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  • With a Life at Stake (1916)
  • Short | Short, Western
Primary photo for With a Life at Stake
With a Life at Stake (1916)
Short | Short, Western

When Blinky, with the rest of the boys of the Lazy L., burst into town after two months on the roundup, and only to learn that prohibition has swept that part of the country, their indignation knows no bounds. Lining up at a soda fountain,...See moreWhen Blinky, with the rest of the boys of the Lazy L., burst into town after two months on the roundup, and only to learn that prohibition has swept that part of the country, their indignation knows no bounds. Lining up at a soda fountain, they endeavor to quench their thirst. Margaret, daughter of Selby Maynard, a rancher, is the day operator at the telephone office. Jim Pittman, better known as "The Killer," has long been her suitor, but she has repeatedly rejected his offers of marriage. On this day Jim comes to the telephone office and threateningly proposes to her again. Alarmed, Margaret manages to put in a call to the confectionery store, where the proprietor overhears the conversation at the telephone office, and realizes Margaret's danger. He informs Blinky and the boys, who rush to the rescue. Jim is ousted, and Blinky remains at the office on guard. As the months go by Blinky gets into the habit of telephoning to Margaret on every possible occasion, with the boys generally listening to his conversation from ambush. Jim endeavors to persuade Maynard to force Margaret to marry him, and after giving him a severe beating, Maynard drags him from his ranch to the road. A little later Jim's ungovernable temper gets him into serious difficulty. A shot that he sends after a fleeing Chinaman strikes a small girl in the arm. An indignation meeting is the result and it is resolved to hand Jim Pitman a lesson. Jim hears of this, and his yellow streak asserts itself. He is captured by a deputy sheriff and led off to jail. But fearing the vengeance of the mob, he pleads to be taken to the county jail for safe keeping. To this the deputy finally agrees, and handcuffing one of Jim's wrists to his, the deputy leads him toward the station. But en route, Jim manages to strike the deputy, knocking him unconscious. He is unable, however, to find the keys of the handcuffs, and is forced to drag the senseless deputy after him. A few hours later, chatting with her father over the phone, Margaret becomes alarmed when she hears a shot, and is then unable to get into conversation with her father. The other operator happening in, Margaret persuades her to take her place at the switchboard while she rides out to see what has happened. Jim, who has started out on a wild career of revenge, and with the deputy still dragging after him, sees Margaret riding home, and a shot that he sends her way strikes home, and she falls from her horse at a railroad crossing. Coming in from fence riding, Blinky calls up, and from the operator learns of the happenings. He fears that Jim may be waiting for Margaret, and with the rest of the boys, sets out for her home with a fast passenger train bearing down on her. Margaret is rescued in the nick of time by Blinky, he jumping from his horse and dragging her from the tracks as the train whizzes by. Her wounds are found to be not serious, and her father, who appears on the scene, has only a broken arm as the result of a mad man's vengeance. Jim, having finally freed himself from the deputy, stumbles into a forgotten wolf trap, and with horror, realizes what his fate will be unless he is found. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less
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Status
Edit Released
Updated May 5, 1916

Release date
May 5, 1916 (United States)

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Cast

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6 cast members
Name Known for
Art Acord
Blinky Blinky   See fewer
Nita Davis
Margaret Maynard Margaret Maynard   See fewer
Al Ferguson
Shelby Maynard, Margaret's Father (as Alfred Ferguson) Shelby Maynard, Margaret's Father (as Alfred Ferguson)   See fewer
Lawrence Peyton
Jim Pitman (as Larry Peyton) Jim Pitman (as Larry Peyton)   See fewer
Guy Lundy
Sheriff Sheriff   See fewer
Queenie Rosson
Bess, Telephone Operator Bess, Telephone Operator   See fewer
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