A Frontier Flirtation (1903 Very Short Comedy film)

These were made in the early stages of film development. Don't except anything earth shattering when watching. Lot of experimenting was going on then.

Summary
Opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a forest or garden. On a park bench center stage sits a well-dressed woman with a dark veil obscuring her face, holding an open parasol overhead and a closed fan in her lap.

A mustached cowboy enters, dressed in fringed chaps, boots, Western hat, neck kerchief, and pistol belt. When he spies the woman, he primps for a moment, arranging his mustache, and then approaches her. The cowboy takes off his hat and bows, then leans into the bench to talk with her. She rebuffs his numerous attempts to take her hand, but finally allows him to lift her veil.

The cowboy reacts in horror as an animal face, perhaps a monkey's, is revealed, and then runs off the stage. A stylish gentleman in a suit with a straw boater and cane enters and sits familiarly beside the woman. He reaches over and removes what proves to be a mask as he and the now-beautiful woman have a good laugh. At one point, the gentleman gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"A Western cowboy attempts to flirt with a veiled young lady sitting on a bench in the garden. After considerable persuasion she is induced to raise her veil, but to the cowboy's amazement she reveals a hideous face. The cowboy leaves in disgust, but his place is quickly taken by a dapper Eastern youth who removes the mask from the girl's face, and the two enjoy a hearty laugh over the cowboy's discomfiture.

Names
Bitzer, G. W., 1872-1944, camera.
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
Created / Published
United States: American Mutoscope & Biograph Company, 1903.