The Decoy
About The Decoy
John Henderson and his wife ride the trains as card sharps, taking salesmen at poker. They invite Muriel, the daughter of a country widow who is a distant relative, to New York, dress her, and use her to draw rich men to their rooms. She does not know the game. When the police close in, the Hendersons move the act to a seaside hotel. Muriel falls in love with Boyd, a young businessman. He loses to them at cards, tells her, and she denounces the couple as a detective is about to arrest all three. Boyd helps clear her. The Hendersons are sentenced, and Muriel marries him.
Cast & crew
More about The Decoy
Carl Gregory directed this Princess-brand drama for Thanhouser. Philip Lonergan wrote the scenario. Reel Life published the synopsis on July 4, 1914. The reel is 1,018 feet and was released July 3, 1914. Muriel Ostriche plays Muriel. Charles Horan and Marie Rainford play the Hendersons, Boyd Marshall plays Boyd, and Morgan Jones plays a millionaire.
Themes
Making
Princess was Thanhouser's brand for Ostriche. Gregory shoots the same con in a city apartment and then in a resort hotel, with the arrest held until the girl turns.
Preservation
A print is on the Internet Archive.
Notes
- Virginia Waite plays Jane Phelps, the country widow. John Reinhard is also in the cast.
- The Hendersons' first hunting ground is the card table on trains.
- Muriel is kept ignorant until Boyd tells her what he lost.
- The release was a one-reel Princess picture on the Mutual program.
Scenes
- The Hendersons dress Muriel and bring wealthy men to the apartment table.
- Boyd tells her how much he has lost.
- She denounces them as the detective moves in.
Also available
- Internet Archive (silent-the-decoy)