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{{Short description|1912 film}}
{{Infobox film {{Infobox film
| name = A Cure for Pokeritis | name = A Cure for Pokeritis
| image = A Cure for Pokeritis (Bunny and Finch).jpg | image = A Cure for Pokeritis (Bunny and Finch).jpg
| image_alt = A black-and-white film still of an overweight man, hands on hips, staring at a woman to the right. | alt = A black-and-white film still of an overweight man, hands on hips, staring at a woman to the right.
| caption = John Bunny and Flora Finch as George and Mary Brown | caption = John Bunny and Flora Finch as George and Mary Brown
| starring = {{Plainlist| | starring = {{Plainlist|
Line 16: Line 17:
| language = Silent film<br />English ] | language = Silent film<br />English ]
}} }}
'''''A Cure for Pokeritis''''' is a 1912 ] ] starring ] and ]. After Bunny's death, a re-release was announced with the alternative title '''''A Sure Cure for Pokeritis'''''. This domestic comedy depicts a woman who stops her husband's gambling habit by having her cousin stage a fake police raid on the weekly poker game. It was one of many similar shorts produced by ], whose popularity made Bunny and Finch early ]s. Although its style of humor is dated, it has been recognized as a historically important representative of its period and genre. '''''A Cure for Pokeritis''''' is a 1912 ] ] starring ] and ]. After Bunny's death in 1915, a re-release was announced with the alternative title '''''A Sure Cure for Pokeritis'''''. The film, a domestic comedy, depicts a woman who stops her husband's gambling habit by having her cousin stage a fake police raid on his weekly poker game. It was one of many similar shorts produced by ]—one-reel comedies starring Bunny and Finch in a domestic setting, known popularly as "Bunnygraphs" or "Bunnyfinches"—whose popularity made Bunny and Finch early ]s. The film has been recognized as an historically important representative of its period and genre.


==Plot== == Plot ==
Upon returning home from an evening spent losing at ], George Brown swears off ] forever. However, his friend Bigelow convinces him to secretly continue attending the weekly poker game and to tell his wife Mary that he has been admitted to the Sons of the Morning, a ], to explain his absences. When George ], she becomes suspicious and has her cousin Freddie Dewdrop follow him, allowing her to learn the truth. Together with the wives of the other poker players, she enacts a plan to end the gambling. Freddie and the members of his ] dress up as police officers and raid the game. The gamblers' wives then arrive, and the police leave the men to be scolded, purportedly in place of being arrested. As the film ends, the Browns reconcile.<ref name=VLP13 /> Upon returning home from an evening spent losing at ], George Brown swears off ] forever. However, his friend Bigelow convinces him to secretly continue attending the weekly poker game and to tell his wife Mary that he has been admitted to the Sons of the Morning, a ], to explain his absences. When George ], she becomes suspicious and has her cousin Freddie Dewdrop follow him, allowing her to learn the truth. Together with the wives of the other poker players, she enacts a plan to end the gambling. Freddie and the members of his ] dress up as police officers and raid the game. The gamblers' wives then arrive, and the "police" leave the men to be scolded, purportedly in place of being arrested. As the film ends, the Browns reconcile.<ref name=VLP13 />


==Cast== == Cast ==
The intended names of the characters played by John Bunny and Flora Finch are not entirely clear. In the film itself, the letter written to gather the wives together identifies the two main characters as Mary and George Brown. However, Vitagraph's ] included ]s for all of the studio's films. There, the main characters are referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Sharpe, and "Mr. Brown" is given as the name of one of the minor characters.<ref name=VLP13 /> It is not entirely clear what the names of the characters played by Bunny and Finch were intended to be. In the film, the letter written to gather the wives together identifies the two main characters as Mary and George Brown. However, a ] in Vitagraph's ] refers to the main characters as Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Sharpe, while "Mr. Brown" is given as the name of a minor character.<ref name=VLP13 />


* ] as Mr. Bunny Sharpe / George Brown * ] as Mr. Bunny Sharpe / George Brown
* ] as Mrs. Bunny Sharpe / Mary Brown * ] as Mrs. Bunny Sharpe / Mary Brown
* ] as Bunny's friend, Bigelow<ref name=TMPSM /> * ] as Bunny's friend Bigelow<ref name=TMPSM />
* ] as another friend * Harold Wilson as another friend
* ] as Bigelow's wife * ] as Bigelow's wife
* ] as another friend's wife * ] as another friend's wife
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* ] as the costumer * ] as the costumer


