Kidnapped

Drama in which Betty and Sir John are engaged to be married. Count Hitanmisovitch, a notorious villain, is rejected by Betty and so seeks his revenge by kidnapping her.

Shot of a bungalow and a front garden where Mrs Brownlow and another woman are playing croquet. Sir John and Betty row in a boat down the river as they prefer the river to croquet. Shot of the bungalow. The intertitle explains that ‘a day came when this pleasant life was rudely disturbed.’ Betty and Sir John decided to go golfing. Betty, carrying golf clubs, walks out of the bungalow's front door and across the lawn towards the camera. She puts her golf clubs into a car parked outside but before she can get in herself Count Hitanmisovitch, a Bolshevik spy, walks up to her. He shakes her hand exclaiming “Ah! Miss Brownlow, is it not. I think I met you in Monte Carlo, no?” Betty replies “You are quite right Count. The casino, I remember.” The Count puts his arm around her and asks her if she remembers the night on the lake. Betty angrily pushes him away and tells him that she is engaged to Sir John. The Count puts his arms around her and refuses to let go. Betty calls out for John to help her. He manages to get the Count to leave, but that evening the Count plans his revenge. Shot of the Count marching angrily through the fields. He knocks on the door of Spud Murphy, a notorious gunman known to the police of three continents, and asks him to help with his revenge plan to kidnap Betty. He asks him for a gun and Spud hands one over to him. Spud agrees to help and claims that he has his gun ready if Sir John shows up. They run off along the fields. Early next morning, Spud and the Count creep into Sir John’s garden and peer into the windows of the bungalow. They break in through the door and kidnap Betty. That morning, Sir John happened to be up early too and sees the Count drive past with Betty in the back of the car. Sir John runs back home, grabs his rifle and gets into his car to chase after the Count. There is a gruelling race across the country. Shot of the Count’s car racing along a country road followed by Sir John’s car following behind. The Count has engine trouble and so Sir John’s car is able to catch up. The Count speeds towards his yacht on the coast and forces Betty out of the car. The Count orders Spud to take Betty onto the boat whilst he looks for Sir John so he can shoot him. He hides behind a bush and shoots Sir John as he runs past. Shot of Spud pulling Betty towards the boat. The bullet only stunned Sir John and so he and the Count fight on the beach. Sir John pushes the Count to the ground and runs towards the rowing boat that Spud and Betty are in. He gets into the boat and pushes Spud out of it. He rows back to shore and Sir John and Betty walk arm in arm up the beach.

Keywords

Beach; Boats; Cars; Car Chase; Countryside; Croquet; Drama; Golf; Kidnapped; Melodrama; Jealousy; Romance; Rivalry

Intertitles

An engagement has been announced between Betty, only daughter of Mr and Mrs Brownlow of Walcott, Norfolk, and Sir John Hardcase of Paxfield, Isle-Of-Wight. Sir John was staying with the Brownlows at their riverside bungalow. Mrs Brown was devoted to croquet. But Sir John and Betty preferred the river. But a day came when this pleasant life was rudely disturbed. Betty and Sir John were going golfing. Count Hitanmisovitch (A Bolshevik spy) "Ah! Miss Brownlow, is it not. I think i met you in Monte Carlo, no?" "You are quite right. The Casino, i remember." "And do you remember the night on the lake when..." "Really, Count you must realize that i am engaged to Sir John." "John! John! Help! Quick!" The same evening the Count plans revenge. Spud Murphy, a notorious gunman known to the police of three continents. "Spud. Everything is arranged. I am going to kidnap the girl. Then my car - my yacht. See?" "O.K Chief. I've got my gun handy if Sir John shows up." ***** Early next morning. That morning, Sir John happened to be up early too. "By Jove! That's that swine of a Count and he's got Betty." And so started a grueling race across the country. Mile after mile, the racing cars ate up the distance. But the Count had engine trouble, and the baby car gained. The Count sped coastward to his yacht. "Take her to the boat. I'll fix this fellow with a bullet." But the bullet has only stunned him. The End.

Background Information

Produced at the Bacton Studios Norfolk. The Bliss/ Clarke family, originally based in the Isle of Wight, owned a summer home, now derelict, in the village of Bacton, Norfolk, where a number of the collection's films were filmed.