Underground Favorites Mirroring the Impact of A Little Brother of t...

Dir: Otis Turner

When the story opens Sylvia Lacey has been left an orphan. Her shiftless father, Sam Lacey, of artistic, but weak nature, left her without money. Her mother had died ten years before. The girl writes to her only remaining relatives, an aunt, Miss Martha Lacey, and her mother's brother. In his youth the Judge, Calvin Trent, wanted to marry Miss Martha, but they quarreled. When Sylvia's letter arrives, announcing that she will be in Boston the next day, both uncle and aunt are nonplussed. Neither wants the responsibility. Miss Martha finally decides to go and the Judge sends his young partner, John Dunham, in his place. Miss Martha waits with the young lawyer in the hotel parlor. Plainly she speaks her mind to John about the inconveniences of the girl's coming. Sylvia is already in the room and hears. She promptly refuses any aid from either relatives. Miss Martha is sorry, but it is too late. Dunham, however, goes back to the girl and forces her to accept a loan (of judge's money.) Back in the village, Miss Martha and the Judge both remember a cousin of the Judge's who manages the Judge's main farm. "Thinkright" is sent for and his white hair and kindly eyes soon win the girl to visit him. "Thinkright" once loved Sylvia's mother and is naturally drawn toward the girl. As she and "Thinkright" reach the Mill Farm near Portland, she sees the deserted old Tide Mill with all its shutters closed. Imaginative, she says then and always after, that the old mill is sorrowing and only love can open the shutters. Edna Derwent, a rich Boston girl, who owns a cottage on a nearby island, is a friend and disciple of "Thinkright's." He has taught her to be patient with the false social life which means so much to her mother. Each summer she comes to Hawk Island with Miss Lacey as chaperon. Sylvia becomes jealous of Edna and all her beauty, charm and wealth. "Thinkright" stops this trend of thought in the girl and after several severe tussles, turns her thoughts into the right road. She struggles bravely. Her uncle, penitent, arrives and promptly falls in love with this niece he has never seen before. She forgives him. The next day Miss Lacey arrives at Hawk Island with Edna. This forgiveness is harder, but Sylvia, strong in her new right thinking, manages it. She is invited to the Derwent cottage for a visit. John Dunham, an old friend of Edna's, comes for a visit and his fancy is quickly taken with the imaginative Sylvia whom he rescued in Boston the month before. Sylvia has a strong talent for painting. She has done some things with pencil, but longs for paint. She has no money and is too proud to ask any of her relatives. In her heart she adores John Dunham, but has held herself coldly toward him because she thought that he and Edna were engaged. Suddenly she discovers that he loves her. In her embarrassment she drops her book of sketches and "Thinkright'' finds pieces of brown paper covered with drawings, all showing much power and talent. Edna leagues Judge Trent in a plan, and Sylvia learns that she is to have lessons in painting. The winter passes. Sylvia is making rapid strides in her profession under Edna's special wing in Boston. Summer comes and she goes to the Mill Farm again for a visit. Walking alone on the edge of the basin, she sees the shutters of the Tide Mill have opened and the windows are gleaming brightly. Just then John Dunham appears and asks her to go with him to the Tide Mill. It is open. The first floor is vacant and so is the second. He asks her to go clear to the top and there she finds a luxuriantly appointed artist's studio. "Love opened the shutters," says John, "I bought the Mill and furnished this for my bride." The old story is told and the shutters of life open wide for the girl who learned to think right.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

The tale is that of a curious expedition to a pearl lagoon off the South Sea Islands in search of untold treasures. The members of the party are a newspaper reporter, a degenerate Australian, who is literally seeped in gin, and a cunning Chinese, who supplies the money to fit out the vessel. When they arrive at the island, they find only a girl, Leila, who was shipwrecked with her father long before. Leila is so glad to see white men again that she eagerly shows them a bag of beautiful pearls brought up from the ocean bed by her father, who disappeared shortly afterward. The pearls are so tempting to the Australian and the Chinese that they form a combination against Leila and the reporter, Bruce Chalmers, when the latter refuses to aid them in robbing the girl. The struggle which follows for the possession of the pearls and the lagoon is very realistic.