==Production== == Production ==
] ]
''A Cure for Pokeritis'' was one of many ] ] or shorter comedies starring Bunny and Finch in a domestic setting, known popularly as Bunnygraphs or Bunnyfinches.<ref name=LoC />{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=121}} The number of these shorts originally produced is unknown because Vitagraph's films were generally not archived.{{sfn |Brewster B. |2005 |pp=679–681}} Estimates vary considerably; totals in excess of 150,{{sfn |Slide A, Grevison A. |1987 |p=47}} 200,{{sfn |Brewster B. |2005 |pp=679–681}} or 260{{sfn |Lowe D. |2004 |p=208}} have been proposed. Most are now ].{{sfn |Cullen F. |2006 |p=157}} ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' was one of many ]'s ] or shorter comedies starring Bunny and Finch in a domestic setting, known popularly as "Bunnygraphs" or "Bunnyfinches".<ref name=LoC />{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=121}} The number of these shorts that were originally produced is unknown because Vitagraph's films were generally not archived.{{sfn |Brewster B. |2005 |pp=679–681}} Estimates vary considerably; totals in excess of 150,{{sfn |Slide A, Grevison A. |1987 |p=47}} 200,{{sfn |Brewster B. |2005 |pp=679–681}} or 260{{sfn |Lowe D. |2004 |p=208}} have been proposed. Most of the studio's films are now ].{{sfn |Cullen F. |2006 |p=157}}


The film was an early example of efforts to move beyond theater ] conventions. During the police raid, depth was demonstrated by having action take place in both the foreground and the background, and by allowing actors to move between them. This ] technique improved the realism and pacing of the scene.{{sfn |Keil C. |2002 |pp=133–134}}{{sfn |McCaffrey D. |1968 |p=16}} The film was an early example of efforts to move beyond theater ] conventions. During the police raid, depth was demonstrated by having action take place in both the foreground and the background, and by allowing actors to move between the spaces. This ] technique lent realism to the scene, and improved its pacing.{{sfn |Keil C. |2002 |pp=133–134}}{{sfn |McCaffrey D. |1968 |p=16}}


==Music== == Exhibition ==
Theaters projected silent films with a variety of musical accompaniment. Depending on the film and the venue, accompanying music might have been the performance of a live pianist or orchestra, recorded music, or absent entirely.{{sfn |Altman R. |2007 |pp=199–200}} Some films were distributed with ] indicating when music was to be played, or anthologies of specific songs to use as accompaniment.{{sfn |Marks MM. |1997 |p=68}} Especially between 1910 and 1912, these selections were often ],{{sfn |Altman R. |2007| p=223}} chosen because the song's title or lyrics related to the film in some way, in contrast to later efforts to provide music with appropriate ].{{sfn |Altman R. |2001 |p=22}} Beginning in 1910, Vitagraph provided lists of this nature for all of their films.{{sfn |Altman R. |2007 |p=256}} In the ], movies were accompanied by a variety of live and recorded music. Depending on the film and the venue, the music might have been the performance of a live pianist or orchestra, recorded music, or absent entirely.{{sfn |Altman R. |2007 |pp=199–200}} Some pictures were distributed with ] indicating when music was to be played, or anthologies of specific songs to use as accompaniment.{{sfn |Marks MM. |1997 |p=68}} Especially between 1910 and 1912, these selections were often ],{{sfn |Altman R. |2007| p=223}} chosen because the song's title or lyrics related to the film in some way, in contrast to later efforts to provide music with appropriate ].{{sfn |Altman R. |2001 |p=22}} Beginning in 1910, Vitagraph provided lists of this nature for all of their films.{{sfn |Altman R. |2007 |p=256}}


=== Music ===
Vitagraph's recommended music for ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' began with "I'm Glad I'm Married"{{efn|music by ], lyrics by ]<ref name=Copyright890 />}} and "I've Got My Eyes on You".{{efn|music by ], lyrics by ] and ]<ref name=UTSheet />}} The studio suggested either "I Don't Believe You"{{efn|music by Harry Von Tilzer, lyrics by ]<ref name=Copyright1344 />}} or "I'm an Honorary Member of the Patsy Club"{{efn|music by ], lyrics by ]<ref name=Copyright1345 />}} be played as George presented his purported lodge membership. His sleep-talking was to be accompanied by "If You Talk in Your Sleep, Don't Mention My Name",{{efn|music by ], lyrics by ], published by ]{{sfn |Jasen DA. |2002 |p=93}}}} followed by "Back to the Factory, Mary"{{efn|music and lyrics by ]<ref name=Copyright1616 />}} as Freddie investigates. "Whoops, My Dear"{{efn|music by ], lyrics by ], published by Jerome H. Remick<ref name=Copyright1422 />}} was to score the police raid, and "Don't Take Me Home"{{efn|music by Harry Von Tilzer, lyrics by ]<ref name=DTMH />}} would play as the film ended.<ref name=VLP14 /> Vitagraph's recommended music for ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' began with "I'm Glad I'm Married"{{efn|Music by ]; lyrics by ].<ref name=Copyright890 />}} and "I've Got My Eyes on You".{{efn|Music by ]; lyrics by ] and ].<ref name=UTSheet />}} The studio suggested either "I Don't Believe You"{{efn|Music by ]; lyrics by ].<ref name=Copyright1344 />}} or "I'm an Honorary Member of the Patsy Club"{{efn|Music by Harry Von Tilzer; lyrics by ].<ref name=Copyright1345 />}} be played as George presented his purported lodge membership. His sleep-talking was to be accompanied by "If You Talk in Your Sleep, Don't Mention My Name",{{efn|Music by ]; lyrics by ]; published by ].{{sfn |Jasen DA. |2002 |p=93}}}} followed by "Back to the Factory, Mary"{{efn|Music and lyrics by ].<ref name=Copyright1616 />}} as Freddie investigates. "Whoops, My Dear"{{efn|Music by Bert F. Grant; lyrics by ]; published by Jerome H. Remick.<ref name=Copyright1422 />}} was to score the police raid, and "Don't Take Me Home"{{efn|Music by Harry Von Tilzer; lyrics by ].<ref name=DTMH />}} would play as the film ended.<ref name=VLP14 />


