Defying Destiny

Ne'er-do-well Jack Fenton becomes a hero after he rescues banker's daughter Beth Alden from a burning building. Though scarred in the fire, Jack is grateful to Beth's father for offering him a job at the bank as a reward for his heroism. Despite his disfigurement, Jack becomes well-liked in the town of Riverdale, working his way up to head teller and even winning the love of pretty Beth. Their plans to marry are disrupted by accusations Jack stole ,000 from the bank. Though a jury acquits him, his good name is ruined, and he leaves Riverdale for the big city. While there, a surgeon offers not only to restore his face, but to make it unrecognizable. Now seemingly a completely different person, Jack vows to get back in the good graces of the people of Riverdale and win Beth's love again.

With a plot more appropriate for a Lon Chaney movie, Defying Destiny is the only surviving picture made by the Rellimeo Film Syndicate, a short-lived production company with a colorful history. Their founder, Dr. Orlando E. Miller (note Rellimeo is his name spelled backwards) was a notorious quack, selling useless restorative "cures" and giving hackneyed inspirational "lectures" on the West Coast. His philosophies most likely influenced Defying Destiny, and ironically, Miller ended up skipping up town much like Monte Blue's character after it was discovered he was skimming money from his financiers. Monte Blue had risen to prominence in the role of Danton in D.W. Griffith's 1921 epic, Orphans Of The Storm. Thirty years later, he had a recurring role as a sheriff on The Lone Ranger TV series with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels (his character's surname was variously given as Stanton, Harper, Mansfield, and Gilman.) Irene Rich featured in eight silent pictures with Will Rogers, including The Ropin' Fool (1921). In 1947, she played Gail Russell's mother in the John Wayne classic Angel and the Badman. As for Dr. Miller, he was eventually caught by the FBI and sentenced to six years in prison. (1923)

Upplagd i sortimentet: 29 december, 2024