The Comedian's Mask
Directed by Herbert BrenonKing Baggot is a comedian out of work. He finds it very difficult to get a Job, but finally secures a position as principal comedian with "The Girl from Wayback" company. King is devotedly attached to his wife and child, but his wife is very vain and shallow, and accepts the attentions of Basil Graham, the foppish tenor of the company, who, while professing friendship for King, takes every opportunity of flirting with King's wife. This is done to such an extent that it arouses the attention of the stage-hands, with whom King is a great favorite. On the opening night, King scores a great triumph. He has left his child in the dressing room and she is playing with some poison King had been using for a burn on his arm. King finds it in her possession and hurriedly takes it from her, showing her the danger of playing with it. King is very much hurt by the coldness of his wife's manner. His child strays from the dressing room to the side of the stage, and. Whilst her father is on the stage, she plays with the button on the door of the wing, making it necessary for King to exit behind the other wing, where he discovers his wife in the arms of his false friend. They do not see him, and, brokenhearted, he goes to his dressing room and takes the poison, determining to end it all. He rushes back to the stage for his last scene and his wife and the tenor determine to elope. They are hastily leaving the theater when King, at the finish of his scene, as the curtain falls, drops with agony to the stage. The manager frantically goes before the curtain and asks if there is a doctor in the house and one comes forward, and King's child shows the doctor the poison bottle. The doctor calls for an antidote, which is instantly produced by one of the property men. The doctor gives it to King who is anxiously watched by the crowd in their stage garb and motley, for the sign of life. The child, in the meanwhile has strayed outside and shown her mother the poison and, when she realizes the terrible truth, she runs from her would-be lover and goes to her husband's aid. Somewhat disgusted the tenor follows her, and when she finds that King is recovering she begs him to forgive her, realizing that it is the comedian she has loved after all. The husband and wife are united.
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