==Reception and legacy== == Reception and legacy ==
The Bunnygraphs, as a genre, were representative of the cinema of the period,{{sfn |Brewster B. |2005 |pp=679–681}} and were very successful, making Bunny the first American comic film star and Finch the first female star comedian.<ref name=LoC />{{sfn |Cullen F. |2006 |p=157}} ''A Cure for Pokeritis'', released February 23, 1912,<ref name=VLP13/> was individually well-received, including in showings outside the United States. The ''Thames Star'', a New Zealand newspaper, described the film as "screamingly funny".<ref name=Thames /> After John Bunny's death, interest in his films led Vitagraph in 1917 to announce the re-release of this film (retitled ''A Sure Cure for Pokeritis''), along with many of his other works, as "Favorite Film Features".<ref name=Moto /> However, the comedy style of ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' has not aged well, especially in contrast to ]'s ] films and the works of later comedians such as ] and ].{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=59}}<ref name=Nuckols /> According to film scholars Donald McCaffrey and Christopher Jacobs, modern viewers "will hardly get a flicker of a smile" from the film, despite the skill of its actors.{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=59}} The Bunnygraphs, as a genre, were representative of the cinema of the period,{{sfn |Brewster B. |2005 |pp=679–681}} and were very successful, making Bunny the first American comic film star and Finch the first female star comedian.<ref name=LoC />{{sfn |Cullen F. |2006 |p=157}} ''A Cure for Pokeritis'', released February 23, 1912,<ref name=VLP13/> was individually well-received, including in showings outside the United States. The ''Thames Star'', a New Zealand newspaper, described the film as "screamingly funny".<ref name=Thames /> After John Bunny's death, interest in his films led Vitagraph in 1917 to announce the re-release of this film (retitled ''A Sure Cure for Pokeritis''), along with many of his other works, as "Favorite Film Features".<ref name=Moto /> However, the comedy style of ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' has not aged well, especially in contrast to ]'s ] films and the works of later comedians such as ] and ].{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=59}}<ref name=Nuckols /> According to film scholars Donald McCaffrey and Christopher Jacobs, modern viewers "will hardly get a flicker of a smile" from the film, despite the skill of its actors.{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=59}}


]'s ''Sitting up with a Sick Friend'' depicts a similar event, but with ] dog characters.]] ]'s ''Sitting up with a Sick Friend'' from the '']'' series depicts a similar event, but with ] dog characters.]]
The film's themes and its relationship to later works have been the subject of critical analysis. ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' may be the first depiction of poker in film, and provides insight into the public's perception of the game at the time as a male-dominated societal ill. This attitude, and a scene similar to the film's plot, is also present in ]'s painting ''Sitting up with a Sick Friend'', part of the ] series commissioned in 1903.<ref name=Harris /><ref name=CNN /> ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' has been compared to ] of both the 1940s and the end of the 20th century.{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=121}}{{sfn |King G. |2002 |p=23}} Film historian Wes Gehring of ] considers George to be a forerunner of the modern ] archetype and compares the Browns to ].{{sfn |Gehring WD. |2004 |p=62}} Other authors have examined the film's gender issues. ] wrote that the comedic aspects overlaid a conflict between ] and ] or ] values.{{sfn |Mast G. |1979|p=41}} ] lecturer Geoff King viewed the male lead's efforts to escape from an "imprisoning" wife to be a recurring theme in silent comedy,{{sfn |King G. |2002| p=130}} and film reviewer Peter Nash found the "fastidious and effeminate" Freddie an example of a contemporary gay stock character.<ref name=Nash /> The film's themes and its relationship to later works have been the subject of critical analysis. ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' may be the first depiction of poker in film, and provides insight into the public's perception of the game at the time as a male-dominated societal ill.{{efn|At the time, gambling was seen as so immoral that in many states, gambling debts were legally unenforceable. ''E.g.'', ''Menardi v. Wacker'', 32 Nev. 169, 105 P. 287, 288 (1909): “A check given for a gambling debt is void under the law of this state, and, there being no valid obligation, there could be no lawful consideration for the security as a pledge.”}} This attitude, and a scene similar to the film's plot, is also present in ]'s painting ''Sitting up with a Sick Friend'', part of the '']'' series commissioned in 1903.<ref name=Harris /><ref name=CNN /> ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' has been compared to ] of both the 1940s and the end of the 20th century.{{sfn |McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |1999 |p=121}}{{sfn |King G. |2002 |p=23}} Film historian Wes Gehring of ] considers George to be a forerunner of the modern ] archetype and compares the Browns to ].{{sfn |Gehring WD. |2004 |p=62}} Other authors have examined the film's gender issues. ] wrote that the comedic aspects overlaid a conflict between ] and ] or ] values.{{sfn |Mast G. |1979|p=41}} ] lecturer Geoff King viewed the male lead's efforts to escape from an "imprisoning" wife to be a recurring theme in silent comedy,{{sfn |King G. |2002| p=130}} and film reviewer Peter Nash found the "fastidious and effeminate" Freddie an example of a contemporary gay stock character.<ref name=Nash />


