William V. Ranous Trailers

The Skull Trailer (1913)

02 May 1913

Just as the bead clerk and his assistants are closing up the jewelry store for the day, a package containing a very costly necklace arrives by special messenger.

Yellow Bird Trailer (1912)

12 June 1912

Disregarding the sanctity of "Song Bird's" feelings, John Strong, a young surveyor in the pioneer forests of the west, makes love to the Indian maiden whenever he chances to meet her, until she longs and looks for his coming and going, and finds that he has made himself part of her life.

The Heart of Esmeralda Trailer (1912)

13 August 1912

Esmeralda Foster, an attractive girl, is very much impressed with Duncan Miller, a crafty country swain, who makes love to Esmeralda because of her father's wealth.

Hiawatha Trailer (1909)

25 October 1909

Drama Short

Richard III, a Shakespearian Tragedy Trailer (1908)

28 September 1908

Vitagraph production of Shakespeare's Richard III.

Little Partner Trailer (1916)

19 December 1916

Agnes Vernon is the daughter of an old prospector whose hard luck leads him to turn holdup. The father is hanged and the girl, unknowing the real truth, becomes the ward of two young and successful miners.

Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Sublime Tragedy Trailer (1908)

19 April 1908

Macbeth usurps the Scottish throne by murdering his predecessor.

The Little Minister Trailer (1913)

13 January 1913

To start a little in advance of our story, Lord Rintoul, of the English nobility, finds a little Gypsy girl three years old, who had been deserted by her parents.

The One Good Turn Trailer (1913)

13 March 1913

A political crime film in which a militant, anarchist father allows his political ideals to prevail over human dignity.

At the Eleventh Hour Trailer (1912)

06 August 1912

Much ado about a necklace - short film based on the story "The String of Pearls"

The Hindoo's Curse Trailer (1912)

11 September 1912

Adventurers Guy Randall and Jack Lowell flee English Army headquarters in India after being caught cheating.

Getting Up a Practice Trailer (1913)

27 March 1913

Becoming impatient waiting for patients, young Doctor Bob Lyons is about discouraged. To add to his misery, his sweetheart's father, Mr.

The Merchant of Venice Trailer (1908)

22 December 1908

A rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia.

The Anarchist's Wife Trailer (1912)

17 November 1912

In this Vitagraph short, anarchism threatens to ruin lives and families. Luigi and Rosa are a couple with an adorable child, but trouble is afoot – Luigi has become an anarchist!

An Eventful Elopement Trailer (1912)

01 June 1912

Emphatically opposed to Jack Moss, old Mr. McGillicuddy puts the ban on his marriage to his daughter Dolly.

The Higher Mercy Trailer (1912)

10 September 1912

No matter how absorbed with affairs of state, Abraham Lincoln was always ready to give audience to his little son Tad.

The Gentleman Burglar Trailer (1908)

13 May 1908

The Proposal: The gentleman burglar walking with his lady love. They admire the grandeur and beauty of nature.

The Serpents Trailer (1912)

08 May 1912

Wending their way and locating in a land far from the contentions through which they passed a few weeks before, Eric and Chloe are located in a garden spot of primeval beauty, surrounded by all the imposing grandeur of nature.

King Lear Trailer (1909)

27 March 1909

An impressively tactile, if slightly over-ambitious, adaptation of King Lear from Vitagraph Studios.

Antony and Cleopatra, a Love Story of the Noblest Roman and the Most Beautiful Egyptian Trailer (1908)

03 November 1908

A short film based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was the first film to dramatize the ill-fated romance between Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt.

The Hindoo Charm Trailer (1913)

17 September 1913

Advised by his friends to seek a second wife so that his children, Helen and Dolores, may know a mother's care, Sir Edward Tilbury marries Phyllis, the daughter of Lady Olivia Gower, a leading social light in Calcutta.

The Locked House Trailer (1914)

07 August 1914

Bunny receives a shock upon reading about the attempted assassination of the Mayor of New York. He laughs off his wife's suggestion of getting police protection for himself.

Delayed Proposals Trailer (1913)

19 June 1913

It is sometimes decidedly difficult to get a little privacy on shipboard. Several times Jack Hardy almost reaches the proposal point with Marion Van Sickles, but each time the fates are against him.

Tommy's Sister Trailer (1912)

02 September 1912

Left with two small children, Mrs. Morgan finds it difficult to make both ends meet. Polly, her daughter, does the housework.

The Signal Fire Trailer (1912)

25 September 1912

A short romantic drama in which a captain and his wife are separated by a shipwreck. The woman ends up on a desert island with another man, and they have a relationship.

Julius Caesar, an Historical Tragedy Trailer (1908)

01 December 1908

Biographical drama, adaptation of Shakespeare's play.

Alixe; or, the Test of Friendship Trailer (1913)

02 April 1913

Alixe is courted by many admirers. Her most persistent companion is Morton Shaw. Arlington Tappan also loves Alixe, and urges her to give up her associations with Shaw.

Love's Stratagem Trailer (1909)

01 November 1909

Nell Connors is in love with Jack, a sailor, but is unaware that he was shipwrecked and is facing trials.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Trailer (1909)

25 December 1909

An early film adaptation of the Bard's comic fantasy-- and perhaps the first screen adaptation of a Shakespeare play.

Saul and David Trailer (1909)

27 February 1909

Tells the biblical story of Saul's jealousy of the young David, taken from the book of Samuel

Francesca di Rimini; or, The Two Brothers Trailer (1908)

08 February 1908

Francesca, surrounded by ladies-in-waiting at the palace. Her father enters, and together they read a letter from Lanciotto, asking for the hand of Francesca.

The Spy: A Romantic Story of the Civil War Trailer (1907)

09 March 1907

In the midst of the Civil War, a wife saves the day by swapping places with her captured and soon-to-be-executed husband.

Jack's Chrysanthemum Trailer (1913)

25 June 1913

She Trailer (1908)

13 November 1908

A mysterious metal box is bequeathed to Leo, a young Englishman, to be opened on his twenty-fifth birthday.