Rare Cinematic Gems Sharing the Atmosphere of A Slave of Vanity: Cu...

Dir: Henry Otto

Happy O'Brien, called "The Microbe," or "Mike" for short, a female street urchin who sells newspapers dressed as a boy to avoid harassment, is saved from arrest for fighting other newsboys in Chinatown by wealthy author DeWitt Spense. DeWitt, there to purchase drugs, is so moved by Mike's pugnacity, that he takes her to his mansion for literary inspiration. When DeWitt learns that Mike is a girl, he resolves to educate her. As Mike blossoms, DeWitt's attentions turn to love, to the dismay of Judith Winthrope, who wants to marry him, and his friend Robert Breton, who, with Judith, convinces Mike that DeWitt's writing is suffering because of her. After Mike leaves and gets a job making artificial flowers, she writes DeWitt daily letters, signing them "Bianca," which inspire him to write a best selling novel of replies. Although DeWitt nearly marries Judith when she claims authorship of the letters, he weds Mike when he learns that she penned them.

Dir: Henry Otto

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

John spies his girlfriend embracing his brother. Stunned, John deposits the family's money and leaves the country. Years later he returns to find his brother dead, the plantation in ruins, and that he is suspected of stealing the money.

Dir: Alexander Butler

In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.

Dir: Henry Otto

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

When oil magnate Thomas Waring receives a letter from his old friend, Mrs. Juliet Smith, suggesting that his beloved daughter Maida spend her vacation at Mrs. Smith's island home, Waring encourages Maida to accept as he has to go East on business. After Mrs. Smith supposedly gets Maida, Waring receives a call from the real Mrs. Smith, who says that Maida has left with an impostor. On the island, Maida lives luxuriously, unaware that her hosts are sending her father ransom notes. She meets Gilbert Spear, camping out, and they fall in love. After receiving no response from Waring, the kidnappers reveal their scheme to Maida and demand that she write to her father. They lock her in when she refuses, but she escapes and leaves the island with Gilbert. Although they are overtaken by the criminals, Waring and the police pull up and the gang is taken into custody, leaving Gilbert and Maida free to pursue their romance.

Dir: Henry Otto

Lilly Meany, a member of a London underworld gang, poses as a faith healer to fleece wealthy hypochondriacs. On the recommendation of socialite Mrs. Prall, Lord Asgarby beseeches Lilly to cure his young crippled sister Eve. When Lilly mends a broken doll, she inspires Eve's confidence, and soon Eve is cured. Then Lord Asgarby falls in love with Lilly, and she confesses her scheme. He forgives her and they marry.

Dir: Henry Otto

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

King Rudolph of Rugaria sends his son, Prince Boris, to America to marry into wealth so that the country can recover from its financial difficulties. Rich Mrs. Hanway, eager to have her daughter Althea become a princess, takes her with Boris to Rugaria. Meanwhile, Rupert Danza, a Columbia University student, is told by a mysterious envoy that he is needed in Rugaria to lead a revolution. Although he laughs at first, he follows, when he learns that his sweetheart Althea has gone there. While Rupert's knowledge of democracy inspires the revolutionaries, his sword play enables him to rescue Althea from Boris. After an anarchist wounds the king, Rupert is arrested, but as a firing squad prepares to execute him, Countess Olga reveals that he is really the king's son who was kidnapped as a child and sent to America to absorb democracy for the coming revolution. After Rudolph dies, Rupert declines the crown, but is elected president of the newly-created republic. Althea then becomes his First Lady.

Dir: Henry Otto

Rosalind Chalmers, a New York society girl, goes on an unannounced visit to her friends, the Witherbees, at the Thousand Islands, primarily for the purpose of escaping the unwelcome attention of Reginald Williams. She misses the last boat to their island, and is taken over in the decrepit motorboat of an interesting young man known as Sam. Sam is really William Kellogg, heir to the Davidson millions. During the absence of his uncle, Henry Davidson, Kellogg has broken a handsome vase, and decides to earn the money himself to pay for it. So as One-Cylinder Sam he begins to carry passengers between the islands. On the way to the Witherbee island Kellogg's motor goes dead. Rosalind's hobby is motors, and she puts the engine in working order in no time. When they reach the island the family has retired for the night. Rosalind tries to climb in a window, but sets off a burglar alarm, and runs to escape the people who come to investigate. Startled by shots, she takes a small boat, and goes out into the river. She hears more shots, this time for Davidson Island. From angry voices she learns that the supposed burglars are there, too. Two motorboats set out. Soon the engine of one goes dead, and Rosalind goes to help. Kellogg, whom she knows as Sam, and whom she things is a burglar, is in the boat. But in spite of this she starts his engine for him, on account of the strange attraction he has for her, and aids his escape from the pursuing boat. Rosalind and Kellogg thereafter see a great deal of each other in the simple life of the islands. At a hotel dance he appears in his evening clothes, and after getting Rosalind to dance with him, induces her to go for a short walk in the moonlight. He tells her he is madly in love with her, and that he is going to marry her, with her consent or without it. She still thinks he is a burglar, and is frightened. He picks her up and carries her to his boat, but in mid-stream the boat strikes a submerged rock and sinks. Kellogg swims ashore with Rosalind to his uncle's island. He offers to break into the house and get some dry clothes for her and though still thinking he is a burglar she consents. Kellogg arrays himself in fresh clothes, and is greeted joyfully by his uncle. Kellogg hands him a purse containing the money for the vase, earned by his efforts as "One-Cylinder Sam," and introduces him to Rosalind, who is relieved to know that the man she is going to marry is not a burglar.

