A Timely Interception

A Timely Interception
Directed byD. W. Griffith
Written byChristy Cabanne
StarringW. Chrystie Miller
CinematographyG. W. Bitzer
Distributed byGeneral Film Company
Release dates
  • June 7, 1913 (1913-06-07) (U.S.)
  • July 9, 1913 (1913-07-09) (U.S. reissue)
Running time
17 minutes (16 frame/s)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

A Timely Interception is a 1913 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film was reissued by Biograph in 1915.

Preservation status

The film has been preserved and is held in the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. It has been released on VHS as well.

Plot

Jed Simmons, an aging farmer, has spent years saving to support his daughter Jennie's marriage to his adopted son Joe. Just as he secures the necessary funds, he receives word that his brother Jim has lost his job in the nearby oil fields and that Jim's young daughter is gravely ill. Jed sacrifices the savings he intended as Jennie's dowry to cover medical expenses, and the wedding is postponed.

Although Jed has quietly supported his family for decades, he is seen by others, including Jim, as miserly. As financial hardship worsens, Jed puts the farm up for sale to repay debts from a failed harvest and a difficult winter. An oil prospector discovers oil on the property, takes an option on it, and promises to return with investors.

While digging postholes, Joe and Jim discover oil themselves. As they hurry to deliver the news, they fall into an old well, from which Joe escapes. Meanwhile, the group of investors races to the farm by motor car, only to be delayed by a traffic policeman who has spotted Jennie clinging to the back of the car. The investors pressure Jed to finalize the sale, but just before he signs the deed, Joe arrives and halts the transaction by revealing the oil discovery. Jed retains the farm, and with the family's financial problems resolved, Jennie and Joe marry.

Cast

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Progressive Silent Film List: A Timely Interception". Silent Era. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  2. ↑ Graham, Cooper C.; Higgins, Steve; Mancini, Elaine; Viera, João Luiz (1985). D.W. Griffith and the Biograph Company. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-8108-1806-4.
  3. ↑ "A timely interception". Catalogue Général. Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  4. ↑ A Timely Interception. OCLC 19461987.
  5. ↑ The Biograph. Vol. 1. July 3, 1915. p. 3.
  6. ↑ "A Timely Interception". Motion Picture Magazine. pp. 44–50, 180–181.