The Diamond from the Sky
Encyclopedia
The Diamond from the Sky was a 1915
silent era
adventure
motion picture
serial starring Lottie Pickford
, Irving Cummings
, Charlotte Burton
, and William Russell.
Directed
by Jacques Jaccard
and William Desmond Taylor
, the film is considered to be lost
.
of the Stanley family, while the two reels of the first chapter show the intense rivalry between Colonel Arthur Stanley and Judge
Lamar Stanley, Virginia
aristocrat
s and descendants of Lord Arthur Stanley, two hundred years later.
When a girl is born to the young wife of Colonel Arthur Stanley, the latter, to retain an earldom and “The Diamond From the Sky,” buys a new born Gypsy baby boy and substitutes it for his own babe. Judge Lamar Stanley visits Colonel Arthur Stanley’s home to see the child just as Hagar, the gypsy woman, bursts into the room to demand her boy, and the colonel
falls unconscious across the library
table.
. A prize of $5,000 was offered for its completion, which was won by Terry Ramsaye.
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
silent era
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
adventure
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
serial starring Lottie Pickford
Lottie Pickford
Lottie Pickford was a Canadian-born silent film actress, socialite, and sister to Mary Pickford and Jack Pickford. Her career is often overshadowed by that of her siblings and though she was a notable figure in the 1920s her films and role in the Pickford acting family is now largely forgotten...
, Irving Cummings
Irving Cummings
Irving Cummings , born Irving Camisky in New York City, New York was an American movie actor, director, producer and writer....
, Charlotte Burton
Charlotte Burton
Charlotte Burton was an American silent film actress.-Career:Born in San Francisco, Burton was signed by the American Company in 1912 where she worked for several years. She joined Essanay Studio which she sued in 1919 for $25,000 for breach of contract...
, and William Russell.
Directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Jacques Jaccard
Jacques Jaccard
Jacques Jaccard was an American film director, writer and actor whose achievements in cinema were mostly in silent film....
and William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s...
, the film is considered to be lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
Plot
The prologue, in the serial's first episode, "A Heritage of Hate", depicts the finding of “The Diamond From the Sky” which later becomes the heirloomHeirloom
In popular usage, an heirloom is something, perhaps an antique or some kind of jewelry, that has been passed down for generations through family members....
of the Stanley family, while the two reels of the first chapter show the intense rivalry between Colonel Arthur Stanley and Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
Lamar Stanley, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
s and descendants of Lord Arthur Stanley, two hundred years later.
When a girl is born to the young wife of Colonel Arthur Stanley, the latter, to retain an earldom and “The Diamond From the Sky,” buys a new born Gypsy baby boy and substitutes it for his own babe. Judge Lamar Stanley visits Colonel Arthur Stanley’s home to see the child just as Hagar, the gypsy woman, bursts into the room to demand her boy, and the colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
falls unconscious across the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
table.
Other cast
- Lottie PickfordLottie PickfordLottie Pickford was a Canadian-born silent film actress, socialite, and sister to Mary Pickford and Jack Pickford. Her career is often overshadowed by that of her siblings and though she was a notable figure in the 1920s her films and role in the Pickford acting family is now largely forgotten...
.... Esther Stanley, the Gypsy Heroine. The role was originally offered to her sister Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. - Eugenie FordeEugenie FordeEugenie Forde was an American silent film actress.She starred in a total of 73 films between 1912 and 1927 in films such as The Diamond from the Sky and Wives and Other Wives with actors such as Charlotte Burton and William Garwood.She was the mother of actress Victoria Forde.-Selected...
.... Hagar Harding - George PeriolatGeorge PeriolatGeorge Periolat was an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, George Periolat began his career as a Broadway actor. Making his film debut with the Essanay Studios in Chicago, he moved to Hollywood in 1911 and starred in over 170 films throughout his career...
.... Luke Lovell - Orral Humphrey .... Marmaduke Smythe
- William TedmarshWilliam TedmarshWilliam Tedmarsh was an English-American early silent film actor.Born in London Tedmarsh moved to New York as a young boy and began stage acting...
.... Quabba, the Hunchback - Hart HoxieJack HoxieJack Hoxie was an American rodeo performer and motion picture actor whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1930s...
.... Matt Hardigan - George Field
- Rhea MitchellRhea MitchellRhea Mitchell was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. She earned the name of "the little stunt girl" because of her willingness to attempt thrilling scenes in motion pictures....
- Roy StewartRoy Stewart (silent film actor)Roy Stewart was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 138 films between 1915 and 1933.He was born in San Diego, California and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
- Charles Watt
Chapter Titles
- A Heritage of Hate
- An Eye For An Eye
- The Silent Witness
- The Prodigal's Progress
- For The Sake of A False Friend
- Shadows at Sunrise
- The Fox and The Pig
- A Mind In The Past
- A Runaway Match
- Old Foes With New Faces
- The Web of Destiny
- To The Highest Bidder
- The Man In The Mask
- For Love And Money
- Desperate Chances
- The Path of Peril
- The King of Diamonds and the Queen of Hearts
- The Charm Against Harm
- Fire, Fury And Confusion
- The Soul Stranglers
- The Lion's Bride
- The Rose In The Dust
- The Double Cross
- The Mad Millionaire
- A House of Cards
- The Garden of The Gods
- Mine Own People
- On the Wings of the Morning
- A Deal With Destiny
- The American Earl
Production
The story was purposely left unfinished, in the same manner as The Million Dollar MysteryThe Million Dollar Mystery
The Million Dollar Mystery is a twenty three chapter film serial. It was directed by Howell Hansel, and starred Florence La Badie. It was produced by Thanhouser Film Corporation, and was their biggest success, largely due to the popularity of La Badie. During the filming, La Badie performed her...
. A prize of $5,000 was offered for its completion, which was won by Terry Ramsaye.