Dir: Henry Otto

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

Jack and Blanny Wheeler live in the apartment above Laura and Billy Bartlett. Jack likes to stay out late and play poker, but covers by telling his wife that he attends meetings of the Mystic Shrine society. Laura is carrying on a dalliance with Philip Evans. One night Jack goes to play poker and leaves Blanny with the Bartletts. Laura goes out with Philip. Blanny and Billy commiserate about their loneliness, and concoct a scheme to arouse their spouses' jealousies. They taste various liquors, become intoxicated, and fall asleep. Jack, Laura, and Philip return. Jack and Laura both threaten divorce until the explanations are made, and the couples are reunited.

Dir: Henry Otto

After a two years' stay in western mining camps James Herron returns to his Virginia home. Antonio Gaudio, a foreigner, has won the affections of Betty, Herron's sister. While Jim is playing cards Betty writes a letter addressed to her brother, in which she promises to write in a few days to explain her sudden departure. Arriving in the city, Jim tracks the eloping couple to a fashionable boarding house, where Gaudio has engaged two separate rooms, one for Betty and another for himself across the hall. Jim enters and listens at the door and overhears Gaudio trying to convince Betty that she need have no fear of scandal, as he intends to marry her the next day, while Betty insists on leaving the house, as they have not been pronounced man and wife. As Gaudio tries to prevent her Jim breaks into the room. Gaudio rushes toward the window and fires just as Betty runs into her brother's arms. The bullet hits Betty and she falls on the floor. Gaudio makes his escape, and Jim is placed under arrest. Jim is brought up for trial and on the testimony of the maid, who works in the Herron home, that she heard the brother threaten to kill his sister if she did anything wrong in eloping, the prisoner is promptly convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Three years later the Governor makes an inspection of the prison where Jim is serving his life sentence. The prisoners take advantage of the occasion and try to make their escape. Several of them make an attack on the Governor and Jim, seeing this, comes to the Governor's rescue and saves his life. As a reward for his bravery Jim is made a trusty. Ruth, the Governor's daughter, hears of his heroic action and, as a token of her regard for his bravery, she sends him a carrier pigeon to lighten the gloom of his imprisonment. While Jim is brooding in prison over a face he cannot forget, the man who murdered his sister decides to return to America, having spent the intervening three years abroad. He mingles with the smart set under the false title of Count Lorenz. The Count, as Gaudio is now known, is a notorious card sharp, and at one of the fashionable clubs he meets Larry, the Governor's "sporty" son, and cheats him out of all his ready cash at the card table. After that he gets him into his power by accepting promissory notes. Larry learns that the Count is a cheat and decides to consult the prison warden, who is a friend of his. On returning to the warden's office Jim finds Larry in conversation with the warden. Presently the warden turns to Jim and says, "At our last prison show you pulled some clever card stunts for the prisoners' entertainment." Jim replied: "It has been years since I sat in a real game, but I am sure I can catch any sharper at his own trick." Jim learns that Larry is the brother of Ruth, who sent him the pigeon. Jim immediately manifests interest in him and turning to the warden suggests a plan of coming to Larry's rescue. Accordingly, under the pretext that he requires Jim to finish an important report he tells the guard that the prisoner is not to be returned to his cell, as he will remain in his apartment for the night. The warden dresses Jim up like a gentleman of leisure, and Larry takes Jim to his house. As he is introducing him to his sister, he hesitates in regard to his name, when Jim breaks in and says, "Just call me Barrs, the man from nowhere." Jim, Ruth and Larry drive in an automobile to the club, where a ball is in progress. During the ten minutes' ride Ruth decides that Mr. Barrs is quite the man after her ideal. While looking over the assemblage Jim sees the Count dancing in the crowd and immediately recognizes him as the man who shot his sister. At the card table that night Jim catches the Count manipulating the cards and exposes him. The Count grabs a sword from the wall and makes a lunge at Jim. Jim knocks the sword of his hand and, taking two swords of equal length from the wall, throws one to the Count with a warning to defend himself, denouncing him as the murderer of his sister. Although the Count is an expert fencer, Jim proves his master and the Count falls to the ground mortally wounded. He calls for a piece of note paper and signs a dying confession, in which he admits having killed Betty accidentally while trying to kill her brother, thus establishing Jim's innocence. The Governor receives the confession and pardons Jim. Ruth learns of Jim's real name, and as the picture dissolves out there is a sympathetic understanding between Jim and Ruth that promises a bright future.

Dir: Edgar Jones

A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.