Dir: Otis Turner

Reverend Eric Norton leaves his position in a fashionable New York congregation to preach in a poor mining town, against the wishes of his wife Cecelia. Disputes rage about the safety of the mines, which have been closed under pressure, but in spite of threats from powerful miner "Bull" Morgan, Eric uses his influence with the owner to reopen the mines. Bored with her drab life, Cecelia deserts her infant son and runs off to Paris with former lover Richard Allen, who eventually leaves her. Penitent, Cecelia decides to return home only to find that her husband, believing her dead after reading about her apparent suicide in a newspaper, has married Edith Jackson, his ward. Bull Morgan attempts to blow up the mines but is buried in the explosion instead. Sneaking into her home for a last look at her son, Cecelia accidentally sets the house on fire. After a brave rescue of the baby, Cecelia begs Eric's forgiveness, then dies.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

Balentine inherits a fortune from his father. He also inherits a fiancée. He sets out to spend the fortune and would have succeeded had not Vera Morton stepped in. Miss Morton, the fiancée, gets his money away from him, and keeps it until he settles down to earn a living. Jack changes his mind about marrying Miss Morton, when he sees Jane Billon. Vera solves the difficulty by becoming the wife of old Billon. Then she returns Jack's fortune, and he adds to it by acquiring Jane.

Dir: Otis Turner

Newly wealthy Isidore Lechat lives in a castle in the south of France. He believes that business is the most important thing in life, but manages to stay attached to his children, although he believes that his wife's slovenly appearance detracts from his social position, so he doesn't let her go out in public. He begins an affair with Celeste, an acquaintance of his wastrel son Xavier. He believes that this may be the beginning of a new cycle of personal and business triumphs for him, but soon matters begin to take unexpected turns.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

Tired of the life of a gunfighter, Lish Henley settles down in the quiet California town of Peaceful Hill. The town, however, doesn't live up to its name, and it's not long before Lish finds himself the unofficial "mediator" of the town, which is being terrorized by various outlaw gangs. Lish has his own style of "mediating", however--he keeps killing members of rival gangs until they agree to holster their guns and leave the town alone. However, one day Big Bill, an old enemy of Lish's, shows up in town with his gang, looking for payback.

Dir: Otis Turner

Young Anthony March, living in London, inherits a considerable amount of money, but his crooked uncle Dr. Manuel Ceneri steals it. When Anthony gets suspicious, Ceneri's partner in crime, Macari, persuades Ceneri to kill him. However, just as they commit the murder a blind man, Gilbert Vaughan, mistakenly enters the house. Anthony's sister Pauline sees the murder, faints and loses her memory. Thinking they have gotten away with the murder, Ceneri and Macari soon find out that they're in for a shock.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

With the help of futuristic technical inventions, a private detective investigates a bizarre murder case involving mysterious messages delivered in a small black box by the killer.

Dir: Otis Turner

After a prologue which shows several aerial views of the Acropolis, the story begins. The friendship of Damon, the senator, and Pythias, the soldier, is famous in Ancient Syracuse. Because the general Dionysius is infatuated with Calanthe, Pythias' sweetheart, he sends the soldier to fight the Carthaginians at the Battle of Agrigentum. Pythias returns in triumph, and then angers Dionysius even further when he defeats Aristle, the general's favorite, in a chariot race. During the wedding ceremony for Pythias and Calanthe, Dionysius has himself proclaimed sovereign while Damon is absent from the Senate. Shocked, Damon attempts to assassinate Dionysius, but he fails and is sentenced to death. In order for Damon to say goodbye to his wife and son, Pythias leaves Calanthe and takes his friend's place in prison, offering to die in Damon's place if he does not return. Despite several tests of the strength of their friendship, they remain loyal to each other and so impress Dionysius that he allows them both Free.

Dir: Otis Turner

Borrowing shamelessly from "A Tale of Two Cities", an American agent, Harvey Birch (Herbert Rawlinson), exchanges places in prison with Henry Wharton (J. W. Pike'), a condemned British officer and brother of a woman,Frances Wharton (Ella Hall he greatly admires, and goes to the gallows. After his death, General George Washington (William Worthington),reveals the true identity of the dead martyr.