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Billy Quirk and Constance Talmadge.
Frame enlargement: Silent Era image collection.
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The Egyptian Mummy
(1914) United States of America
B&W : Short film
Directed by Lee Beggs
Cast: Lee Beggs [Professor Thaddeus Hicks, an antiquarian], Constance Talmadge [Florence Hicks, his daughter], Billy Quirk [Dick Graham, in love with her]; Joel Day [the tramp], [?] ? [the landlady], [?] ? [her husband], [?] ? [the Hicks maid], [?] ? [Bennett, the stockbroker], [?] ? [the first deliveryman], [?] ? [the second deliveryman], [?] ? [the secretary in the stockbroker’s office].
The Vitagraph Company of America production; distributed by The General Film Company, Incorporated. / Released 16 December 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Simply because he is poor, Dick is not wanted as a prospective son-in-law by Professor Hicks, a scientist seeking the recipe for the elixir of life. He finally discovers the combination of chemicals, and wild with delight, advertises for a mummy to try it on. Dick sees the ad, and he gets Tim, a tramp, to agree to pose as the mummy, and with the aid of the landlady’s son, the hobo is soon swathed in bandage-like wrappings, painted and decorated so that he resembles a mummy. A coffin is procured, then Dick sends word to Professor Hicks that he has a mummy for sale at $5,000. The latter delightedly buys it on the spot. Dick at once invests in stock at the suggestions of a friend, tells Eva, the Professor’s daughter, and awaits results. Hicks fills up a big syringe with the elixir of life and jabs it into Tim. The tramp mummy certainly comes to life, and unmistakably proves it by chasing Professor Hicks round and round the room. Finally, the latter, after many bruises, escapes out the door, slams and locks it. His daughter and the rest of the household come to his assistance and he tremblingly tells them his elixir worked altogether too well. Next morning, after finishing up the drinkables and smokeables, Tim escapes by way of the fire-escape, first shutting down the coffin lid. Hicks, lame and sore, cautiously creeps to the door and hearing no noise, concludes the mummy has returned to the coffin. He enters, sees the lid is closed and quickly nails it down. In the meantime, Dick hears that his stock has gone up 20 points and that he is now rich. He meets Tim, gives him his old clothes and some money, then goes to the Professor, claims his bride and secures Hicks’ consent.
Survival status: Prints exist in the Library of Congress film archive; and in the film holdings of Film Preservation Associates (Blackhawk Films collection) [16mm reduction positive].
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 26 October 2024.
References: Film credits, film viewing : Website-IMDb.
Home video: Blu-ray Disc, DVD.
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