In 2011, this film was selected for preservation in the United States ] by the ] as being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" representative of the Bunnygraph films.<ref name=LoC /> In 2011, this film was selected for preservation in the United States ] by the ] as being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" representative of the Bunnygraph films.<ref name=LoC />


==Home media== == Home media ==
''A Cure for Pokeritis'' is in the ] and so is widely available, including online. In 1998, ] included it in ''Slapstick Encyclopedia'', an eight-volume ] collection of silent films<ref name=Johnson /> that was re-released in 2002 as a five-disc ] collection by ].<ref name=Bourne /> ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' is in the ] and so is widely available, including online. In 1998, ] included it in ''Slapstick Encyclopedia'', an eight-volume ] collection of silent films<ref name=Johnson /> that was re-released in 2002 as a five-disc ] collection by ].<ref name=Bourne />


==Notes== ==Notes==
{{notelist|2}} {{Notelist|30em}}


==References== == References ==
{{reflist|2|refs= {{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=Bourne>{{cite web |author=Bourne M. |title=Slapstick Encyclopedia |website=The DVD Journal |year=2002 |url=http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/s/slapstickencyclopedia.shtml |accessdate=2013-11-07}}</ref> <ref name=Bourne>{{cite web |author=Bourne M. |title=Slapstick Encyclopedia |website=The DVD Journal |year=2002 |url=http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/s/slapstickencyclopedia.shtml |access-date=November 7, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name=CNN>{{cite web |title='Dogs Playing Poker' sell for $590K |website=CNNMoney |date=2005-02-06 |url=http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/16/news/newsmakers/poker_dogs/ |accessdate=2014-03-09}}</ref> <ref name=CNN>{{cite web |title='Dogs Playing Poker' sell for $590K |website=CNNMoney |date=February 16, 2005 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/02/16/news/newsmakers/poker_dogs/ |access-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name=Copyright890>{{cite journal |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=3 |issue=40–44 |date=Oct 1908 |page=890}}</ref> <ref name=Copyright890>{{cite journal |title=none |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=3 |issue=40–44 |date=Oct 1908 |page=890}}</ref>
<ref name=Copyright1344>{{cite journal |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=5 |issue=44–47 |date=Nov 1910 |page=1344}}</ref> <ref name=Copyright1344>{{cite journal |title=none |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=5 |issue=44–47 |date=Nov 1910 |page=1344}}</ref>
<ref name=Copyright1345>{{cite journal |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=5 |issue=44–47 |date=Nov 1910 |page=1345}}</ref> <ref name=Copyright1345>{{cite journal |title=none |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=5 |issue=44–47 |date=Nov 1910 |page=1345}}</ref>
<ref name=Copyright1422>{{cite journal |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=5 |issue=44–47 |date=Nov 1910 |page=1422}}</ref> <ref name=Copyright1422>{{cite journal |title=none |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=5 |issue=44–47 |date=Nov 1910 |page=1422}}</ref>
<ref name=Copyright1616>{{cite journal |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=6 |issue=13 |date=1911 |page=1616}}</ref> <ref name=Copyright1616>{{cite journal |title=none |journal=Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions |series=new series |volume=6 |issue=13 |date=1911 |page=1616}}</ref>
<ref name=DTMH>{{cite web |title=Don't Take Me Home |website=National Jukebox |publisher=Library of Congress |url=http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/1465 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref> <ref name=DTMH>{{cite web |title=Don't Take Me Home |website=National Jukebox |publisher=Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/1465 |access-date=November 14, 2011|date=1908-07-13 }}</ref>
<ref name=Harris>{{cite web |author=Harris M. |title=Pop Poker: Poker and Pop-Culture Stigma in the Early 1900s |website=PokerListings |date=2013-02-05 |url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/pop-poker-poker-and-pop-culture-stigma-in-the-early-1900s-90954 |accessdate=2014-04-08}}</ref> <ref name=Harris>{{cite web |author=Harris M. |title=Pop Poker: Poker and Pop-Culture Stigma in the Early 1900s |website=PokerListings |date=February 5, 2013 |url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/pop-poker-poker-and-pop-culture-stigma-in-the-early-1900s-90954 |access-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name=Johnson>{{cite web |author=Johnson G. |title=Slapstick Encyclopedia |website=Images |issue=6 |page=2 |date=1998-08-04 |url=http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue06/reviews/slapstick1.htm |accessdate=2013-11-07}}</ref> <ref name=Johnson>{{cite web |author=Johnson G. |title=Slapstick Encyclopedia |website=Images |issue=6 |page=2 |date=August 4, 1998 |url=http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue06/reviews/slapstick1.htm |access-date=November 7, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name=LoC>{{cite press release |title=2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates |series=News from the Library of Congress |publisher=Library of Congress <ref name=LoC>{{cite press release |title=2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates |series=News from the Library of Congress |publisher=Library of Congress
