[2][3] Like snakes and "pink elephants" that have been used in many societies to symbolize heavy drinking or been associated with the hallucinations of drunkards, the main character in this "'photophantasy'" blamed instead a "Ringtailed Rhinoceros" for his excessive use of wine and liquor.

Directed by George Terwilliger and starring Raymond Hitchcock and Flora Zabelle, this Lubin production was filmed on location in Long Island, New York and St. Augustine, Florida.

The prince agrees and takes the stranger to see his royal family, including his sister, "The Weeping Princess", who bears a striking resemblance to Marybelle.

When he sees Billie and Marybelle again he proclaims that he has at last killed the Ringtailed Rhinoceros and can begin life anew, fully dedicated to being a more responsible, sober man.

Two such stage performers contracted by the company in 1914 were the "notorious" actress Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, who made her screen debut in the Lubin production Threads of Destiny, and the comedian Raymond Hitchcock, whose initial foray into films was The Ringtailed Rhinoceros.

[5] Widely billed as "'The Funniest Man on the Stage'", Hitchcock had reportedly rejected earlier offers to perform in motion pictures, but the comedian was finally "won over" by Lubin, which created a "unique comedy drama, written especially" for him.

[8] In the spring of 1914, Lubin staff writer and editor Lawrence McCloskey was assigned by the company to develop a special screenplay for Raymond Hitchcock and to convince him to star in it.

On Long Island the comedian enlisted his wealthy neighbors to perform in supporting roles and as extras on the project, a casting move that offered both convenience and cost savings to Terwilliger.

[9][e] In its July 25, 1914 issue, the trade journal Motography notifies its readers that Terwilliger with a "troupe of Lubin players" had recently returned from St. Augustine and was filming a "'photophantasy'" with Hitchcock and Zabelle.

[6] That prolonged delay in its release was due to several reasons, one being scheduling adjustments linked to Lubin's new distribution partnership with three other film studios: Vitagraph, Selig, and Essanay.

The losses, all of which were uninsured, included extensive collections of original prints, master negatives, stock footage, unused film, and "several features ready for release".

Pathos of the kind that brings the smile with the tear, and lively humor, are found at every turn of the story, and the action abounds in delicious little bits impossible to describe in words.

Thomas C. Kennedy, the critic for Motography, focused his compliments on the direction of the film, stating that "Director Terwilliger did not overlook any opportunities in the staging of this thoroughly amusing farce-comedy.

"[15] However, in his review in the August 28 issue of Motion Picture News, Harvey F. Thew criticizes the pace of the four-reeler, noting that "the story is allowed to drag in many spots".

[16][f] He also expresses a general disappointment with Hitchcock's screen debut, observing that the inability to hear him speak in the medium of film robbed the comedian of his greatest strength on stage.

A constitutional amendment to ban the production, transportation, and sale of all alcoholic beverages in the United States would not take effect until 1920, but some reviewers of The Ringtailed Rhinoceros, including Harvey Thew, recognized the film as not only an entertainment diversion but also a cinematic "preachment for prohibition".

[3] Stills from the production, in addition to those depicted on this page, do survive as illustrations in 1914 and 1915 publications and provide a visual record of the general content of some scenes in the film.

[19] Although no fragments of the abbreviated re-release of The Ringtail Rhinoceros survive, it is likely that John's extended dream sequence, the more visually interesting half of the film, comprised the content of that second run.