A Game of Wits (1917)

• 82%
• 1917
• Comedy
• Drama
• Henry King
• Gail Kane
• George Periolat
• Spottiswoode Aitken

Jeanette Browning overhears Silas Stone, an aged Wall Street wolf, demanding her as his wife in payment for saving her father from financial ruin. Upon her acceptance of Stone's proposal, her father receives a check to cover his shortage. She then conceives of a plan to make Stone break their engagement so that she can sue him for breach of promise. Stone is invited to the mountains to visit the Brownings, and Jeanette pairs her youthful strength against the old man's advanced age. After tiring him out with dances, midnight suppers, swims and horseback riding, Jeanette plays her trump card when she introduces Stone to her brother Larry, the shame of the family because of his insanity which she claims to have inherited as well. Horrified, Stone attempts to steal away but is caught by Larry. Jeanette feigns despair at the loss of his love and threatens to sue for breach of promise. After Stone patches her broken heart with a check for $100,000, Jeanette confesses to her father that "brother Larry" is actually her sweetheart whom she pressed into service to frustrate the crafty old man.