early Billy Ruge (no clip)

[David Denton]

I just watched MC QUADE OF THE TRAFFIC SQUAD (Edison 1915) with Pat O'Malley (not J. Pat O'Malley), Bessie Learn, Yale Benner, Jessie Stevens (Edison's Kate Price) and William Ruge. O'Malley is a motorcycle cop, Bessie is the girlfriend and Ruge her brother who just happens to drive a get-away car for a pair of house-robbers. This, of course, gets O'Malley in bad with the force and he has to catch the thieves. I've seen a few 'of the Plump and Runt' series with Hardy and Ruge; I didn't find Billy Ruge to be a subtle actor in those and he's not in this Edison either. His is not a comic part and in that regard very interesting to see him very early in his film career. MC QUADE is an extra on a Flicker Alley set PERILS OF THE NEW LAND which features THE ITALIAN and TRAFFIC IN SOULS.