Author Archive: Retro

An old carpenter starts off for work, leaving at home a wife old and ill. At the shop a new foreman is put in charge, and a weeding of the old hands takes place, as the employer insists upon an infusion of young blood among his employees, hence the old man with others suffers the penalty of being old, discharged. At his age he finds it impossible to obtain employment, and having been active and independent all his life is too proud to seek charity. Later, his savings having been exhausted and his wife now seriously ill, starvation promises to be their lot. He goes out to make a last effort for work, and on his way to make a last effort for work, and on his way passes a residence before which stops an automobile. Two ladies alight, one carrying a dog, for which the couple show great solicitude and care. As he views [...]

A man tells his grandchildren about prehistoric man. Weakhands is unable to court a woman because of his physical weakness. Humiliated by Bruteforce, he bumps into Lillywhite, who has also been cowering since her mother died. But when they venture out in search of breakfast, Bruteforce separates the couple and sends Weakhands scrambling into a cave. There, he hits upon the design for a club: A rock on the end of a stick. With this equalizer, he soon vanquishes Bruteforce and wins Lillywhite back again.

A stranger comes to work at widow Halla’s farm. Halla and the stranger fall in love, but when he is revealed as Eyvind, an escaped thief forced into crime by his family’s starvation, they flee and become two of the many outlaws of Iceland’s mountains.

A mild-mannered man’s problems with his domineering wife and mother-in-law lead to complications with the law.

On a warm and sunny summer’s day, a mother and father take their young daughter Dollie on a riverside outing. A gypsy basket peddler happens along, and is angered when the mother refuses to buy his wares. He attacks mother and daughter but is driven off by the father. Later the gypsy sneaks back and kidnaps the girl. A rescue party is organized but the gypsy conceals the child in a 30 gallon barrel which he precariously places on the tail of the wagon. He and his gypsy-wife make their getaway by fording the river with the wagon. The barrel, with Dollie still inside, breaks free, tumbling into into the river; it starts floating toward the peril of a nearby waterfall .

A woman appears on a stage and conjures up several large eggs. When each egg is opened a dancing midget or midgets is revealed to be inside, and in turn each midget does a brief dance. To end the act the woman turns the eggs into babies.