John R. Cumpson

Acting

John R. Cumpson

Born 1866-08-30 · Buffalo, New York, USA

Acting credits

The Stenographer's Friend; Or, What Was Accomplished by an Edison Business Phonograph poster
5.1

It's a busy day at the office, and the stenographer is exhausted from trying to keep up with the demands on her skills. Even when she stays late, she cannot catch up with all of the work. But then a man comes into the office to demonstrate the many advantages of the Edison System, his company's new business phonograph.

The Stenographer's Friend; Or, What Was Accomplished by an Edison Business Phonograph

1910

No artwork available
1.5

A woman in love with an unsuccessful author tries to convince a publisher to accept his work.

The Mills of the Gods

1909

The White Caps poster
5.6

Two members of a vigilante group known as 'The White Caps' post a warning sign on a man's home. When the man comes home, he tears down the sign, and then proceeds to abuse his wife both verbally and physically. As soon as she can get away from him, the wife leaves home with her child to find a place of refuge. When the vigilantes find out about this, they arm themselves with rifles and immediately go to confront the abusive husband.

The White Caps

1905

They Would Elope poster
5.1

Two lovers elope and expect to be pursued by her father. But the clever father has tricked them into running off, and celebrates their wedding when they return home.

They Would Elope

1909

No artwork available
4.0

A father wants to marry his daughter to a rich man, but she's in love with someone else. She borrows a tramp's wooden leg, pretending that it's hers, and the disgusted suitor rejects her.

The Wooden Leg

1909

The Suicide Club poster
NR

One of the members of a suicide club learns he has inherited some money, but only after he drew the fatal lot and is expected to kill himself. Presumed to be a lost film.

The Suicide Club

1909

The Violin Maker of Cremona poster
4.6

A contest is being held in Cremona for the best violin, with Giannina's hand in marriage as the prize. Filippo is secretly in love with her, but is also ashamed of being a cripple, so he switches his superior violin with that of another apprentice, Sandro, whom Giannina loves.

The Violin Maker of Cremona

1909

Getting Even poster
3.8

All the young men in the mining camp flirt with Lucy. Bud, the youngest of them, doesn't stand a chance. At a dance, Bud dresses as a woman and all the men flirt with him and abandon Lucy. When his disguise is revealed, the other men are too embarrassed to approach Lucy, and Bud dances the rest of the night with her.

Getting Even

1909

The Girls and Daddy poster
3.0

Sisters guarding their house from a burglar set upon stealing their daddy's money.

The Girls and Daddy

1909

A Strange Meeting poster
4.3

Mary Rollins is torn between selfish depravity and righteous living. After she's coerced into helping with the burglary of her minister's apartment, she comes face to face with her misdeeds.

A Strange Meeting

1909

The Cricket on the Hearth poster
3.7

After three years at sea, Edward returns home to find his sweetheart forced into an engagement with a much older man.

The Cricket on the Hearth

1909

No artwork available
3.2

In the third installment of the "Mr. and Mrs. Jones" series, Mrs. Jones hosts a luncheon for her Ladies' Temperance League chapter on the condition that her husband, Mr. Jones, stays out of the way, but he manages to secretly drink a decanter of alcohol. When the empty bottle is found, the attendees suspect one of their own is a secret drinker, leading to chaotic accusations before Mr. Jones is exposed as the culprit.

Mrs. Jones Entertains

1909

Lucky Jim poster
3.0

Gertrude chooses Jim over Jack, which makes Jack very jealous. Later Jim dies, and Jack marries Gertrude. He finds himself once again very jealous of the late Lucky Jim.

Lucky Jim

1909

The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals poster
3.8

The amateur dramatic society chooses the Joneses' residence as the location of its next meeting, and both Joneses catch 'the acting bug' in this split-reel subject.

The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals

1909

Those Awful Hats poster
6.1

A pair of young ladies cause trouble at the cinema with their lavish hats.

