Underground Favorites Parallel to the Artistry of A Dog of Flanders...

Dir: Edward Sloman

A gray-gowned woman at a masked ball entices wealthy society man Philip Greycourt, who is bored with easy conquests, to a hotel, then leaves without unmasking. Later, Philip visits the country home of John Villiers with a friend, and although Philip thinks that Villiers' second wife Helen, who flirts with him, is the masked woman, she denies having met him earlier. Helen's stepdaughter Catherine falls in love with Philip, but he scarcely notices her. When Villiers leaves for town one evening, Helen invites Philip to her sitting room and admits that she was the masked woman. Villiers returns unexpectedly, and seeing shadows of figures in a window embracing, he runs inside. The maid warns Helen, and Philip enters another room, where Catherine lies in bed. As Villiers pounds on the door, Catherine accepts Philip's proposal. They marry the next day; later, after Villiers dies, Helen attempts to seduce Philip, and jealously tells Catherine, whom Philip now loves, of their past. When Philip learns that Catherine has left to board a steamer, he follows, and they enjoy a honeymoon cruise.

Dir: Edward Sloman

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of A Rough Shod Fighter perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A southerner who fought with the Union army regains the confidence of his his community after the war.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Episode 1: "Fate and Death" Arthur and Esther Stanley and son, little Arthur, en route from Virginia to England, are victims of a train wreck. Father and mother are killed but the child escapes death. Quabba, the gypsy, now the king of the band, learns of the accident from his followers. He hastens to the wreck and finds the bodies of Arthur and Esther Stanley but finds no trace of their son. De Vaux, the conspirator, who has been shadowing the Stanleys, is also present at the wreck. He finds little Arthur and discovers The Diamond From the Sky suspended from his neck. He transfers the jewel to his pocket and disappears into the night carrying off little Arthur. Later Quabba sees De Vaux carrying the child into an orphanage, temporarily used as a hospital. Quabba awaits his chance and steals the child.

Dir: Edward Sloman

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Sequel to the Diamond from the Sky perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Having overslept on the morning of his wedding, James Page is rushing to the home of his bride, Marah Manning, when he sees Jed Baldwin being attacked. He goes to Jed's rescue and is arrested for his efforts. After being released, James discovers that Marah has called off the wedding; to console himself he ventures West with Baldwin. His troubles just begin when he arrives in Arizona and, mistaken for outlaw Pete Rawley, is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, the real Rawley holds up Marah and her father, who are searching for James and takes the two to his mountain retreat, where they believe that James is their captor. Then Pete's sweetheart Phoebe helps James escape, believing that he is Pete, and takes him to the mountain retreat where they find the real Rawley. After the couples straighten themselves out, Pete and Phoebe escape across the border and Marah forgives James.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Dr. Grant, in charge of a leper colony in the far Pacific, had once loved a beautiful girl, Myra Hamilton. Then she met Harry Elliot, a dissipated young society man. Dared by the boys, Harry proposed to Myra. Grant warned her of Harry's character, but she would not listen. Myra and Harry visit Grant's laboratory, where she learns of the vivisection experiment Grant was working on. She bitterly berated him for his cruelty to his canine subject. While Grant explained to her, Harry chloroformed the dog. Grant, furious at this ruthless destruction of his months of labor, resolved that Harry would pay. Myra announced her engagement to Harry a few nights later. Myra soon found that she had a hopeless task before her in trying to reform Harry. One day she overheard Grant remonstrate with him for his actions in causing her pain, and she began to appreciate his nobility. Again she saw Harry with a cabaret singer. Overwhelmed with grief, she determined to see Grant and obtain comfort from him. Myra noticed that Harry was inclined to be jealous, and discussed with Grant a plan to bring him to his senses. Grant was to pay ardent court to Myra. Soon Harry began to notice Grant's attention to his wife. He found them together one day, and wild with rage, left a note stating that they would find his body at the country home. Grant raced after Harry to the country house. Harry, with an oath, rose and struck him, and cursed Myra. Grant, bleeding, made his way to the telephone, called up Myra, and told her he would bring Harry back to her a man. Grant then brought him to an insane asylum and showed him the ruin drink caused. After weeks of hard work Grant felt that Harry was ready for the test. He deliberately placed temptation in his way, but Harry conquered. And so Grant brought him back to Myra. She forgave him. Grant then quietly left. Soon Myra looked for him to thank him. He showed her a letter which stated that his application as physician at the leper colony had been accepted, and he left at once. Sometime later Grant received a letter from Myra asking him to come back to her as Harry had died. His first impulse was to go, but when he realized his mission he burned the letter.

