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La course au mouchoir
Also known as A Race for a Handkerchief in the United Kingdom; A Contest for a Handkerchief in the USA
(1909) France
B&W : Short film
Directed by Adrien Vely
Cast: Charles Prince, Louis Blanche, Suzanne Demay
Compagnie Genérale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes production; distributed by Compagnie Genérale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes. / Scenario by Adrien Vely. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / The film was released in the USA as A Contest for a Handkerchief by Pathé Frères on 22 December 1909; in a split-reel with The Love Token (1909).
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Gus is making violent love to his cousin Sue, to whom he is engaged, when all at once, he has a desire to sneeze and finds to his consternation that he is without that very necessary article, a pocket handkerchief. Becoming very much excited in his embarrassment, he begins turning his pockets inside out and getting redder and looking more awkward every minute, until Sue, becoming disenchanted with her foolish looking lover, hastens to greet Arthur, whom she sees approaching. It is plain that the latter is gaining ground with Miss Sue, when all at once (due to the same draught that was the cause of the downfall in his fiancée’s estimation of poor Gus) he begins to sneeze and is unable also to locate his handkerchief. He forgets that on entering he had laid it with his hat on the table, where Gus was fortunate to find it and owing to which good fortune the latter is able to regain the side of his fiancée, who is now alone, as Arthur, feeling that awful tickling sensation in his nose, had to flee.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 8 January 1910, page 17] A bit of comedy which illustrates the importance of the possession of a pocket handkerchief at critical junctures. It is said in the old rhyme that a horse shoe nail once caused the loss of a kingdom. In this picture the loss of a handkerchief as a lover was on the point of sneezing was the loss of what was of more importance to him than a kingdom, even, a girl. The mixups are funny and the absurdity of the situations causes a great deal of amusement.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: (unknown) [France]; Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 23 January 2025.
References: MovPicWorld-19100108 p. 17 : Website-IMDb.
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