Those Awful Hats

1909

The Cord of Life poster
3.7

Antonine, a worthless, good-for-nothing scoundrel, demands money of his cousin Galora, an energetic, provident husband and father. His demands are met with a positive rebuff, and when he becomes insistent be is forcibly ejected by Galora. As he leaves the tenement he vows to get even, and lies in wait until Galora has gone out on business. Climbing to the fifth floor, on which the Galoras live, he watches his chance, which comes when Mrs. Galora goes for an instant to visit a neighbor on the same floor. Darting into the apartment and raising the window he perceives the awful result of a drop to the ground, five stories below, and so evolves a plan that is dastardly in the extreme. Taking the infant child from the cradle, and placing it in a basket he lets it out with a short rope, the end of which he secures by letting the sash down on it, so that to raise the window would precipitate the baby to destruction.

The Cord of Life

1909

No artwork available
3.5

Sight unseen, a man buys a bag that turns out to contain burglar tools. He can't get rid of the bag, even when he's robbed. The thieves assume he's a colleague and return the bag and tools.

A Troublesome Satchel

1909

At the Altar poster
4.0

At the Italian boarding house the male boarders were all smitten with the charms of Minnie, the landlady's pretty daughter, but she was of a poetic turn of mind and her soul soared above plebeianism and her aspirations were romantic. Most persistent among her suitors was Grigo, a coarse Sicilian, whose advances were odiously repulsive. The arrival at the boarding house from the old country of Giuseppe Cassella, the violinist, filled the void in her yearning heart. Romantic, poetic and a talented musician, Giuseppe was indeed a desirable husband for Minnie.

At the Altar

1909

No artwork available
NR

Billy is out for a stroll when he spies a prepossessing-looking young woman. He follows and she enters the office of a spiritualist. Producing a tip, he is initiated into the mysteries of table rocking and other occult practices and becomes interested. In the séance he is impressed with the idea that he is out to mystify his friends, and the soothsayer sells him a book, which explains all about it. Repairing to the club he cons the book and engages in experiments. The results are magical and he hastens to announce the fact to his friends. They are skeptical and treat his efforts lightly. They make all manner of sport of his demonstrations and Billy waxes wroth. He is rudely disturbed and casts about for a method of revenge. Adjoining the room is the electrical apparatus and Billy enlists the services of the electrician by means of a generous bribe. A wire is strung to the table and the plans carefully made to humiliate the unbelievers.

Billy's Séance

1911

Her First Biscuits poster
3.0

A new bride has made a batch of biscuits. Her husband pretends to like them, so she delivers the rest to his office. But one bite of these biscuits makes you violently ill, and soon all his visitors (he runs a theatrical booking agency), plus the workmen at home, are ill; when she shows up at the office, they all go after her.

Her First Biscuits

1909

What Drink Did poster
4.5

A man leaves his wife and two daughters for work in a carpentry shop. At work, he initially refuses a beer with lunch, then gives in. After work, two friends take a little while to convince him to go for a refreshing malt beverage, then to have another and another....

What Drink Did

1909

Resurrection poster
4.9

Nekhludoff, a Russian nobleman serving on a jury, discovers that the young girl on trial, Katusha, is someone he once seduced and abandoned and that he himself bears responsibility for reducing her to crime. He sets out to redeem her and himself in the process.

Resurrection

1909

No artwork available
4.5

Oh, the woe of simultaneous birthdays, as were Mr. and Mrs. Hardlucks', and both being of a generous nature, were seized with an insatiable desire to make on this anniversary of their nativity suitable gifts, each to the other, Hardluck has a watch, but no fob. Mrs. Hardluck has a wealth of hair, but no decorative comb for her hair. What is worse, finances are low, or rather exhausted. An idea strikes Hardluck. He will pawn his watch and buy a comb; thus surprising her. Mrs. Hardluck's mind is also illumined by a bright thought. She will sacrifice her hair, and with the money buy him a fob. This they do, of course, unknown to each other. Well, here's the situation: He had no fob for his watch, and she no comb for her hair; but now he has no watch for his fob, and she has no hair for her comb.

The Sacrifice

1909

Confidence poster
4.1

Nellie flees her old life and goes east to become a nurse, where she marries a doctor. One of her old colleagues finds her and tries to blackmail her. When the blackmail plot is exposed, Nellie's husband expresses his complete faith in her.

Confidence

1909