Visionary Picks Drawn from the Same DNA as An Old Fashioned Boy: Cu...

Dir: Jerome Storm

Ulysses S. Grant Briggs, raised by his grandfather Thaddeus, who served under General Grant, grows up with the General as his hero even though his neighbor, former Confederate soldier Jeff Hanan, argues that General Lee was the better man. When war is declared, Thaddeus and Jeff forget their differences and train Ulysses for military service. At the camp amateur show, Ulysses falls in love with dancer Betty Martin, but remembering Thaddeus' admonition to "watch out for play actresses," Ulysses avoids her. When dissolute Harry Weller lures Betty to a notorious roadhouse, Ulysses follows, knowing he can be court-martialed. Hearing Betty struggle, Ulysses fights Weller and keeps the military police from entering until Betty can escape through a window. Ulysses then is sent to the guardhouse where Thaddeus and Jeff unsuccessfully try to convince him to talk. After Betty confesses, the commanding officer, Thaddeus and Jeff agree that Ulysses did what both Grant and Lee would have done.

Dir: Jerome Storm

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

A young man working in a steel mill falls in love with an old Scotsman's daughter. The young man saves the life of the steel-mill owner and is adopted by him. But then he learns that the Scotsman and the mill owner are mortal enemies.

Dir: Richard Smith

Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

Dir: Jerome Storm

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

A young baseball pitcher in the bush leagues is discovered by a big-league manager and given his chance in the major leagues. But will he be up to the challenge?

Dir: Jerome Storm

Roxie Kemp works as a lion tamer in a circus managed by her father. To fulfill a promise to his dying wife, Nat Kemp sends his daughter to an upper-crust boarding school where she befriends Marjorie Trent. When Roxie visits Marjorie's aristocratic family, she and Marjorie's brother Owen fall in love, though Mrs. Trent, suspicious of Roxie's background, is cold to her. When Kemp's circus comes to town, Roxie prevents the audience from rioting by filling in for the superstitious lion tamer, who refuses to go on. Mrs. Trent recognizes and rejects Roxie until Mr. Trent reveals that he is part-owner of the circus, whereupon Mrs. Trent accepts Roxie into the family.

Dir: Charley Chase

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

A young married couple volunteer to take charge of several orphans after the asylum has burned down. Of course they find their hands full with their troublesome charges.

Dir: Jerome Storm

Bill Henry Jenkins is a country boy on the lookout for a good career. He faces numerous obstacles, including losing his sales job when his bicycle is lost. A bigtime poker game turns out to be the key to Bill Henry's success.

Dir: Jerome Storm

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Biggest Show on Earth perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Cuthbert Trotman wants to be a writer. He becomes the protege of wealthy Harry Travistock, who shows him the ways of the big city. But Harry's girlfriend Anita begins to take more of an interest in Cuthbert than in Harry.

Dir: F. Martin Thornton

In Paris an orphan cartoonist loves a man with a mad wife, who dies in time to prevent her marriage to a jilted Comte.

Dir: Jerome Storm

Nancy, a naive young girl who works backstage at a musical-comedy theatre, learns from the chorus girls the notion of winning a man by the seductive method of "vamping" him. She tries the method on the shy minister she loves, and it works. They marry and resettle in a mining town where a German operative foments dissension amongst the miners. Nancy is called upon to use her vamping technique once more to get the best of the German spy.