|date=December 28, 2011 |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-11-240/2011-national-film-registry-more-than-a-box-of-chocolates/2011-12-28/ |issn=0731-3527 |access-date=February 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114151454/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-11-240/ |archive-date=November 14, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|date=2011-12-28 |url=http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2011/11-240.html |issn=0731-3527 |accessdate=2013-09-20}}</ref>
<ref name=Moto>{{cite journal |title=John Bunny is Back! |journal=Motography |date=1917-06-23 |volume=17 |issue=25 |page=1331 |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/motography17elec#page/1330/mode/2up}}</ref> <ref name=Moto>{{cite journal |title=John Bunny is Back! |journal=Motography |date=June 23, 1917 |volume=17 |issue=25 |page=1331 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motography17elec#page/1330/mode/2up}}</ref>
<ref name=Nash>{{cite web |author=Nash P. |title=A Cure for Pokeritis |website=Three Movie Buffs |date=2010-10-18 |url=http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review/cure-for-pokeritis |accessdate=2014-04-08}}</ref> <ref name=Nash>{{cite web |author=Nash P. |title=A Cure for Pokeritis |website=Three Movie Buffs |date=October 18, 2010 |url=http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review/cure-for-pokeritis |access-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name=Nuckols>{{cite news |author=Nuckols B. |title='Forrest Gump' to be preserved in US film registry |agency=Associated Press |date=2011-12-27 |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/27/forrest-gump-to-be-preserved-in-us-film-registry/ |accessdate=2013-10-17}}</ref> <ref name=Nuckols>{{cite news |author=Nuckols B. |title='Forrest Gump' to be preserved in US film registry |agency=Associated Press |date=December 27, 2011 |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/27/forrest-gump-to-be-preserved-in-us-film-registry/ |access-date=October 17, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name=PSFL>{{cite web |title=A Cure for Pokeritis (1912) |series=Progressive Silent Film List |website=Silent Era |date=2009-01-26 |url=http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/CureForPokeritis1912.html |accessdate=2013-09-20}}</ref> <ref name=PSFL>{{cite web |title=A Cure for Pokeritis (1912) |series=Progressive Silent Film List |website=Silent Era |date=January 26, 2009 |url=http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/CureForPokeritis1912.html |access-date=September 20, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name=Thames>{{cite news |title=Local and General |work=Thames Star |location=Thames, New Zealand |date=1912-09-14 |page=2 |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=THS19120914.1.2&e=-------10--1----0--}}</ref> <ref name=Thames>{{cite news |title=Local and General |work=Thames Star |location=Thames, New Zealand |date=September 14, 1912 |page=2 |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=THS19120914.1.2&e=-------10--1----0--}}</ref>
<ref name=TMPSM>{{cite journal |title=Responses to Inquires |journal=The Motion Picture Story Magazine |volume=4 |issue=12 |year=1912-12-01 |page=140 |url=http://archive.org/stream/motionpicturesto04moti#page/140/mode/2up}}</ref> <ref name=TMPSM>{{cite magazine |title=Answers to Inquires |journal=The Motion Picture Story Magazine |volume=4 |issue=12 |date=December 1, 1912 |page=140 |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturesto04moti#page/140/mode/2up}}</ref>
<ref name=UTSheet>{{cite web |title=I've Got My Eyes on You |work=The UT Sheet Music Collection |publisher=University of Tennessee |url=http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/utsmc/main.php?bid=1977 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref> <ref name=UTSheet>{{cite web |title=I've Got My Eyes on You |work=The UT Sheet Music Collection |publisher=University of Tennessee |url=http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/utsmc/main.php?bid=1977 |access-date=November 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529051419/http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/utsmc/main.php?bid=1977 |archive-date=2014-05-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name=VLP13>{{cite journal |title=A Cure for Pokeritis |journal=Vitagraph Life Portrayals |volume=1 |issue=16 |date=1912-02-17 |page=13}}</ref> <ref name=VLP13>{{cite journal |title=A Cure for Pokeritis |journal=Vitagraph Life Portrayals |volume=1 |issue=16 |date=February 17, 1912 |page=13}}</ref>
<ref name=VLP14>{{cite journal |title=Music Suggestions |journal=Vitagraph Life Portrayals |volume=1 |issue=16 |date=1912-02-17 |page=14}}</ref> <ref name=VLP14>{{cite journal |title=Music Suggestions |journal=Vitagraph Life Portrayals |volume=1 |issue=16 |date=February 17, 1912 |page=14}}</ref>
}} }}


