Directing

Thomas N. Heffron

Born — Died

1872-06-13 — 1951-05-24

Place of birth

Virginia City, Nevada, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

40 titles

Known for

Tony America poster
NR

Tony comes to America virtually the slave of his padrone, who holds him in debt for his passage money. But Rosa Picciano marries him to escape parental discipline and Tony hopes for freedom at last, but Rosa makes it plain that she does not love him.

Tony America

1918

The Planter poster
NR

To prevent David's widowed mother, Elizabeth, from being influenced by her son against their fake tropical rubber plantation investment, the promoters trick David into managing the plantation in Mexico. Seeking to prove his worth after a failed marriage proposal, David travels to the tropics. There, he encounters the brutal reality of the rubber slavery system. He meets Ludwig Hertzer (the villainous "Planter," played by Tyrone Power Sr.), a feared and hated man who runs a slave-labor-based operation. David also encounters Senora Morales and her daughter, Consuela, who are involved in the slave trade. David discovers his family's investment is actually a "rubbish heap." He attempts to warn his mother via cable, but the message is intercepted by Hertzer for his own gain.

The Planter

1917

Madame Sphinx poster
NR

Disgusted when the police department fails to apprehend the murderer of her guardian, Henri Du Bois, Celeste decides to track down the criminal herself. Her only clue is a cuff link dropped near the scene of the crime on which a sphinx is engraved, and with it, she wanders through Paris' tough Moulin Noir district. When she notices a young man wearing a tie pin of identical design, she cultivates his acquaintance and eventually asks him to visit her in her home. His suspicious behavior there convinces Celeste that he is the guilty party, and although she has fallen in love with him, she has him arrested, whereupon she learns that he is Du Bois' missing son, Andre. Further detective work reveals that the real murderer is Celeste's rejected suitor, Raoul Laverne. Upon his confession, Andre is released and eventually marries Celeste.

Madame Sphinx

1918

Sunset Sprague poster
8.0

When Sunset Sprague saves Calico Barnes from a bandit, the two men become friends. Barnes is heading out to protect his niece, Rose Loring, whose father was murdered right after his mine struck gold. Sprague goes to help and finds himself up against the villainous Mace Dennison.

Sunset Sprague

1920

Aristocracy poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Aristocracy

1914

No artwork available
NR

1915 American silent mystery film directed by Thomas N. Heffron.

The House of a Thousand Candles

1915

Behind the camera

Tony America poster
NR

Tony comes to America virtually the slave of his padrone, who holds him in debt for his passage money. But Rosa Picciano marries him to escape parental discipline and Tony hopes for freedom at last, but Rosa makes it plain that she does not love him.

Tony America

1918

The Planter poster
NR

To prevent David's widowed mother, Elizabeth, from being influenced by her son against their fake tropical rubber plantation investment, the promoters trick David into managing the plantation in Mexico. Seeking to prove his worth after a failed marriage proposal, David travels to the tropics. There, he encounters the brutal reality of the rubber slavery system. He meets Ludwig Hertzer (the villainous "Planter," played by Tyrone Power Sr.), a feared and hated man who runs a slave-labor-based operation. David also encounters Senora Morales and her daughter, Consuela, who are involved in the slave trade. David discovers his family's investment is actually a "rubbish heap." He attempts to warn his mother via cable, but the message is intercepted by Hertzer for his own gain.

The Planter

1917

Madame Sphinx poster
NR

Disgusted when the police department fails to apprehend the murderer of her guardian, Henri Du Bois, Celeste decides to track down the criminal herself. Her only clue is a cuff link dropped near the scene of the crime on which a sphinx is engraved, and with it, she wanders through Paris' tough Moulin Noir district. When she notices a young man wearing a tie pin of identical design, she cultivates his acquaintance and eventually asks him to visit her in her home. His suspicious behavior there convinces Celeste that he is the guilty party, and although she has fallen in love with him, she has him arrested, whereupon she learns that he is Du Bois' missing son, Andre. Further detective work reveals that the real murderer is Celeste's rejected suitor, Raoul Laverne. Upon his confession, Andre is released and eventually marries Celeste.

