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The Lightning Bell-Hop
(1916) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Louis Myll
Cast: Harry Watson Jr. (Harry Watson) [Musty Suffer], George Bickel [Willie Work], Dan Crimmins [the innkeeper], H.H. McCullum [the tragedian], Della Connor [Flossie Footlight, the actress]
George Kleine Productions production; distributed by Kleine-Edison Feature Service. / Released 5 April 1916. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? The flirty proprietor of the Outside Inn catches his bellboy laughing at him and throws him into the street, just in time to be caught by Musty, who is passing by. When Musty learns that the bellboy has been discharged and that there is consequently a vacancy in the hotel organization, he drops him to the sidewalk, enters the inn and applies for the position. Proving himself the lightning bell-boy of the world, he is accepted. Musty soon learns that the grand stairway of the hotel is a trick staircase and that by pulling a lever the stairs will straighten out, converting the stairway into a chute. After descending the incline on his own account, he tries it out on various patrons with satisfactory results. The elevator, operated by hand power, sticks when a corpulent guest acts as cargo and a horse is commandeered to raise the lift. All goes well until a passing farmer inadvertently cuts the rope with his scythe. Then follows a vivid illustration of the descent of man. Musty plays many tricks on the proprietor and the guests, and enjoys waiting on the whims of an actress who stops at the hotel. He explains how the room is lightened by drawing a flame on the gas-jet painted on the wall, and darkened by erasing it. When the actress complains that there is no chair in her room, Musty obligingly paints one on the wall. After numerous amusing episodes, the reel ends in a general scramble, in which, of course Musty gets the worst of it.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 8 July 2025.
References: Website-IMDb.
Home video: DVD.
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