| Long May It Wave | |
| Director: | John A. Murphy |
| Producer: | Arthur Hotaling |
| Starring: | Raymond McKee Mae Hotely Marguerite Ne Moyer Ben Walker Oliver Hardy |
| Runtime: | 7–8 minutes (c. 600 feet) |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | Silent film English intertitles |
Long May It Wave is a lost 1914 American silent comedy film produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company, featuring Raymond McKee, Mae Hotely, Marguerite Ne Moyer, Ed Lawrence, Ben Walker, and Oliver Hardy.[1] [2]
Pat McCarthy's wife Nora has "a strong fist and a short temper", and she hurls a dishpan at him when he forgets to bring in the coal. To patch things up he buys two tickets to a "lurid melodrama" entitled The Flag We Love, in which a series of characters are saved from terrible fates by brandishing the American flag. First, an evil general tries to take the heroine by force, but she waves the flag at him and he desists. Then her sweetheart is condemned to death, but she arrives with the flag just in time and the execution is foiled. Finally, the general hauls the hero and heroine before the king on charges of treason, but three flag-waving marines appear to protect the lovers. Taking the story to heart, Pat buys an American flag for protection from Nora before he returns home (along with an Irish flag for good measure). At first the plan is successful, but when Nora offers him a drink, he sets the flags down, at which point she seizes him and sits him on the hot stove until he repents.[3]
Long May It Wave was filmed in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Jacksonville unit of the Lubin Manufacturing Company, under the supervision of Arthur Hotaling.[2] It was a short split-reel comedy, lasting approximately 7–8 minutes, and sharing a single reel with a second, unrelated film, Getting Solid with Pa, starring Jimmy Hodges, Frances Ne Moyer, and Billy Bowers.[1] The films were released by the General Film Company on June 16, 1914.[2]
Long May It Wave is one of several short comedies made in the spring and summer of 1914 that include the first screen appearances of Oliver Hardy. Although the film itself is lost, Hardy's name (as Babe Hardy) appears in the cast list and he can be seen as the king, wearing a striped robe and a large crown, in a promotional still from the film published in The Lubin Bulletin, the newsletter advertising the studio's new releases.[1] [2]
The film was written by Epes W. Sargent, who discussed the construction of the final gag in a column of advice for screenwriters published in The Moving Picture World in July 1914:
Long May It Wave was well received by the reviewers for the trade papers. Motion Picture News wrote that "a foolish play is enacted in this half of the reel, which will cause universal laughter."[4] Moving Picture World described it as "a ludicrous old plot about a hen-pecked husband," but added that "it gains laughs by its absolute absurdity."[5] The New York Dramatic Mirror wrote, "This short skit is about as funny as they come at any length. E. W. Sargent is the author, and he has introduced some genuine humor. Besides it is well handled and reproduced.".[2]