Madame Sphinx

1918

Sunset Sprague poster
8.0

When Sunset Sprague saves Calico Barnes from a bandit, the two men become friends. Barnes is heading out to protect his niece, Rose Loring, whose father was murdered right after his mine struck gold. Sprague goes to help and finds himself up against the villainous Mace Dennison.

Sunset Sprague

1920

Aristocracy poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Aristocracy

1914

No artwork available
NR

1915 American silent mystery film directed by Thomas N. Heffron.

The House of a Thousand Candles

1915

Are You a Mason? poster
3.0

Frank Perry's wife Helen is away visiting her mother, and he uses this "free time" for a night of drinking at a nightclub. Unfortunately, when he tries to return home, he enters the wrong house and is nearly arrested When Helen comes back he tells her that the "incident" was actually an initiation rite of the Masons, knowing that his wife has always wanted him to join the group. She excitedly tells her father about Frank's becoming a Mason, since her father is also a Mason. What neither she nor Frank know is that her father has actually been doing the same thing Frank is--pretending to be a Mason when he actually isn't. Complications ensue.

Are You a Mason?

1915

The City of Masks poster
10.0

After immigrating to America, a handful of European nobles find themselves living and working as common laborers. They join together one night a week to maintain the Continental style they once were accustomed to.

The City of Masks

1920

A Wife's Romance poster
8.0

Joyce Addison, wife of an American attache in Madrid, looks to her painting as sole entertainment, as her husband neglects her for business. One night late, while driving, she meets and is robbed by a bandit who proves sufficiently chivalrous to see her home.

A Wife's Romance

1923

Firebrand Trevison poster
8.0

A ranch owner runs afoul of a land grabber, and both of them are in love with the same girl, the daughter of a railroad owner.

Firebrand Trevison

1920

Thou Art the Man poster
8.0

Suspicious that his employers are diamond smugglers, soldier-of-fortune Myles Calthrope quits his job in the African mines and heads south, where he meets and falls in love with Joan Farrant. Joan, unaware that her brother Henry is in the diamond smuggling business, obtains Myles a position in the family firm. Myles is given an envelope of legal documents to deliver, but when he is searched aboard ship, diamonds are discovered in the pouch and Myles is imprisoned. After completing his sentence, Myles secures a job on the Prescott sugar plantation, where he once again meets Joan, who denounces him as a smuggler. Mr. Prescott, Myles's employer, determines to prove Myles's innocence.

Thou Art the Man

1920

The Man from Mexico poster
NR

A young man gets arrested after a drunken night. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, he tells his wife he has to go to Mexico for a month.

The Man from Mexico

1914

Life's a Funny Proposition poster
8.0

Young, introverted New York attorney Jimmie Pendleton is notoriously shy around women. Instead, he spends much of his time embarking on wild escapades with his friend, Herbert Austin. To fund these adventures, Jimmie frequently wires his eccentric Uncle Tobias in Kansabraska (a fictionalized Midwestern location) for emergency cash. Chaos ensues when Jimmie becomes engaged to Herbert’s sister, Mary. Following the engagement, Uncle Tobias unexpectedly arrives from the West. Jimmie is forced into a frantic, comical scramble to maintain appearances and conceal his true, wilder lifestyle—along with his careless spending habits—from his visiting uncle and his new in-laws.

Life's a Funny Proposition

1919

The Love Charm poster
9.0

Orphaned Ruth Sheldon reads an article on "Love Charms" on her way to live in the home of her Aunt Julia and Cousin Hattie Nast. Upon her arrival, Ruth is put to work as housekeeper, cook, and seamstress. When Thomas Morgan, a young banker, is invited to dinner, he focuses his attention on Ruth, prompting the envious Hattie to claim him as her own. To oblige her cousin, Ruth attempts to discourage Thomas by behaving like a frivolous society "vampire," rather than the old-fashioned girl he believes her to be.

