Are You a Mason? (1915)

Are You a Mason? Poster

Frank Perry's wife Helen is away visiting her mother, and he uses this "free time" for a night of drinking at a nightclub. Unfortunately, when he tries to return home, he enters the wrong house and is nearly arrested When Helen comes back he tells her that the "incident" was actually an initiation rite of the Masons, knowing that his wife has always wanted him to join the group. She excitedly tells her father about Frank's becoming a Mason, since her father is also a Mason. What neither she nor Frank know is that her father has actually been doing the same thing Frank is--pretending to be a Mason when he actually isn't. Complications ensue.

Introduction
"Are You A Mason?" is a quiet black-and-white funny film from 1915, guided by Thomas N. Heffron as well as generated by the well-known French supervisor as well as producer Cecil M. Hepworth. The film was based upon the 1901 play of the same name by Leo Ditrichstein, an Austrian-American star and playwright. The movie focuses on a guy called Frank Perry who claims to be a Mason to secure his promo, causing a series of hilarious adventures and misunderstandings.

Plot
The story of "Are You A Mason?" focuses on Frank Perry, a bank employee hopeless for a promotion which he believes will solve all his monetary troubles. When Perry finds out that his employer, Mr. Harding, is a committed member of the deceptive Masonic Lodge, he assumes that coming to be a Mason will certainly excite his manager and also protect the promo he needs. However, Perry doesn't understand exactly how to join the company, as subscription requires an invite from an existing member.

Someday, Mr. Harding designates Perry to deliver a personal letter to his lodge. Taking the opportunity, Perry decides to impersonate as a Mason as well as obstruct the letter. He persuades his buddy, Bert Morrison, to pose as a Masonic bro and also show him the secret rituals and also passwords, which Morrison produces. With each other, they go to a local outfit shop and also rent Masonic regalia.

Funny Misunderstandings
Throughout the film, a number of funny misunderstandings follow as Perry and also Morrison effort to preserve their false Masonic identities. When they are confronted by real Masons, Perry and also Morrison's phony routines and also passwords only offer to puzzle and puzzle their fellow Lodge participants. Mistaking their peculiar habits for a genuine Masonic trick, the various other Masons are both satisfied and also mystified by Perry as well as Morrison's designed routines.

As Perry continues with his charade, he comes to be significantly knotted with the Masonic Lodge, even accepting provide a lecture at one of their conferences. At home, Perry's wife grows suspicious regarding her hubby's secretive conferences and brand-new friends. She makes a decision to welcome a local woman, Mrs. Walton, who asserts to have been increased in a Masonic home, to their residence as well as reveal her husband's trick.

Discovery and Resolution
As Perry's deceptiveness begins to unravel, the Lodge participants find his sham and are annoyed. They choose to confront Perry at his residence, where Mrs. Walton is also existing. When the fact is lastly revealed, the Lodge participants and Mrs. Walton are both highly amused by Perry's hopeless scheme as well as agree to forgive him for his deception.

Perry's boss, Mr. Harding, is so satisfied with Perry's creative thinking as well as ingenuity that he chooses to honor him the promo he had been looking for. Perry gratefully accepts yet settles never ever to claim to be a Mason once again. As the film ends, Perry's better half is thrilled and pleased at the possibility of a far better life, and the Lodge participants leave your house laughing and also joking regarding the affair.

Conclusion
"Are You A Mason?" is a traditional silent funny film that catches the humor and also intrigue of early 20th-century Masonic life. Including a strong cast of personalities and a brilliant story, the movie easily mixes wit and also suspense in a charming and also entertaining story. The entertaining accidents and also misunderstandings that emerge from Perry's deception offer a funny critique of the Masonic secretiveness as well as exclusivity, while additionally highlighting the relevance of honesty and integrity. Although the film is over a century old, its motifs and wit remain appropriate and satisfying to this day.

Top Cast

  • John Barrymore (small)
    John Barrymore
    Frank Perry
  • Helen Freeman (small)
    Helen Freeman
    Helen Perry
  • Charles Dixon
    Amos Bloodgood
  • Harold Lockwood (small)
    Harold Lockwood
    Bob Trevors
  • Dodson Mitchell
    Detective Ketchum
  • W. Dickinson
    George Fisher
  • Alfred Hickman (small)
    Alfred Hickman
    Billy
  • Ida Waterman (small)
    Ida Waterman
  • Charles Butler
  • Jean Acker (small)
    Jean Acker
  • Lorraine Huling