The Thunderbolt

1912 Drama 14 minutes

Open in new tab

About The Thunderbolt

A dishonest broker, played by James Cruze, is about to be arrested and is ready to run. A neighbor who has been poor all his life, David Thompson, has just inherited $10,000 and asks the broker to invest it. Mignon Anderson plays the broker's daughter as an adult. Jean Darnell plays the poor man's wife. William Garwood plays their son as an adult.

Cast & crew

More about The Thunderbolt

Thanhouser produced the short. Film Supply Company distributed it. Released 26 November 1912. A circulating copy runs 13 minutes 50 seconds. No director is named on the usual credits. Helen Badgley is also on the cast lists.

Themes

  • A legacy handed to a thief
  • A broker about to flee
  • The children grown
  • James Cruze
  • William Garwood
  • Thanhouser
  • $10,000
  • broker

Making

Thanhouser cast Cruze as the broker and Garwood and Anderson as the next generation.

Preservation

A print of about 14 minutes is on Wikimedia Commons.

Notes

  • The Moving Picture World outline stops at the neighbor handing the legacy to the broker.
  • The title is the thunderbolt. The surviving cast list is built so the children appear as adults, which means the story jumps years after the theft.

Scenes

  • The neighbor walks in with the $10,000 just as the broker is preparing to run.

Also available

  • Wikimedia Commons (The Thunderbolt (1912).webm)