His Last Call - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

Cyril Huntington, a one-time Broadway star favorite and originator of the part of "The Soldier" in "The Soldier of the Empire," is unable to secure an engagement on account of his age, gray hair, old style of acting, etc. Illness and other...See moreCyril Huntington, a one-time Broadway star favorite and originator of the part of "The Soldier" in "The Soldier of the Empire," is unable to secure an engagement on account of his age, gray hair, old style of acting, etc. Illness and other misfortunes have dwindled his savings to almost nothing, so that he is in dire circumstances. At the booking offices He receives such answers as "tomorrow at eleven," "stop in some time next week," etc. The boys on the Rialto turn a deaf ear to him and his hand is shaken only by his brother professionals in his own predicament or worse. In the theatrical boarding house, where he has lived for years, he is in arrears for four weeks' board and is saved from eviction by the kind loan of a chorus girl. Next morning, Huntington learns from the newspapers that his old manager, Steven Adams, for whom he had laid the foundation of a fortune, is to have a revival of "The Soldier of the Empire," the play he made famous in the portrayal of "The Soldier." He goes to Adam's office, and begs to be allowed to play his old part, but is refused, as Adams wants a younger man to play it. He is finally dismissed with a pass for the opening performance. Crestfallen and broken-hearted, the first night finds him in the last row of an aisle seat. Ralph Morton, the leading man, greatly under the influence of liquor, is unable to go on with the performance, and Adams, looking through the peephole of the curtain, decides as a last resort to have Huntington go on for his old part. An usher is sent for him and after assuring Adams that he remembers the lines perfectly, is told to go ahead. Some of the old-timers in the audience remember him and he makes a bigger hit than the revival itself. He is called before the curtain many times and makes a short speech. On his return, behind the curtain, the excitement, the congratulations of his fellow-actors, prove too much of a shock. His head falls back and with a smile on his lips, he expires. Adams, close by, reverently tells the boys that Huntington has made "His Last Call." Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less