The Love Charm

1921

The Scales of Justice poster
NR

Robert Darrow, a district attorney is in love with young widow, Edith Russell Dexter. Her wealthy grandfather, Judge Philip Russell, wants her to marry his business manager, Walter Elliot, who actually has been embezzling from Russell's company. During a garden party, Edith and the judge fight over her attentions to Robert

The Scales of Justice

1914

The Scales of Justice poster
NR

Robert Darrow, a district attorney is in love with young widow, Edith Russell Dexter. Her wealthy grandfather, Judge Philip Russell, wants her to marry his business manager, Walter Elliot, who actually has been embezzling from Russell's company. During a garden party, Edith and the judge fight over her attentions to Robert

The Scales of Justice

1914

One of Our Girls poster
NR

The "girl" of the title was played by Hazel Dawn, a popular stage actress who briefly enjoyed a flourishing film career. Dawn plays Miss Shipley, an American girl vacationing in France. Our heroine finds herself the romantic bone of contention between two "men of the world" (William Roselle and Hal Clarendon), who end up fighting a duel over her affections.

One of Our Girls

1914

The Only Son poster
1.0

Thomas Brainerd, Sr., as a prospector, is a dutiful and loving husband and father, but when he strikes gold he becomes obsessed with business and all his relationships suffer. Due to his inattention his wife nearly strays and his son bitter at his father lack of understanding becomes estranged. All end happily though.

The Only Son

1914

A Kiss in Time poster
8.0

Although she finds the stiff Bostonian manners of her fiancé, Robert Ames, unsuited to her temperament, artist-illustrator Sheila Athlone refuses to illustrate an author's story because of its "absurd" premise that a girl would kiss a man she met only 4 hours earlier. Author Brian Moore, setting out to prove his point, poses as a butcher boy and induces her to ride out to a country orchard. His advances are refused until he saves a child from an explosion, and 2 minutes before the time limit, in admiration of his bravery, she allows him to kiss her.

A Kiss in Time

1921

The Valiants of Virginia poster
NR

When his opponent is killed after a duel over the honor of Virginia belle Judith Fairfax John Valiant flees North. Before taking flight John entrusts a note of explanation for Judith to Major Bristow. Bristow, however, has designs on the belle and withholds the missive. As the years pass John founds a successful business, loses his wife in childbirth and Judith marries Tom Dandridge and has a daughter, Shirley. Many years later, John Jr., now head of the Valiant Corporation, returns to his father’s estate during a financial crisis and falls in love with Shirley Dandridge. To rekindle her romance with John, Katherine tells Shirley of the family feud and Shirley suddenly cools toward John. On his deathbed, Barstow finally gives Judith John's letter in which John reveals that Edward had shot himself during the duel. John and Shirley are happily reconciled.

The Valiants of Virginia

1916

Her Face Value poster
8.0

Chorus girl Peggy Malone, supporting her father and brother, marries press agent Jimmy Parsons. They settle into a quiet life until her "shiftless" relatives move in, causing marital strain and financial pressure. To escape the domestic chaos and support her family, Peggy returns to the stage and eventually joins a motion picture company in Los Angeles. She quickly becomes a famous film star, continuing to provide for her ungrateful family while Jimmy moves to Arizona to recuperate from failing health. While filming a dangerous stunt, Peggy is seriously injured. During her recovery, she is forced to choose between the wealthy admirer Martin Fox and her husband Jimmy, who travels to Los Angeles to win her back. Peggy chooses love over wealth, reuniting with Jimmy (now a successful scenarist) and finally finding true happiness.

Her Face Value

1921

The Stainless Barrier poster
8.0

Betsy Shelton, an orphan since early childhood, lives in Myrtleville with her aunt, and is engaged to marry Calvin Stone, a young lawyer. Betsy's brother, Dick, ostensibly working in New York to recover the family fortune, becomes involved with one Roger Enderleigh, a shyster promoter, who because of crooked dealings, is forced to flee from the postal authorities. He induces Dick to take him to Myrtleville, where Dick introduces Enderleigh as a prosperous banker promoting a munition plant, thus swindling the townsmen.

