What Drink Did (1909) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

1909 · 12 mins

Directed by

D.W. Griffith

Starring

Owen Moore, Mary Pickford, David Miles, John R. Cumpson, Arthur V. Johnson, Florence Lawrence

A man abandons his wife and two daughters to take a job in a carpentry shop. During lunch he initially declines a beer, but eventually gives in. Later, two friends persuade him to try a cold malt, and one drink leads to another, escalating into a prolonged bout of drinking. The scene humorously captures his growing reluctance and the friends’ persistence as the evening stretches into a series of drinks.