The Devil at His Elbow (1916)
Drama | 31 July 1916
Director:
Burton L. KingWriters:
Wallace O. Clifton, Aaron HoffmanProducers:
Alice Guy Blaché, Herbert BlachéProduction Company:
Popular Plays and Players, Inc.Items in the 18 March 1916 Motography and Motion Picture News announced that filming was underway on Hearts Aflame (this picture’s working title), director Burton L. King’s first production since his recent move to Metro Pictures Corp. This also marked the first Metro picture for lead actors Dorothy Green and Clifford Bruce, as noted in the 29 April 1916 Motography. Shooting took place at the Popular Plays and Players, Inc. studio on West 35th Street in New York City and was completed by 1 April 1916, according to that day’s Motion Picture News, which referred to it as Souls of Flame. The 29 April 1916 Motography used the title Souls Aflame. A final title change to The Devil at His Elbow was indicated in a 28 July 1916 Variety advertisement, which listed Harry Revier as Burton L. King’s supervisor.
Theatrical release occurred on 31 July 1916. A positive review in the 6 August 1916 [Minneapolis, MN] Star Tribune stated that the film “draws with a sure hand a picture of what drink and a woman can do to a strong man.”
According to the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database, this film is extant. ...
Items in the 18 March 1916 Motography and Motion Picture News announced that filming was underway on Hearts Aflame (this picture’s working title), director Burton L. King’s first production since his recent move to Metro Pictures Corp. This also marked the first Metro picture for lead actors Dorothy Green and Clifford Bruce, as noted in the 29 April 1916 Motography. Shooting took place at the Popular Plays and Players, Inc. studio on West 35th Street in New York City and was completed by 1 April 1916, according to that day’s Motion Picture News, which referred to it as Souls of Flame. The 29 April 1916 Motography used the title Souls Aflame. A final title change to The Devil at His Elbow was indicated in a 28 July 1916 Variety advertisement, which listed Harry Revier as Burton L. King’s supervisor.
Theatrical release occurred on 31 July 1916. A positive review in the 6 August 1916 [Minneapolis, MN] Star Tribune stated that the film “draws with a sure hand a picture of what drink and a woman can do to a strong man.”
According to the Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database, this film is extant.
Souls Aflame
Souls of Flame
Engineer John Ashton is preparing a new submarine for the government, but has only a few days left to complete it. Thinking it will help him stay alert, he starts drinking, even though his fiancée, Grace Sealey, urges against it. After days of drinking and no rest, John finally falls asleep and dreams that Grace has broken off the engagement because of his drunkenness, that he has been shanghaied by a freighter captain and that he has married Meg, a prostitute. Then John completes the submarine, but it sinks at its launching. He blames Meg, because she had kept him drunk, thinking that he only loved her when he was intoxicated. Just as he is about to kill her, John wakes up, swears off whiskey forever and marries Grace ...
Engineer John Ashton is preparing a new submarine for the government, but has only a few days left to complete it. Thinking it will help him stay alert, he starts drinking, even though his fiancée, Grace Sealey, urges against it. After days of drinking and no rest, John finally falls asleep and dreams that Grace has broken off the engagement because of his drunkenness, that he has been shanghaied by a freighter captain and that he has married Meg, a prostitute. Then John completes the submarine, but it sinks at its launching. He blames Meg, because she had kept him drunk, thinking that he only loved her when he was intoxicated. Just as he is about to kill her, John wakes up, swears off whiskey forever and marries Grace immediately.
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