Golden Rule Kate
Encyclopedia
Golden Rule Kate is a 1917
silent era
western
drama
motion picture
starring Louise Glaum
, William Conklin
, Jack Richardson
, Mildred Harris
, and John Gilbert
.
Directed
by Reginald Barker from a story written by Monte M. Katterjohn, Golden Rule Kate was produced
and distributed
by the Triangle Film Corporation
.
The title role
in this feature length
western was a big departure for Glaum. One of the leading vamps of the mid 1910s—who played wicked dance hall girls in several westerns opposite William S. Hart
—she stars here as the heroine, playing a female Bill Hart, with two pistols, before such roles were common among women.
Golden Rule Kate still exists and was released on video for home entertainment.
is the Old West
town of Paradise, Nevada, where a young woman, Mercedes Murphy (played by Louise Glaum
), co-owns and operates a combination saloon and dance hall called the Red Hen with her business partner, Slick Barney (played by Jack Richardson
).
Her little half-sister, Olive "Live" Sumner (played by Mildred Harris
), who is crippled, lives with her and she makes every effort to protect the child. A tough, but good-hearted businesswoman, Mercedes shows a tender side at home with Live. Her partner, Slick, and a cowboy called the Heller (played by John Gilbert
), who has a heart of gold, are both interested in Live.
A reform movement comes to Paradise with the arrival of Reverend Gavin McGregor (played by William Conklin
), who wants to clean up the town and sets up a church next to the saloon and dance hall. Initially, Mercedes is opposed to the church and there is immediate antagonism between her and the reverend. He and Mercedes come to respect each other, however, and she is so impressed by his sermons that she closes down her business.
When her little sister is sexually abused, Mercedes blames the reverend and is filled with wrath. She begins a vigorous attack on the church and goes gunning for him. But the Heller discovers that it was actually Mercedes' partner, Slick, who compromised Live's virtue and shoots him dead.
After Mercedes learns that it was Slick and not the reverend who betrayed Live, she and the reverend become friends. She closes down the saloon and dance hall permanently and prepares to leave town with Live. The reverend then professes his love for her and begs her to stay.
review
of Sunday, August 12, 1917, reads:
A Times review of Wednesday, August 15, 1917, reads:
1917 in film
The year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
silent era
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
, William Conklin
William Conklin
William Conklin , was an American actor. He appeared in 85 silent era motion pictures between 1913 and 1929.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
, Jack Richardson
Jack Richardson (actor)
Jack Howard Richardson was an American actor.Born in New York, New York, he was signed to a contract in silent films in 1911 by the Thanhouser Company, where he worked for several years....
, Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
, and John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
.
Directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Reginald Barker from a story written by Monte M. Katterjohn, Golden Rule Kate was produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and distributed
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
by the Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in the summer of 1915 in Culver City, California, and envisioned as a prestige studio based on the producing abilities of filmmakers D. W. Griffith, Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett...
.
The title role
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
in this feature length
Feature length
Feature length is motion picture terminology referring to the length of a feature film. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a feature length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes to be eligible for an Academy Award.The term may also...
western was a big departure for Glaum. One of the leading vamps of the mid 1910s—who played wicked dance hall girls in several westerns opposite William S. Hart
William S. Hart
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered for having "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."-Biography:...
—she stars here as the heroine, playing a female Bill Hart, with two pistols, before such roles were common among women.
Golden Rule Kate still exists and was released on video for home entertainment.
Synopsis
The settingSetting (fiction)
In fiction, setting includes the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may...
is the Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
town of Paradise, Nevada, where a young woman, Mercedes Murphy (played by Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum
Louise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
), co-owns and operates a combination saloon and dance hall called the Red Hen with her business partner, Slick Barney (played by Jack Richardson
Jack Richardson (actor)
Jack Howard Richardson was an American actor.Born in New York, New York, he was signed to a contract in silent films in 1911 by the Thanhouser Company, where he worked for several years....
).
Her little half-sister, Olive "Live" Sumner (played by Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
), who is crippled, lives with her and she makes every effort to protect the child. A tough, but good-hearted businesswoman, Mercedes shows a tender side at home with Live. Her partner, Slick, and a cowboy called the Heller (played by John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
), who has a heart of gold, are both interested in Live.
A reform movement comes to Paradise with the arrival of Reverend Gavin McGregor (played by William Conklin
William Conklin
William Conklin , was an American actor. He appeared in 85 silent era motion pictures between 1913 and 1929.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
), who wants to clean up the town and sets up a church next to the saloon and dance hall. Initially, Mercedes is opposed to the church and there is immediate antagonism between her and the reverend. He and Mercedes come to respect each other, however, and she is so impressed by his sermons that she closes down her business.
When her little sister is sexually abused, Mercedes blames the reverend and is filled with wrath. She begins a vigorous attack on the church and goes gunning for him. But the Heller discovers that it was actually Mercedes' partner, Slick, who compromised Live's virtue and shoots him dead.
After Mercedes learns that it was Slick and not the reverend who betrayed Live, she and the reverend become friends. She closes down the saloon and dance hall permanently and prepares to leave town with Live. The reverend then professes his love for her and begs her to stay.
