disgraced by the dishonor her brother is bringing to her family, Agnes decides to dress up like a Confederate soldier to take his place. She fights bravely and is killed in combat. Charles's mother is so disgraced by her son's cowardice, she tells all the neighbors that her son was killed and his sister is so distraught she cannot leave the house. The mother then closes all the shutters so no one can see the truth. If the film ended here, I would give it an 'A' as it is very powerful and well-done. The short continues, however, and the story becomes almost silly. Still, it is one of Walthall's best early roles. Walthall Factor: A Film Grade: B+

   

  
  "All they left was the 'AB' on the wall."

   

• The Usurer (Released August 15, 1910) In a plot very similar to that of A Corner in Wheat, a greedy money-lender commands his collectors to foreclose all loans not immediately paid up. The collectors even go so far as to snatch a bed from under a sick child. While this is happening, like in A Corner in Wheat, the loan shark feasts with his friends at a grand banquet. In this short, Walthall is not a member of the pampered class; rather, he is a poor widower who meekly watches as his possessions are taken away. The mother of the sick girl sets out to visit the money-lender, who is reading inside his safe. Making it to his office, the mother falls against the safe door in a fainting spell. The loan shark finds himself locked inside his sound-proof, air-tight safe surrounded by the life savings of his many victims that can no longer do him any good. After his body is discovered, the loan shark's sister sets things right with his hopeless victims. Henry's character, however, does not survive to see this change in fortunes. The Usurer is very similar to A Corner in Wheat, but is still powerful. Henry's portrayal of the poor widower who has lost all hope is excellent. Walthall Factor: B+ Film Grade: B

   

  
  "Great! He was just going to get his revised
  will, leaving all his wealth to us, notorized!"

   

• The Sorrows of the Unfaithful (Released August 22, 1910) Bill and Mary are childhood sweethearts living in a fishing village. Little Bill leaves on a fishing expedition but returns as a young man (Walthall) with unrelenting love for Mary (Mary Pickford) and a ring. Mary is reluctant to accept his marriage proposal, but finally agrees and runs off to admire her ring, with which she seems more enamored than Bill. Meanwhile, Bill spots a lone raft floating in the water with a passed out fishman aboard. He swims out to it and brings the raft to shore.
  
  Joe, the man he saves, is very grateful to his rescuer. The flirtatious Mary is happy Bill saved Joe as well as she immediately takes a liking to the stranger. At first, Joe returns Mary's affection but, upon learning she is Bill's girl, wants to end the relationship. Mary is aggressive, however, and forces her arms around him. At one moment, Bill spots the two in an embrace and runs off and collapses in shame. Once Bill escapes her barracuda grip, he writes Mary a note stating he will not steal away the love of his rescuer and will return to the sea on his raft and let fate have its way. Bill, unaware of Joe's intentions, follows him out to the edge of the sea and sucker punches him in the back. Joe falls into the sea and Bill pushes him and maybe chokes him in the water from which Joe does not reemerge. Mary then shows Bill the note and Bill's revengeful rage turns to fearful madness when he realizes he may have murdered a man who had no ill intentions towards him. He tells Mary he will fetch Joe's body and, a bit melodramatically, walks out into the sea with arms reaching out. The viewer can only assume Bill also drowns leaving the fickle Mary with no one--and she, like, totally deserved it.
  
  Henry Walthall showed a lot of different emotions in this 11-minute short: disappointment when he thinks Mary won't accept his proposal, joy when she does, concern for the fisherman on the raft, a friendly affable side when he meets a revived Joe, shock when he sees Joe and Mary embraced, and madness which he became expert at in his films during the early-mid 1910s. He also got to show-off his swimming skills. Walthall Factor: A- Film Grade: B+

   

  
  "Let me introduce you to my new bride, Tanya Harding."

   

• Wilful Peggy (Released August 25, 1910) As lord of the manor in the Emerald Isle, Henry Walthall is enamored by a spunky young peasant girl named Peggy who will not take guff from anyone. He asks for her hand in marriage and, after some urging on the part of her mother, the strong-minded Peggy consents. During the wedding reception, Peggy finds she is ill-suited for the refined and dignified protocol of the royal class. She trips over her train and then leaves the party in a hissy fit. She then encounters the lord's nephew who convinces the rebellious bride to put on one of his riding suits and ride with him to a local inn. The lord discovers their plan and sets off after them with vengeance on his mind. Once he finds them, he is amused by the sight of his bride kicking his nephew's butt after the brash young man tried to steal a kiss. The lord secretly returns home where he is soon reunited with his young wife who finally accepts her love for him. For a lord, Walthall's character is very good-natured with a lively sense of humor. Cute short. Thanks to Monica for a copy of this film! Walthall Factor: B+ Film Grade: B

   

  
  "We're preferred customers at 'Wreaths R Us.'"

   

• In Life's Cycle (Released September 15, 1910) Clara and Vincent are siblings who lost their mother during childhood. Every month they commemorate their mother by placing two wreaths on her grave--the one source of joy and pride for their aged father who spends his days sitting in a chair outside their home.
  
  A grown-up Vincent (Walthall) decides to join the priesthood. It is now his sister's responsibility to continue their cemetery ritual. Clara, however, hooks up with a handsome stranger from the city named Robert who tempts her to give up her familial duties and run away with him. She sends her father a farewell letter that causes him much sorrow. Vincent--who feels that something is wrong through a premonition--leaves the seminary and arrives at his father's side where he finds him crestfallen holding Clara's letter. Vincent prays for her return, but Clara suffers for several years, having an illegitimate child with Robert who falls into drink, poverty, and becomes abusive to her. Robert eventually makes good, but it is only after a brawl in a saloon sends him to death's door, where he finally marries Clara before expiring. Meanwhile, Vincent attends to their mother's grave and continues to pray for her deliverance. After the death of her "profligate" lover (the Biograph Bulletins use that word a lot), Clara returns to the cemetery with her daughter and collapses at her mother's grave. Vincent also arrives for his regular visit and sees his sister and the niece he didn't know existed. He holds his sister and looks to the heavens thankful his prayers were answered. They walk home to join their father, who has aged terribly from grief, in a happy reunion.
  
  Although the story is a bit sappy and, like many D.W. Griffith shorts, very preachy, Walthall delivers as usual. He shows emotion without going over-the-top and showcases his subtle style in the premonition scenes that look like chills of impending sin. He also makes for a damn--er--darn good-looking priest. Walthall Factor: A- Film Grade: B

   

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