The Stainless Barrier

1917

A Man's Fight poster
10.0

An impertinent son of a wealthy New Yorker, Roger Carr takes the blame for the murder of Norman Evans, whom Roger believes his sister Ethel shot when Evans assaulted her.

A Man's Fight

1919

No artwork available
NR

In New York's Washington Square, a poet named Karl (Jack Livingston) is the king of art and artifice. But World War I breaks out and the spotlight on him begins to fade, so he dramatically declares his intention to enlist in the British Army. His friend Marcarson announces that he will go with him, keeping Karl to a promise which he hadn't planned to see through.

The Price of Applause

1918

Into the Primitive poster
NR

American heiress Jennie Leslie, the Honorable Cecil Winthrope, and the alcoholic Thomas Blake are washed ashore on a deserted island after a shipwreck. At first, Jennie sticks close to Cecil, preferring his upper-class British breeding to Thomas' man-of-the-people approach.

Into the Primitive

1916

Mountain Dew poster
NR

Magazine writer J. Hamilton Vance travels to the mountains of Kentucky to get local color for his stories, and falls in love with Roxie Bradley, the daughter of a moonshiner. Regarded at first with suspicion by the mountaineers, Vance finally wins their confidence and is appointed teacher in the little log school house. The former teacher, resentful at the intrusion, attempts to shoot Vance through the schoolhouse window, but Roxie intercepts the bullet. Vance nurses her back to health, engendering the jealousy of Lily Bud Raines, who starts a rumor that Vance is a federal agent spying on the moonshiners.

Mountain Dew

1917

Her Sturdy Oak poster
10.0

Samuel Butters breaks his engagement with Belle Bright—a strict ranch owner—to marry Violet White after falling for her at a summer hotel. Despite Belle withholding his investment money and threatening foreclosure on his struggling, family-filled new home, the twins' charm changes her heart.

Her Sturdy Oak

1921

No artwork available
10.0

John Grant, capitalist, is devoted to his wife, but is obliged to curtail her weekly allowance because of her fondness for cards. Robert Baker, a wealthy bachelor, is a great admirer of Mrs. Grant and calls frequently. Finding that her allowance is not enough for her losses at cards, Mrs. Grant, incited by society friends, deceives her husband in the hope of gaining more pocket money. Mrs. Grant loses a hundred dollars at cards, and she gives her I.O.U. to Mrs. Condon, the hostess.

Wives of the Rich

1916

No artwork available
7.0

Farnum Walton, a dissipated artist, is engaged to illustrate Marian Emlen's new book and invites her to a disreputable restaurant, ostensibly to discuss his ideas. At dinner, Walton tries to embrace Marian, who rushes to a phone booth to call her fiancé, anti-vice crusader Austin Booth. The self-righteous Austin, however, rebukes Marian so severely that she faints. Awakening hours later, she finds herself in Walton's apartment, the artist dead beside her. Politician George Hamilton agrees to help Marian, but Austin denounces her as a murderer. Knowing that Elsa Armytage was involved with Walton, George visits the woman, who confesses that she jealously quarreled with the artist on the evening of his death. When Walton dropped dead of heart failure, Elsa, seeking revenge, had the unconscious Marian carried to his apartment. Her name cleared, Marian abandons Austin for the more trusting George.

Who Killed Walton?

1918

Too Much Wife poster
10.0

Myra Coningsby, a newlywed who is determined not to be a submissive wife but ultimately learns to find a balance in her marriage after a dramatic incident involving a faked drowning.

Too Much Wife

1922

Bobbed Hair poster
10.0

A young woman spurns her too conventional fiancé and flees to an artists' colony.

