THE Nth COMMANDMENT (1923)
“Nth Commandment you follow them, the unwritten commandment to serve, suffer, to sacrifice for whom you love and cherish.”
In a large urban Department Store are Eddie Philips a song demonstrator and “ladies man,” Colleen Moore who works in the “Queenly Shape” Corset Dept, and James Morrison as the sickly “wrapper.” Good comedy bit of Colleen trying to get a women into a corset without much luck, “Can’t we try a larger size?” asks Colleen, to which the woman replies, “I can take a lot more pain first!!” The head of “Queenly Shape” is a rather effeminate Jewish man. After work, the group goes to a Roller Skating Rink, Morrison is a bad skater and when he and Colleen fall down, Colleen goes off with Eddie (a great skater). End of reel #1. Morrison goes to a park bench alone and is kidded by the cop “Girl give you the air?” and then laughs. Meanwhile Colleen goes with Eddie to a Chinese Restaurant for the first time, and comments, “Isn’t it a shame that the handles are broken off the cups?” Edie replies that Colleen surely hasn’t been out much, and instructs her to balance the cup between the thumb and pinkie, which she does. While Eddie puts the moves on Colleen, she misunderstands and thinks that they are engaged, which Eddie quickly corrects. She is embarrassed and finds Morrison on the park bench and they are engaged. The next scene is Colleen in a plaid dress scrubbing the floor of their tiny flat. Friends from the store arrive and Colleen goes on about “getting a better place when Morrison is made Head of Wrapping.” The friends are working in a new Musical Show at $100.00 a week with all of the music by Eddie. Morrison is passed over for promotion because of his illness, and when he comes home he and Colleen quarrel, she tells him that Eddie had wanted to marry her and is now making $150.00 per week, while they starve. She slams out of the house and swears never to return, but Morrison says “Bring back a pack of Chesterfield when you get back.” She goes to former girlfriend’s apartment. End of reel.
Many Missing reels
Reel #8 At Christmastime Colleen and Eddie are in a cab and Colleen has two rows of silver tinsel in her hair. When Eddie tries to put the moves on her she cries out “You dirty Masher!” Fleeing the cab she runs into her tenement and locks the door. Tossing the tinsel into the garbage she enters her apartment and we see the original “Charlie Brown two foot high Christmas Tree” on a center table. Noticing Morrison fallen out of a rocking chair next to an open window, she comforts him. Informing him that she made $300.00 dancing at a club, he is not upset but overjoyed. “That means California, Already I can feel the sun shining! I can work again and then send for you and the baby.” Colleen takes a parcel from under her coat; it is a mechanical polar bear that can walk. “This is the bear that baby cried for last Sunday!” and the tot wakes up and plays with his toy as Morrison exclaims “It ain’t fair, your doing this for us.” To which his wife replies, “Not everything is written in the Ten Commandments.”
Missing footage
Last shot is of Colleen and the baby playing on the steps of a California Bungalow, with masses of roses surrounding the veranda.
