A Timely Interception

A Timely Interception is a 1913 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith.^[1] The film was reissued by Biograph in 1915.^[2]

A Timely Interception
Directed by	D. W. Griffith
Written by	Christy Cabanne
Starring	W. Chrystie Miller
Cinematography	G. W. Bitzer
Distributed by	General 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)
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Preservation status

The film has been preserved and is held in the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.^[3] It has been released on VHS as well.^[4]

Plot

Jed Simmons, an aging farmer, has spent years saving to support the marriage of his daughter Jennie to his adopted son Joe. Just as he secures the necessary funds, he receives word that his estranged brother Jim has lost his job 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.^[5]

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 visits the farm, offers a small advance, and promises to return with investors.

While digging postholes, Joe and Jim accidentally discover oil on the property. As they hurry to deliver the news, they fall into a concealed pit. Meanwhile, the investors arrive and pressure Jed to finalize the sale. Just before he signs the deed, Joe arrives, injured and covered in mud, 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 in the farmhouse.^[6]

Cast

• W. Chrystie Miller as Jed Simmons, the farmer
• Lillian Gish as Jennie, the farmer's daughter
• Robert Harron as Joe, the farmer's adopted son
• Lionel Barrymore as Jim Simmons, the farmer's brother
• Joseph McDermott as the oil syndicate
• William J. Butler as the oil syndicate
• Alfred Paget as the oil syndicate
• Frank Evans as first foreman
• Frank Opperman as second foreman
• Adolph Lestina as the farmer's brother's friend
• Charles Gorman as the policeman
• Christy Cabanne
• Mae Marsh

See also

• D. W. Griffith filmography
• Lillian Gish filmography
• Lionel Barrymore filmography