The Fifth Ace - Production & Contact Info

The Fifth Ace (1916)
Short | Short, Drama

The Fifth Ace (1916)

Short | Short, Drama

After an evening of small winnings at the gaming table the crooked gambler decides to go after bigger game. A story in the newspaper telling of a coming weekend party to be given by the daughter of a rich banker gives the gambler the ...See moreAfter an evening of small winnings at the gaming table the crooked gambler decides to go after bigger game. A story in the newspaper telling of a coming weekend party to be given by the daughter of a rich banker gives the gambler the opening he seeks. He hires a pair of thugs to hold up a rich clubman who is included in the list of invited friends. Of course, the scheming crook is on hand to make a fake rescue and in return the clubman falls into the gambler's trap and includes him in the invitation to the big summer home of the banker. The gambler is accepted without question, but he finds that the heiress already has a sweetheart. The crook, decides to eliminate his rival so that the goal of millions may be open only for him. Poker games are a nightly recreation among the men and the gambler prepares a deck that contains five aces. When the girl's sweetheart is about to deal, the gambler cleverly substitutes the prepared deck. The hand is played. The stakes run as high as the excitement. The rival shows four aces and is just about to take in the pot when the father of the girl remembers his own hand. Quickly he turns it over and exposes the fifth ace. There is no crime in the father's eyes so great as that of cheating at cards. The proof is absolute for the young chap had shuffled and dealt. Despite the protests of the daughter who refuses to believe so despicable a thing about her sweetheart, the father orders him to take the first train in the morning. One of the hysterical woman guests demands that her diamond necklace be put in the safe overnight because she fears to have it in her room while a card-sharp is under the roof. This is done, and the crook learns the combination while the father is opening the safe. In his room upstairs the falsely accused man decides not to wait until morning. He packs his bag and steals from the house and to the station to get a night train. The crook, in his own room, is torn between two loves. In the future is the heiress and her millions; in the present is a diamond necklace worth a hundred thousand dollars. But he puts aside the lesser temptation, only to receive a night telegram from a pal that his last trickery is known to the police and he must vanish quickly or be arrested. The crook decides that he will not leave empty-handed. He drops his bag from the window to insure hasty flight, and in the darkness hurries to the safe and its waiting diamonds. As he works at the safe the banker upstairs is unable to sleep because the scene at the card table has driven sleep far from his eyes. The crook carelessly makes some sound that the nervous man upstairs hears. Taking a pistol the banker comes down to meet the intruder. The gambler is warned, and darts to the French window and escapes. The banker fires at the shadowy form. He sees the man stagger and clutch his arm, and knows his shot has hit, but the robber escapes. Awakened by the shot the guests come running downstairs. The woman who had the necklace sees the open safe. She loudly accuses the "card sharp" of its theft and demands its return. She is insistent and leads the way to his room, flinging open the door to show the signs of hasty departure. The banker knows that the crook must have gone to the railroad. He is determined to start after him. The daughter is just as determined to go with him, and she carries her point. At the station the falsely accused man paces up and down as he waits for the train. The gambler suddenly appears on the scene. The surprise is mutual. The younger man wants to know why the other guest left so suddenly. "I guess for the same reason that you did," the gambler sneeringly said, "Because I couldn't get the girl and the money." Enraged at the sneer, the man who had been accused of cheating grasped the gambler by the arm, only to withdraw his hand quickly at the feel of the warm, sticky blood that showed through the light cloth of the gambler's sleeve. Realizing that discovery is at hand, the crook tries to escape, but the young chap quickly proves his mastery. When the girl and her father arrive they find a cowering person, beaten and cursing and a quiet young chap standing over him. In the crook's bag they find the necklace and the deck of cards from which he took the fifth ace that caused the suffering to the two young people. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

Contacts

+ Add

Become a member to see contact information for The Fifth Ace.

Cast	+ Add Cast
5 cast members

Name	Known for
Alice Lake The Banker's Daughter The Banker's Daughter See fewer	The Hole in the Wall (1921)
Wayne Arey The Banker's Daughter's Fiance The Banker's Daughter's Fiance See fewer	The Unfortunate Marriage (1917)
J.H. Gilmour The Banker The Banker See fewer	The Unfortunate Marriage (1917)
Hector Dion Sam Kendall - Gentleman Gambler Sam Kendall - Gentleman Gambler See fewer	King Lear (1916)
Yale Benner The Dupe The Dupe See fewer	Vanity Fair (1915)