Villains and Kids Don't Mix
Dateline: January 1915
Sometimes the folks making silent movies in Santa Barbara, CA had a hard time convincing the kids in the cast that they were only pretending. One day, "Flying A" actor Jack Richardson's acting was so real, he scared one of the children in a scene from The Law of the Wilds.
"The famous villain made a lunge at the youngster, letting out a fine line of choice expletives. The startled child gazed, paralyzed for a moment, into the sinister face of his pseudo parent. Then he gave vent to a terrified shriek, and to another, and yet another, wailing hysterically and refusing to be comforted. . . The small actor had to be returned to headquarters and another less sensitive child taken out to the location." – Reel Life, January 16, 1915