==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |author=Altman R. |editor=Wojcik PR, Knight A. |title=Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music |chapter=Cinema and Popular Song: The Lost Tradition |year=2001 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-2800-1 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Altman R. |editor=Wojcik PR, Knight A. |title=Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music |chapter=Cinema and Popular Song: The Lost Tradition |year=2001 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-2800-1 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/soundtrackavaila00pame }}
* {{cite book |author=Altman R. |title=Silent Film Sound |series=Film and Culture |year=2007 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-11663-3 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Altman R. |title=Silent Film Sound |series=Film and Culture |year=2007 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-11663-3 }}
* {{cite book |author=Brewster B. |editor=Abel R. |title=Encyclopedia of Early Cinema |chapter=Vitagraph Company of America |year=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-23440-5 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Brewster B. |editor=Abel R. |title=Encyclopedia of Early Cinema |chapter=Vitagraph Company of America |year=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-23440-5 }}
* {{cite book |author=Cullen F. |title=Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-93853-2 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Cullen F. |title=Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-93853-2 }}
* {{cite book |author=Gehring WD. |title=Leo McCarey: From Marx to McCarthy |series=The Scarecrow Filmmakers |year=2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-5263-1 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Gehring WD. |title=Leo McCarey: From Marx to McCarthy |series=The Scarecrow Filmmakers |year=2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-5263-1 }}
* {{cite book |editor=Jasen DA. |title=A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899–1999) |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-415-93700-9 |page=93 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |editor=Jasen DA. |title=A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899–1999) |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-415-93700-9 |page=93 }}
* {{cite book |author=Keil C. |title=Early American Cinema in Transition: Story, Style, and Filmmaking, 1907–1913 |series=Wisconsin Studies in Film |year=2002 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=978-0-299-17364-7 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Keil C. |title=Early American Cinema in Transition: Story, Style, and Filmmaking, 1907–1913 |series=Wisconsin Studies in Film |year=2002 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=978-0-299-17364-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/earlyamericancin0000keil }}
* {{cite book |author=King G. |title=Film Comedy |year=2002 |publisher=Wallflower Press |isbn=978-1-903364-35-2 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=King G. |title=Film Comedy |year=2002 |publisher=Wallflower Press |isbn=978-1-903364-35-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/filmcomedy0000king }}
* {{cite book |author=Lowe D. |title=An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films: 1895–1930 |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7890-1843-4 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Lowe D. |title=An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films: 1895–1930 |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7890-1843-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9790874369709_b7n2 }}
* {{cite book |author=Marks MM. |title=Music and the Silent Film: Contexts and Case Studies, 1895–1924 |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-506891-7 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Marks MM. |title=Music and the Silent Film: Contexts and Case Studies, 1895–1924 |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-506891-7 }}
* {{cite book |author=Mast G. |title=The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies |year=1979 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-226-50978-5 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Mast G. |title=The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies |year=1979 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-226-50978-5 }}
* {{cite book |author=McCaffrey D. |title=4 Great Comedians: Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Langdon |year=1968 |series=International Film Guide Series |publisher=Zwemmer |oclc=309961 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=McCaffrey D. |title=4 Great Comedians: Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Langdon |year=1968 |series=International Film Guide Series |publisher=Zwemmer |oclc=309961 }}
* {{cite book |author=McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |title=Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema |series=Reference Guides to the World's Cinema |year=1999 |publisher=Greenwood |isbn=978-0-313-30345-6 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. |title=Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema |series=Reference Guides to the World's Cinema |year=1999 |publisher=Greenwood |isbn=978-0-313-30345-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/guidetosilentyea00mcca }}
* {{cite book |author=Slide A, Grevison A. |title=The Big V: A History of the Vitagraph Company |year=1987 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-2030-2 |ref=harv }} * {{cite book |author=Slide A, Grevison A. |title=The Big V: A History of the Vitagraph Company |year=1987 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-2030-2 }}


==External links== ==External links==
*'''' – essay by Steve Massa on the ] website
*{{Internet Archive |id=ACureForPokeritis |name=A Cure for Pokeritis}} *{{Internet Archive |id=ACureForPokeritis |name=''A Cure for Pokeritis''}}
*{{IMDb title|id=tt0002124|title=A Cure for Pokeritis}} *{{IMDb title|id=tt0002124|title=A Cure for Pokeritis}}

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Latest revision as of 20:02, 26 December 2024

