The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912 Silent Short Crime Drama film)

"The Musketeers of Pig Alley" is a short crime drama. This film illustrates the work of actor Robert Harron and cinematographer Billy Bitzer, stars of Silent Hall of Fame.Show more

"The Musketeers of Pig Alley" is the first gangster film in history. It has some excellent acting by a very strong cast and a lot of suspense. The film is also a predecessor of what would become known a quarter of a century later as "the film noir".

Directed by: D.W. Griffith
Produced by: Biograph Company
Cinematography: Billy Bitzer
Starring: Elmer Booth, Lillian Gish, Robert Harron
Distributed by: The General Film Company
Release date: October 31, 1912
Running time: 17 min.
Country: United States
Language: Silent, English intertitles.

The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey where many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based at the beginning of the 20th century. Location shots in New York City reportedly used actual street gang members as extras during the film.
It was also shown in Leeds Film Festival in November 2008, as part of Back to the Electric Palace, with live music by Gabriel Prokofiev, performed in partnership with Opera North.
In 2016, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot
The film is about a poor married couple living in New York City. The husband works as a musician and must often travel for work. When returning, his wallet is taken by a gangster. His wife goes to a ball where a man tries to drug her, but his attempt is stopped by the same man who robbed the husband. The two criminals become rivals, and a shootout ensues. The husband gets caught in the shootout and recognizes one of the men as the gangster who took his money. The husband sneaks his wallet back and the gangster goes to safety in the couple's apartment. Policemen track the gangster down, but the wife gives him a false alibi.

Cast
• Elmer Booth – Snapper Kid, Musketeers gang leader
• Lillian Gish – The Little Lady
• Clara T. Bracy – The Little Lady's Mother
• Walter Miller – The Musician
• Alfred Paget – Rival Gang Leader
• John T. Dillon – Policeman
• Madge Kirby – The Little Lady's Friend / In Alley
• Harry Carey – Snapper's Sidekick
• Robert Harron – Rival Gang Member / In Alley / At Gangster's Ball
• W. C. Robinson – Rival Gang Member (as Spike Robinson)
• Adolph Lestina – The Bartender / On Street
• Jack Pickford – Boy Gang Member / At Dance Ball
Uncredited:
• Gertrude Bambrick – Girl at Dance
• Lionel Barrymore – The Musician's Friend
• Kathleen Butler – On Street / At Dance
• Christy Cabanne – At Dance
• Donald Crisp – Rival Gang Member
• Frank Evans – At Dance
• Dorothy Gish – Girl in Street
• Walter P. Lewis – In Alley / At Dance
• Antonio Moreno – Musketeers Gang Member / At Dance
• Marie Newton At Dance
• J. Waltham – In Alley

Influence
In his book The Movie Stars, film historian Richard Griffith wrote of the scene where Lillian Gish passes another woman on the street.
Griffith's camera in this scene happened to focus on the unforgettable face of the nameless girl in the center of the shot- and a murmurous wave swept audiences at this point in the film whenever it was shown. No one knows what became of this particular extra, but such raw material, and such camera accidents, became the stuff of stardom later on."
In fact, the girl is Dorothy Gish, Lillian's sister.
In the Cold Case episode Torn (Season 4.21) Lily sees the victim of a 1919 homicide in an homage to the scene of Lillian Gish passing another woman on the street.