Seaman Bill Bones arrives at the Benbow inn run by Mrs.Hawkins, and is attacked by sailors looking for a treasure map outlined by notorious pirate Flint. During the scuffle, Mrs.Hawkin's son Jim gets hold of the map and flees with it to the home of Squire Trelawney, the father of Louise. Jim and Louise travel to Bristol where they charter the Hispanola with a crew of carefully selected men, they head out for the island outlined in the map. After a long journey, they finally reach treasure island, and Jim goes ashore with several pirates to have a look, while Louise stays aboard with Capt. Smolett. Jim comes across Flint's former shipmate Ben Gunn, who has been marooned on the island and they become friends. Louise and the Captain fearing a mutiny by the crew, they make for shore and take refuge in a stockade on the island. After many fights between the pirates and the crew, Jim and Louise are finally reunited and, after finding the treasure in Ben Gunn's cave, they set sail for home.
The loss of this 1918 adaptation of Treasure Island is a particularly sad one, as the principal players were children. Produced by William Fox, it starred Fox's Sunset Kiddies, featuring popular eight year old child actress Virginia Lee Corbin as Louise Trelawney and eight year old Francis Carpenter portraying Jim Hawkins along with 10 year old Violet Radcliffe who portrayed Long John Silver, apparently the child actress was often cast to play little boys in films. Nine year old Lloyd Perl played Black Dog, fifteen year old Lewis Sargent played Ben Gunn with eleven year old Buddy Messinger playing Captain Smolett. Six reels distributed by the Fox Film Corporation brought the classic tale to life for 1918 silent film audiences and modern day silent cinema fans can only hope a copy someday resurfaces.
The loss of this 1918 adaptation of Treasure Island is a particularly sad one, as the principal players were children. Produced by William Fox, it starred Fox's Sunset Kiddies, featuring popular eight year old child actress Virginia Lee Corbin as Louise Trelawney and eight year old Francis Carpenter portraying Jim Hawkins along with 10 year old Violet Radcliffe who portrayed Long John Silver, apparently the child actress was often cast to play little boys in films. Nine year old Lloyd Perl played Black Dog, fifteen year old Lewis Sargent played Ben Gunn with eleven year old Buddy Messinger playing Captain Smolett. Six reels distributed by the Fox Film Corporation brought the classic tale to life for 1918 silent film audiences and modern day silent cinema fans can only hope a copy someday resurfaces.