1912 film
A Cure for Pokeritis
A black-and-white film still of an overweight man, hands on hips, staring at a woman to the right.John Bunny and Flora Finch as George and Mary Brown
Directed byLaurence Trimble
Starring
Production
company		Vitagraph Company of America
Distributed byGeneral Film Company
Release date
  • February 23, 1912 (1912-02-23)
Running time13 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles

A Cure for Pokeritis is a 1912 short silent film starring John Bunny and Flora Finch. After Bunny's death in 1915, a re-release was announced with the alternative title A Sure Cure for Pokeritis. The film, a domestic comedy, depicts a woman who stops her husband's gambling habit by having her cousin stage a fake police raid on his weekly poker game. It was one of many similar shorts produced by Vitagraph Studios—one-reel comedies starring Bunny and Finch in a domestic setting, known popularly as "Bunnygraphs" or "Bunnyfinches"—whose popularity made Bunny and Finch early film stars. The film has been recognized as an historically important representative of its period and genre.

Plot

Upon returning home from an evening spent losing at poker, George Brown swears off gambling forever. However, his friend Bigelow convinces him to secretly continue attending the weekly poker game and to tell his wife Mary that he has been admitted to the Sons of the Morning, a fraternal lodge, to explain his absences. When George sleep-talks, she becomes suspicious and has her cousin Freddie Dewdrop follow him, allowing her to learn the truth. Together with the wives of the other poker players, she enacts a plan to end the gambling. Freddie and the members of his Bible study group dress up as police officers and raid the game. The gamblers' wives then arrive, and the "police" leave the men to be scolded, purportedly in place of being arrested. As the film ends, the Browns reconcile.

Cast

It is not entirely clear what the names of the characters played by Bunny and Finch were intended to be. In the film, the letter written to gather the wives together identifies the two main characters as Mary and George Brown. However, a cast list in Vitagraph's in-house publication refers to the main characters as Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Sharpe, while "Mr. Brown" is given as the name of a minor character.

Production

A Cure for Pokeritis (1912)

A Cure for Pokeritis was one of many Vitagraph's one-reel or shorter comedies starring Bunny and Finch in a domestic setting, known popularly as "Bunnygraphs" or "Bunnyfinches". The number of these shorts that were originally produced is unknown because Vitagraph's films were generally not archived. Estimates vary considerably; totals in excess of 150, 200, or 260 have been proposed. Most of the studio's films are now considered lost.

The film was an early example of efforts to move beyond theater blocking conventions. During the police raid, depth was demonstrated by having action take place in both the foreground and the background, and by allowing actors to move between the spaces. This cinematography technique lent realism to the scene, and improved its pacing.

Exhibition

In the silent era, movies were accompanied by a variety of live and recorded music. Depending on the film and the venue, the music might have been the performance of a live pianist or orchestra, recorded music, or absent entirely. Some pictures were distributed with cue sheets indicating when music was to be played, or anthologies of specific songs to use as accompaniment. Especially between 1910 and 1912, these selections were often popular music, chosen because the song's title or lyrics related to the film in some way, in contrast to later efforts to provide music with appropriate texture. Beginning in 1910, Vitagraph provided lists of this nature for all of their films.

Music

Vitagraph's recommended music for A Cure for Pokeritis began with "I'm Glad I'm Married" and "I've Got My Eyes on You". The studio suggested either "I Don't Believe You" or "I'm an Honorary Member of the Patsy Club" be played as George presented his purported lodge membership. His sleep-talking was to be accompanied by "If You Talk in Your Sleep, Don't Mention My Name", followed by "Back to the Factory, Mary" as Freddie investigates. "Whoops, My Dear" was to score the police raid, and "Don't Take Me Home" would play as the film ended.

Reception and legacy

The Bunnygraphs, as a genre, were representative of the cinema of the period, and were very successful, making Bunny the first American comic film star and Finch the first female star comedian. A Cure for Pokeritis, released February 23, 1912, was individually well-received, including in showings outside the United States. The Thames Star, a New Zealand newspaper, described the film as "screamingly funny". After John Bunny's death, interest in his films led Vitagraph in 1917 to announce the re-release of this film (retitled A Sure Cure for Pokeritis), along with many of his other works, as "Favorite Film Features". However, the comedy style of A Cure for Pokeritis has not aged well, especially in contrast to Mack Sennett's slapstick films and the works of later comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. According to film scholars Donald McCaffrey and Christopher Jacobs, modern viewers "will hardly get a flicker of a smile" from the film, despite the skill of its actors.

A painting of dogs sitting around a table.
Coolidge's Sitting up with a Sick Friend from the Dogs Playing Poker series depicts a similar event, but with anthropomorphized dog characters.

