Marriage scene from Maid of McMillan. Photo from the 1918 Hatchet yearbook.

The Story

From Student Life, May 18, 1916

The story of the play is the development of a college romance. Jack Tower, the good looking captain of the Track Team, is in love with Myrtle Maroon, a pretty co-ed. Jack discovers a good track man in the personality of a rustic youth, Higgins. In fact, Higgins is better than Jack himself. In the approaching meet, Jack is signed up to represent Washington, but heroically crosses off his name and inserts that of the country boy, thus sacrificing his chance to win his W. Higgins wins the meet for Washington and is given an enormous loving cup; as a reward for his heroic sacrifice Jack is awarded his W. Naturally, Jack and Myrtle become engaged, as is the custom with young folks, but as he is a Senior and she only a Junior, the wedding must be delayed for a year. The following year when he returns to get his bride, they elope, for some unknown reason, and fly to Clayton, where they are married. On the way there, however, they encounter two bandits who woefully batter up Jack's right eye. Needless to say they lived happily every afterwards.

Written and Directed by Dan Bartlett and Donald Stewart
Filmed by J.D. Wooster Lambert
Locations (from Student Life May 4, 1916): "McMillan Hall, Francis Field, [Brookings] Archway and Steps, Delmar Station, on the road to Clayton, in Clayton, and in Some Lonely Spot"

Re-Discovery of The Maid of McMillan

The film was re-discovered in 1982 by Mitch Walker, class of 1983, while doing research on the history of Thurtene. Prior to 1982, the film had not been seen since 1966, when it was viewed at the 50th reunion of the class of 1916, and its whereabouts were unknown. When the film was discovered, it was in several long strips. In order for the film to be usable, the original strips had to be repaired and spliced together, and a video copy had to be made. Funding to preserve the film was made available to the Libraries through the generosity of both Mitch Walker and the Procter & Gamble Company. Thanks to their efforts, we are able to once again make Maid of McMillan available to the campus community.