Top of page

Film, Video Fate's turning Variant title: Fate's turning, the disaster of a false step averted

digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • Fate's turning

Other Title

  • Variant title: Fate's turning, the disaster of a false step averted

Summary

  • John Lawson, Jr. has taken over the family business due to the illness of his father, and he has suffered a nervous breakdown. His father,regaining health, suggests the son take a rest at a summer hotel. John bids adieu to his fiancee, only to become smitten by Mary, a pretty hotel waitress. He promises to marry her. John is called home urgently when his father's health declines; his father dies. John forgets the waitress until a letter arrives from her. John, having become a respectable businessman, replies to her that he will not marry her. Mary visits his home during a "doll party," encountering John's first fiancee and John, both of whom treat her badly. Learning that John is to be married, Mary takes her baby to the site of the wedding; the fiancee and her mother leave. John's false pride evaporates, and he dutifully and joyfully marries Mary.

Names

  • Griffith, D. W. (David Wark), 1875-1948, direction
  • Bitzer, G. W., 1872-1944, camera
  • West, Charles H., 1885-1943, cast
  • Bernard, Dorothy, 1890-1955, cast
  • Grandon, Francis J., 1879-1929, cast
  • McDowell, Clare, 1877-1966, cast
  • Arvidson, Linda, 1884-1949, cast
  • Pickford, Lottie, 1895-1936, cast
  • Crisp, Donald, 1880-1974, cast
  • Johnson, Arthur V., 1876-1916, cast
  • West, Dorothy, 1891-1980, cast
  • Longfellow, Stephanie, cast
  • Lañoe, J. J. (Joseph Jiquel), 1875- cast
  • Toncray, Kate, 1880-1927, cast
  • Evans, Frank (Actor) cast
  • Biograph Company
  • General Film Company
  • AFI/Foley (Ed) Collection (Library of Congress)
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • United States : General Film Company, 1911.

Headings

  • -  Love--Drama
  • -  Betrothal--Drama
  • -  Betrayal--Drama
  • -  Truthfulness and falsehood--Drama
  • -  Unmarried mothers--Drama
  • -  Illegitimate children--Drama

Genre

  • Melodramas (Motion pictures)
  • Silent films
  • Short films
  • Fiction films

Notes

  • -  J151150 U.S. Copyright Office
  • -  Copyright: Biograph Co.; 25Jan1911; J151150.
  • -  Charles H. West (John Lawson, Jr.), Dorothy Bernard (Mary, a waitress), Francis J. Grandon (Doctor), Claire McDowell, Linda Arvidson, Lottie Pickford, Donald Crisp (valet), Arthur Johnson, Dorothy West, Stephanie Longfellow (fiancee), Grace Henderson (mother), Adolph Lestina (Minister), Edward Dillon, J. Jiquel Lanoe, Kate Toncray, Elmer Booth, Alfred Paget, Jack Pickford, John T. Dillon, Frank Evans, Edwin August, Marion Sunshine, Guy Hedlund.
  • -  Cinematography, Billy Bitzer.
  • -  Incomplete: 35 mm. print and neg: part of picture and end title lacking.
  • -  Photographed in the Biograph studio, New York City, Dec. 3-6, 1910.
  • -  Parts of summary taken from Biograph bulletins, 1908-1912, p. 267.
  • -  Biograph production no. 3780.
  • -  Paper print shelf number (LC 2394) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
  • -  Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Stewart, J., Biograph bulletins, 1908-1912, p. 267; Moving picture world, v. 8, no. 1, p. 202; Moving picture news, v. 4, no. 4, p. 24; American film index, 1908-1915; Graham, C., D.W. Griffith and the Biograph Company, p. 103; Niver's Early motion pictures, p. 99; Internet movie database WWW site, viewed December 7, 2015.
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.

Medium

  • 1 video file (digital, MPEG-4) (ca. 11 min.) : si., b&w.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (388 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (inc.) (791 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (388 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (inc.) (791 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • paper pos 1 roll (ca. 1,100 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • FLA 5375 (viewing print)
  • FEB 6815 (viewing print)
  • FRA 2283 (dupe neg pic)
  • FPE 0761 (dupe neg pic)
  • Box 0392A (paper pos)

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 92507749

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright or other restrictions in the vast majority of motion pictures in these collections. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse.

In rare cases, copyrighted motion pictures are made available by special permission to the Library and may be used only for educational purposes. For example, the Gershwin home movies fall within this category. Rights assessment is your responsibility. No registration information exists for some titles, and reproduction of some titles may be restricted by privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Additionally, some works may still be protected by copyright in the United States or some foreign countries. The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions.

Whenever possible, we provide information that we have about copyright owners and related matters in the catalog records, finding aids and other texts that accompany collections. You should consult the catalog information that accompanies each item for specific information. This catalog data provides the details known to the Library of Congress regarding the corresponding item and may assist you in making independent assessments of the legal status of these items for their desired uses. You should also consult restrictions associated with donations to the Library.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., Camera, Charles H West, Dorothy Bernard, Francis J Grandon, Clare McDowell, Linda Arvidson, Lottie Pickford, et al. Fate's Turning. directeds by Griffith, D. W. , Ection United States: General Film Company, 1911. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/92507749/.

APA citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., West, C. H., Bernard, D., Grandon, F. J., McDowell, C., Arvidson, L. [...] Paper Print Collection. (1911) Fate's Turning. Griffith, D. W., dir United States: General Film Company. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/92507749/.

MLA citation style:

Bitzer, G. W., Camera, et al. Fate's Turning. dir by Griffith, D. W. , Ection United States: General Film Company, 1911. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/92507749/>.