The film's themes and its relationship to later works have been the subject of critical analysis. A Cure for Pokeritis may be the first depiction of poker in film, and provides insight into the public's perception of the game at the time as a male-dominated societal ill. This attitude, and a scene similar to the film's plot, is also present in Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's painting Sitting up with a Sick Friend, part of the Dogs Playing Poker series commissioned in 1903. A Cure for Pokeritis has been compared to sitcoms of both the 1940s and the end of the 20th century. Film historian Wes Gehring of Ball State University considers George to be a forerunner of the modern antihero archetype and compares the Browns to Laurel and Hardy. Other authors have examined the film's gender issues. Gerald Mast wrote that the comedic aspects overlaid a conflict between masculinity and moralist or feminist values. Brunel University lecturer Geoff King viewed the male lead's efforts to escape from an "imprisoning" wife to be a recurring theme in silent comedy, and film reviewer Peter Nash found the "fastidious and effeminate" Freddie an example of a contemporary gay stock character.

In 2011, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" representative of the Bunnygraph films.

Home media

A Cure for Pokeritis is in the public domain and so is widely available, including online. In 1998, Kino International included it in Slapstick Encyclopedia, an eight-volume VHS collection of silent films that was re-released in 2002 as a five-disc DVD collection by Image Entertainment.

Notes

  1. Music by Albert Von Tilzer; lyrics by Jack Norworth.
  2. Music by Theodore F. Morse; lyrics by F. W. Hager and J. Ringelben.
  3. Music by Harry Von Tilzer; lyrics by William Dillon.
  4. Music by Harry Von Tilzer; lyrics by Andrew B. Sterling.
  5. Music by Nat D. Ayer; lyrics by A. Seymour Brown; published by Jerome H. Remick.
  6. Music and lyrics by Clarence Gaskill.
  7. Music by Bert F. Grant; lyrics by Billy J. Morrissey; published by Jerome H. Remick.
  8. Music by Harry Von Tilzer; lyrics by Vincent P. Bryan.
  9. At the time, gambling was seen as so immoral that in many states, gambling debts were legally unenforceable. E.g., Menardi v. Wacker, 32 Nev. 169, 105 P. 287, 288 (1909): “A check given for a gambling debt is void under the law of this state, and, there being no valid obligation, there could be no lawful consideration for the security as a pledge.”

References

  1. "A Cure for Pokeritis (1912)". Silent Era. Progressive Silent Film List. January 26, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  2. ^ "A Cure for Pokeritis". Vitagraph Life Portrayals. 1 (16): 13. February 17, 1912.
  3. "Answers to Inquires". The Motion Picture Story Magazine. Vol. 4, no. 12. December 1, 1912. p. 140.
  4. ^ "2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates" (Press release). News from the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. December 28, 2011. ISSN 0731-3527. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  5. ^ McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. 1999, p. 121.
  6. ^ Brewster B. 2005, pp. 679–681.
  7. Slide A, Grevison A. 1987, p. 47.
  8. Lowe D. 2004, p. 208.
  9. ^ Cullen F. 2006, p. 157.
  10. Keil C. 2002, pp. 133–134.
  11. McCaffrey D. 1968, p. 16.
  12. Altman R. 2007, pp. 199–200.
  13. Marks MM. 1997, p. 68.
  14. Altman R. 2007, p. 223.
  15. Altman R. 2001, p. 22.
  16. Altman R. 2007, p. 256.
  17. Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 3 (40–44): 890. Oct 1908.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  18. "I've Got My Eyes on You". The UT Sheet Music Collection. University of Tennessee. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  19. Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 5 (44–47): 1344. Nov 1910.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  20. Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 5 (44–47): 1345. Nov 1910.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  21. Jasen DA. 2002, p. 93.
  22. Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 6 (13): 1616. 1911.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  23. Catalogue of Copyright Entries Part 3: Musical Compositions. new series. 5 (44–47): 1422. Nov 1910.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  24. "Don't Take Me Home". National Jukebox. Library of Congress. 1908-07-13. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  25. "Music Suggestions". Vitagraph Life Portrayals. 1 (16): 14. February 17, 1912.
  26. "Local and General". Thames Star. Thames, New Zealand. September 14, 1912. p. 2.
  27. "John Bunny is Back!". Motography. 17 (25): 1331. June 23, 1917.
  28. ^ McCaffrey D, Jacobs CP. 1999, p. 59.
  29. Nuckols B. (December 27, 2011). "'Forrest Gump' to be preserved in US film registry". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  30. Harris M. (February 5, 2013). "Pop Poker: Poker and Pop-Culture Stigma in the Early 1900s". PokerListings. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  31. "'Dogs Playing Poker' sell for $590K". CNNMoney. February 16, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  32. King G. 2002, p. 23.
  33. Gehring WD. 2004, p. 62.
  34. Mast G. 1979, p. 41.
  35. King G. 2002, p. 130.
  36. Nash P. (October 18, 2010). "A Cure for Pokeritis". Three Movie Buffs. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  37. Johnson G. (August 4, 1998). "Slapstick Encyclopedia". Images. p. 2. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  38. Bourne M. (2002). "Slapstick Encyclopedia". The DVD Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2013.

Bibliography

External links

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