Dir: Edward Sloman

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Snap Judgment perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Rhoda Eldridge lives in the Paris Latin Quarter, learns at the death of her father Charles that her real name is Sayles and that she has an uncle somewhere in America. She travels to the States as a nursemaid but is discharged soon after her arrival. In the park, she finds an envelope containing a letter to Rosy Taylor from a Mrs. Du Vivier, along with a key, $2, and instructions to clean the Du Vivier mansion each week. When the penniless Rhoda learns that Rosy is dead, she cleans the home herself, and all is well until Jacques Le Clerc, Mrs. Du Vivier's brother, mistakes her for a thief and sends her to a reformatory. Rhoda, however, escapes and returns to the house. Upon discovering that Rosy has been dead for weeks, Jacques and his sister catch the mysterious housekeeper once again. Through the efforts of Jacques, who has fallen in love with her, Rhoda is united with her rich uncle, and to demonstrate her gratitude, she accepts the young man's marriage proposal.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Anxious to see the world, Nick Fowler boards a train bound for New York. On board he meets Jimmie Keen, a motion picture director, and sees a mysterious beautiful girl who leaves her purse behind. Nick retrieves the purse and inside it discovers a photo of the girl, inscribed with the name Gwendolyn Van Loon. After arriving in New York, Nick pays Keen a visit, but an impertinent office boy prevents him from seeing the director. After a series of similar disappointments in the big city, Nick continues to write glowing accounts of his life to his family back home. While he's writing a letter to his father one day, a guest at an adjoining desk drops a photo of Gwendolyn. The stranger introduces himself as Lord Boniface Cheadle, and Nick becomes an unwitting tool of the man who is in reality Steve Diamond, a crook. Under Cheadle's instructions, Nick goes to the Van Loon house and presents himself as Steve Diamond, which initiates a train of events that culminates in the escape of the real Lord Cheadle while Nick grapples with the crooks until the police arrive. It is then revealed that the whole adventure was invented by Nick to impress his dad, but when Keen reads the story, he is so impressed that he offers Nick a job as a scriptwriter and introduces him to the leading lady: Gwendolyn Van Loon.

Dir: Edward Sloman

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Inner Struggle perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Marion Moore's sweetheart, Frank Kenyon, a young author interested in social reform, discovering that Marion's father is the owner of the worst factory in the city, pleads with her to persuade him to make better working conditions. Marion refuses. The season's society event is an entertainment for the benefit of the Belgian War Victims. Marian is to play "Humanity." That day, Mina, a child working in the factory, has her hand mangled in a machine. Frank learns of the accident from Bud and determines to bring the lesson home to Marian. He bribes her chauffeur to drive Marian to Mina's home. Marian is forced to enter the house with him. They find Mina alone and almost unconscious from an overdose of an opiate. The only hope of saving the child is by keeping her awake until he can summon medical aid. He orders Marian to walk the girl until he returns. Then he dashes away in the machine. Marian, seeing another machine approaching, leaves the child, and persuades the owner to drive her to the entertainment. When Frank returns, Mina is past saving. Wild with rage, he sets out for the entertainment. Marian has just achieved a great success when he arrives. He creates a sensation by mounting the platform and scathingly denouncing the shallow society people before him. Marian later hands him back his ring. He drives her by force to Mina's home. Marian is taken aback when she discovers that the animal mother is not weeping for love of Mina, but she wonders how she will ever pay for a cheap piano now that Mina's wages will no longer be forthcoming. Marian promises to attend to the payments. Marian laughs scornfully at Frank. Frank determines to wage a relentless war against Moore until conditions are modified. As champion of the working people, he is elected to the legislature. Frank introduces his bill for better factories. After much excitement, it is passed. Since the accident to Mina, Bud has been working to perfect a number of safety devices. With the idea of cheating the boy, Moore goes with him to a cabinet at one end of the building to look them over. Meanwhile a blaze has started. Soon the flimsy structure is ablaze. Marian escapes with the girls, hut Moore and Bud are trapped in the cabinet. From the roof of an adjoining building Frank throws a rope to the factory, where it fastens around a cornice. Then he makes his way hand over hand across the rope to the burning building, breaks through a skylight, and lowers a rope to Bud. Moore shoves the boy aside. Frank, angered, lowers the rope again for Bud. Moore rushes to the edge of the building. But as he hangs midway, the flames reach the rope, and he plunges to his death. A few weeks later the newspapers announce large gifts to charity from an anonymous source. Through Bud he discovers that it is Marian. The picture closes as she agrees to face the future with him.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Loath to leave her pet dog in the baggage car, the wealthy Norah McDonald dresses the animal in baby clothes and carries him into the Pullman coach. There she meets millionaire philanthropist Paul Howell, who remarks that she seems rather young to be married. When Norah responds that she is unwed, Paul assumes that she has been betrayed and sympathetically offers her a position in his charity organization. Attracted to Paul, Norah accepts the job, but she disapproves of his bureaucratic methods and soon establishes a rival organization based less on efficiency than on charity. Norah's success and a few glaring failures of his own finally convince Paul that red tape and philanthropy don't mix, and after he learns that her "baby" is a Pekinese, the two become engaged.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Young Jeffrey Claiborne, the son of a wealthy father, comes to the aid of pretty Betty Jane Moir, who is being bothered by a lecherous chauffeur. He accepts Betty's grateful offer of employment in her mother's taxi company. Smitten, Jeffrey proposes to her, but her mother, not knowing who he really is, dismisses him as not worthy of being her daughter's husband. Determined to prove his worth, he gets his chance when he discovers that Betty's mother is being blackmailed by a criminal gang.