This 12-minute comedy of 1912 (released 1 Jan 13) features Canadian comedian Fraunie Fraunholz, who discovers he resembles "Spike," a thief, whose picture graces the morning papers. While Fraunie loves Sallie Crute, her father believes Fraunie to be the villain, and throws him out of the house. Two policemen follow Fraunie to a friend's house; there they decide to dress in women's clothing to escape them. Meanwhile, Sallie decides to take matters in her own hands, and goes to find Spike on the Staten Island Ferry (which she immediately does). Spike steals the contents of her purse, and this is the moment we see Sallie suddenly look as though she is having an epileptic seizure; somehow this is how this actress conveyed the idea of "alarm." Far beyond the Grand Manner of acting (which figures in all the characters in this film), this gesture is alarming beyond measure to the audience! The police capture the two "ladies" (they are caught smoking--obviously not true ladies after all); and bring them to the police station. Sallie woos Spike, when they get off the Ferry, and notices that a policeman is nearby. Here she goes into a second seizure--sort of a grand mal compared to the last one--and the policeman takes Spike into custody. At the police station Fraunie and Spike, who look alike, are seen yelling at each other in adjoining cells in a nice split screen shot (since they are the same actor). In the end Spike is taken away, and Sallie embraces Fraunie, still in his flouncy dress, while Sallie's dad embraces Fraunie's friend, also in his flouncy dress; almost unbelievably, the father puts his hand on the impostor's breast, and somehow sensing that it isn't authentic, pushes 'her' away. Everyone suddenly sees the joke in all this, and they all laugh and laugh as the film ends.
Really rather a nice little comedy for the time, although Sallie's acting is truly remarkable as a document of the Grand Manner, way, way out there. There are intertitles, but many times you can read her lips, which is also remarkable. The film is crude in its approach, but if the acting were more restrained it would actually be charming--less alarming!