Bobbed Hair

1922

The Little Clown poster
7.0

Mary Miles Minter is the title character. Pat (Minter) is a little orphan who has been raised around the circus. Her foster father is Toto the clown (Neely Edwards). Toto hopes to marry Pat until the day the circus comes to a Southern town and she meets handsome Dick Beverley (Jack Mulhall). Beverley falls in love with Pat and takes a job as trick rider just to be near her. Beverley's aristocratic parents (Winter Hall and Helen Dunbar) find out about his new job and insist that he come home. Two of the five reels survive.

The Little Clown

1921

Sham poster
8.0

Based upon a description in a film publication,[3] Katherine Van Riper (Clayton) is an extravagant young society girl who is very much in debt, and her wealthy aunts and uncle refuse to give her any money. Katherine is desperate enough that she is considering marrying the wealthy Montee Buck (Hiers), although she is in love with the westerner Tom Jaffrey (Fillmore), who says he is poor. Finally, Katherine decides to sell the famous Van Riper pearls, pay off her debts, and marry Tom. However, upon examination the jewelry turns out to be paste, with her father having sold the genuine pearls several years earlier before his death. Montee is assured by the aunts that Katherine will marry him and tells this to Tom. Tom is about to leave town when Uncle James (Ricketts) steps in and pays off Katherine's debts, leaving the niece free to marry Tom.

Sham

1921

The Sudden Gentleman poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Sudden Gentleman

1917

The Best Man poster
NR

The Library of Congress lists this as a ‘lost’ film, however a copy exists in the UK. Gordon, disguised as Hayne, meets with the criminals and manages to purloin the stolen code but the real Hayne, who the police have failed to apprehend, gives chase. Gordon escapes in a taxi that had been pre-booked to take Hayne to church to marry Celia. Arriving at the church, and remembering his instructions ‘Let Nothing Hinder You’, Gordon allows himself to be married to Celia while planning how he will escape.

The Best Man

1919

No artwork available
NR

"The Brute" tells the story of a kind, hardworking man whose uncultured exterior and preoccupation with work annoy his materialistic wife. An old suitor, now wealthy, renews his advances, and the wife, tempted by luxury and his refined manner, considers eloping with him to Europe. The suitor dies of appendicitis in Denver, leaving his fortune to the wife, which plunges her into remorse and makes her realize her love for her husband. The drama culminates as she accepts the fortune, the husband discovers the truth, and he ultimately forgives his wife, demonstrating his "great nature".

The Brute

1914

Gretna Green poster
NR

On a whim and to save the good name of her sister, Dolly Erskine, a light-hearted young woman, declares that a riding master is her husband, not realizing that they have crossed the border into Scotland and that the confession of marriage is binding. However, she has unwittingly become the wife of an earl, falling in love with him in time to prevent a divorce decree. While Dolly is falling in love, the earl continues to pose as a riding master, and as such wins the heart of his pretty bride. Based on the play "Gretna Green," by Grace Livingston Purniss.

Gretna Green

1915

Gretna Green poster
NR

On a whim and to save the good name of her sister, Dolly Erskine, a light-hearted young woman, declares that a riding master is her husband, not realizing that they have crossed the border into Scotland and that the confession of marriage is binding. However, she has unwittingly become the wife of an earl, falling in love with him in time to prevent a divorce decree. While Dolly is falling in love, the earl continues to pose as a riding master, and as such wins the heart of his pretty bride. Based on the play "Gretna Green," by Grace Livingston Purniss.

Gretna Green

1915

Temperance Town poster
10.0

Mink Jones of Jonesville, is the lord high executioner and everything else.

Temperance Town

1916

The Truthful Liar poster
7.0

Bored by her hardworking husband, Tess goes to an illegal gambling den with a former suitor, Arthur Sinclair. The den is robbed and subsequently raided by police. Tess loses her rings and lies to her husband about her whereabouts. Her lies are exposed when the rings are found by the police. While trying to manage the fallout, she writes a compromising letter that is intercepted and used to blackmail her for $15,000. After being embroiled in further dangerous, fraudulent activity, her innocence regarding the robbery and associated crimes is established through the confession of a criminal named Peter Vanetti. 

The Truthful Liar

1922