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His Doctor’s Orders
(1914) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Allen Curtis
Cast: William Franey (Billy Franey) [Henry], Louise Fazenda [Henry’s wife], Ralph McComas [the doctor], Ferrol Penny (Ferrol Penning) [the mother-in-law]
The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated, production; distributed by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated [Joker Comedies]. / Released 19 December 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Henry is dispatched to bring his wife’s mother home from the station. On the way he meets his old pal and college chum, Doc Summers. Against his own good judgment Henry takes the time to go into a saloon to have one, and just one, “for old time’s sake.” Later, when Henry discovers that Mother has it in for him he requisitioned Doc, his pal, to help him out of the mess. This was easily worked and the pair started on a supposed ocean voyage, that Henry might recover a seemingly imperiled health. Wifie never doubted her hubby an instant, believing him to be a man of veracity. His absence caused her terrible pining, which wore on her own health to an extent that alarmed her mother. Mother then took things in her own hands and, determining to brighten her daughter up with a few weeks at the beaches, bustled her off. Then came the awful newspaper reports about the supposed sinking in midocean of the very steamer Henry and Doc had supposedly sailed on. Wifie goes into mourning, facing stolidly her unhappy lot. But here at the beaches are the pair enjoying life to its extreme. They accidentally run across their grief-stricken folks. They then learn that they are supposed to be lost at sea and, horrified at their position, they decided to keep their presence a mighty secret. That they may make their existence known in a quite logical way they dig up a row boat to look like one of the lost steamer’s lifeboats and, rowing out from shore, they make up like lost and famished passengers from the shipwrecked steamer. They are rescued and brought ashore, where they are feted and hailed as heroes. Later comes the message from the steamship company denying the newspaper reports as false, and reporting the arrival of the ship all safe in port. Henry and Doc then find themselves in a most undignified position.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 12 November 2022.
References: Edmonds-BigU p. 30 : Website-IMDb.
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