The Spoilers
About The Spoilers
In Nome during the 1898 gold rush, Roy Glenister (William Farnum) and his partner Dextry (Frank Clark) are away in the States while Alex McNamara (Tom Santschi) sets up a claim-jumping scheme. The envoy meant to carry the papers falls ill, and his niece Helen Chester (Bessie Eyton) takes them north without knowing the plan. Back in Alaska, Helen draws Roy's eye, which does not please his dancer girlfriend Cherry Malotte (Kathlyn Williams). The picture ends in a saloon fistfight between Glenister and McNamara.
Cast & crew
More about The Spoilers
Colin Campbell directed William N. Selig's production, with Alfred E. Green as assistant director. Lanier Bartlett adapted Rex Beach's 1906 novel and play, and General Film Company released the 9-reel picture on March 25, 1914. A longer version issued in 1916 runs 110 minutes.
Themes
Background
The story is set in Nome, Alaska, in the 1898 gold rush, and turns on a politician's plan to jump claims while the owners are in the States.
Look
Harry Gerstad and Alvin Wyckoff photographed it for Selig.
Music
Silent, with English intertitles.
Preservation
A print survives. The 1914 release was 9 reels. The 1916 re-release ran 110 minutes.
Notes
- The cast list spells the lead Roy Glenister. The novel and some write-ups use Glennister.
- Jack McDonald, billed Jack F. McDonald, plays Slapjack.
- Wikidata also lists Alfred E. Green as a director. The Wikipedia credit is assistant director.
- Later films of the same novel came in 1923 (Noah Beery as McNamara), 1930 (Gary Cooper and Betty Compson), 1942 (John Wayne, Randolph Scott, and Marlene Dietrich), and 1955 (Jeff Chandler, Rory Calhoun, and Anne Baxter). Each keeps a long fight.
Scenes
- Helen Chester carries McNamara's documents to Alaska in place of a sick envoy.
- Glenister and McNamara fight it out in the saloon.
Influenced by
- Rex Beach's 1906 novel The Spoilers
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (The Spoilers (1914).webm)
