Tillie's Tomato Surprise 1915

The Screamiest Scream Ever Screened

Directed by Howell Hansel

Tillie Todd gifts her wealthy Aunt Sally a dime-store tomato pincushion, falsely claiming it’s handmade. Cousin Percy exposes the lie, vying for Sally’s favor. At Sally’s birthday, Tillie’s suitor “The Bat” crash-lands his flying invention, inspiring Sally to take flight herself. Declared dead after vanishing for days, she wills Tillie the pincushion but leaves most of her estate to her pet monkey Jim, with Percy as eventual heir. Percy kidnaps Jim to hasten his fortune, framing Tillie for the crime. Pursued by police, Tillie is saved when Sally returns alive. In frustration, Tillie tears apart the despised pincushion—only to discover it stuffed with $10,000.