Her Scrambled Ambition
Released February 1, 1917, Her Scrambled Ambition is a one-reel Black Diamond Comedy filmed and produced by the United States Motion Picture Corporation (USMPC) in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures.
A summary of the film appeared in the February 24, 1917 issue of The Moving Picture World.
As of the writing of this article (November 27, 2017) no prints of this film are known to survive. If you have any information about the film, please contact us.
The USMPC received a copyright for this film (#10312) on February 17, 1917. In the copyright information, the USMPC included the following synopsis, which is here transcibed by King’s College student Ashley Panko in 2012:
Synopsis of
“Her Scrambled Ambition”
A Black Diamond Comedy in one reel [unreadable] by
The United States Motion Picture Corpor[unreadable] Barre, PA.
Susie Speed is out of a job again. Sue sits [unreadable]ed-room and scans the morning paper while consuming her coffee [unreadable] she reads an account of Sarah Slickford the movie queen whose [unreadable] 400,000.00 a month and contrasts it with her last job at 4.00 [unreadable]ding an ad., “Comedian wanted” at a local studio, she decides to [unreadable] “movies.” She jumps into her clothes and [unreadable] wild lash on [unreadable] she rea- [unreadable] There she [unreadable] gives her a try-out [unreadable] own a tall tree, after which [unreadable] onto the rim. She tries [unreadable] poles, running on the telephone [unreadable] The race starts but halfway around the course her car [unreadable] opponent, gets the lead. Not to be defeated Sue fastens a [unreadable] of the car and tows it down the street. She gains on the [unreadable] whips her “Flivver” around on the chain and beats the [unreadable] line.
This delights the director who tells her [unreadable] try her out in a real scene. They repair to the studio where [unreadable] present a low cafe and saloon are a dozen husky “rough-necks” [unreadable] director explains the scene to all. Sue is to be in the cafe when the gangs try to kidnap her and she is to resist. The director tells her, “Now put up the fight of your life”. When the scene stats Sue is determined to land the job or die trying and she puts up a terrific battle, beating up the gang who attack her and smashing everything in the set. She even knocks over the walls of an adjoining set where a dramatic company is working and ruins their scene and their set.
The director, who has been enjoying all this, now yells to the gang to stop her. They bear down on Sue who retreats to a brick wall with an archway and there turns at bay. As the gang approach, Sue tears a brick out of the side of the arch and throws it at them with such good effect that she repeats the trick. Soon she is tearing bricks out of [unreadable] ful and bombarding the gang with them. At last the arch is so weakened that it collapses and Sue is buried under the bricks.
She is rescued by the director who congratulates her and tells her that the job is hers. She is delighted and with visions of a 10,000 salary she asks him what she will receive.He replies, “9.00 a week” at which Sue knocks herself in the head with a brick and passes away.
[In handwriting]
The foregoing story was written by James O. Walsh, Rex A. Taylor, and Horace G. Plimpton Jr. all citizens of the United States and in the employ of United States Motion Picture Corporation.