Cast in credits order
- Louise GlaumLouise GlaumLouise Glaum was an American actress. Best known for her role as a femme fatale in silent era motion picture dramas, she was credited with giving one of the best characterizations of a vamp in her early career....
as Mercedes Murphy aka "Golden Rule Kate" - William ConklinWilliam ConklinWilliam Conklin , was an American actor. He appeared in 85 silent era motion pictures between 1913 and 1929.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Reverend Gavin McGregor - Jack RichardsonJack Richardson (actor)Jack Howard Richardson was an American actor.Born in New York, New York, he was signed to a contract in silent films in 1911 by the Thanhouser Company, where he worked for several years....
as "Slick" Barney - Mildred HarrisMildred HarrisMildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
as Olive "Live" Sumner, Kate's half-sister - John GilbertJohn Gilbert (actor)John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
as the Heller
Uncredited cast listed alphabetically
- Gertrude ClaireGertrude ClaireGertrude Claire was an actress of the American stage and Hollywood silent motion pictures. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and began appearing onstage at the age of 16. She played minor roles in New York, New York. In the coming years she began to play leads...
as Mrs. McGregor - Josephine HeadleyJosephine HeadleyJosephine Headley was an American silent film actress who starred in film briefly in 1917.She starred in 1917 films such as The Little Brother with William Garwood.-Selected filmography:*Polly Ann .... Mrs. Porter ... aka Pernickety Polly Ann...
as Vegas Kate - J.P. LockneyJ. P. LockneyJ. P. Lockney was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 105 films between 1915 and 1937.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Selected filmography:* The Guilty Man * Fuss and Feathers...
as "Nose Paint" Jonas - Milton RossMilton RossMilton Ross was an American film actor. He appeared in 68 films between 1914 and 1948.He was born in California, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Riddle Gawne...
as Jim Preston
Reviews
A Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
review
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
of Sunday, August 12, 1917, reads:
"Attention to details in the modern photoplay is strenuous work, and particularly is this the case since motion picture "fans" are keenly critical of the most minute errors. Woe to the director who lets hero leave the house with a fedora hat and arrive at the cafe with a derby, or perform any other such discrepancy.
In "Golden Rule Kate," in which Louise Glaum is being starred at Clune's Broadway this week, Director Reginald Barker had all the trials that such alternating of scenes necessitates.
The production is a big dramatic western play of the Bill Hart type, and all the exteriors were filmed at the Santa Monica ranch studios of the Triangle, where a complete western town has been built for productions of this nature.
All through the production the action shifts from the dance hall to the church and from various interiors to the western street. Needless to say that the director and actors had a busy time of it, remembering all the infinitesimal details that combine to make the picture as artistically perfect as possible.
Miss Glaum in this new production has a role radically different from her usual "siren" parts. It is a sort of feminized Bill Hart character she portrays as "The Sage Brush Hen," owner of a saloon and dance hall in Paradise, Nev. The picture is full of striking dramatic situations, tense moments and acting. It makes a strong human interest appeal, combining rapid-fire action, romance and comedy. Jack Gilbert, Jack Richardson, Mildred Harris, William Conklin, Gertrude Claire and J. P. Lockney form a strong supporting cast for Miss Glaum."
A Times review of Wednesday, August 15, 1917, reads:
"Louise Glaum isn't "vamping" a single "vamp"—and she's wearing only one gown in "Golden Rule Kate" at Clune's Broadway, this week. I know this will sound to you just like announcing Bill Hart without Fritz, Mary Pickford without curls, the American people without a vote, or any other national calamity.
Yet "Golden Rule Kate" is one of the most original piquant picture plays we've had in a blue moon, and Monte Katterjohn should mark up a red-letter day on his calendar. In this two-dimension drama, Miss Glaum plays the role of a young woman who, having come to a new Nevada mining camp with the gold rush, and finding no gold, courageously starts out to run a dance hall. She has her little sister, Mildred Harris, with her, and strives to have the child lead the sheltered life. Along comes a preacher, played with superior strength and sincerity by William Conklin, who in this role proves himself possessed in high degree of a nice sense of dramatic values. At once there is antagonism between Kate—who is a sort of Diana of the dance halls for personal chastity and a sense of justice—and the minister. He is lassoed in his pulpit and dragged to the dance hall, but Kate's sense of fair play is outraged by the act, and she makes the cowboys liberate him. He calls on her, and tells her he misses her at church. "And I've missed you at the dance hall," she says. "If you'll tend bar for me for an hour, I'll go to your church next Sunday," says Kate. And he takes her up, with a mixture of humor and devotion to the cause which makes a delicious combination of motive such as is seldom put over on the screen. Of course in the final film foot, she comes into the fold and the minister's embrace.
There is some unusually good acting done in this picture, which is directed by Reginald Barker. Jack Gilbert plays "The Heller" with zest, not alone his acting, but his personality getting over wonderfully well. Gertrude Claire, one of the sweetest "mothers" in the films wins a golden place by her acting in this picture; and there is a drunk played by someone whose name I do not know that is an artistic creation in itself."
External links
- Golden Rule Kate at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Golden Rule Kate at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Golden Rule Kate; allrovi.com