The Auteur's Selection Complementing the Tone of Big Brother: Cult ...

Dir: Allan Dwan

A wealthy girl's banished mother returns as the seamstress at her daughter's wedding.

Dir: Allan Dwan

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

After the death of her father, Betty Lockwood goes to Graystone Gables, the estate where he had been the caretaker, to spend some time alone there. She meets David Chandler, Graystone's owner, who is attracted to her and tells her to come back whenever she wants to. Betty's mother soon remarries, but her new stepfather is not the same kind of man that her father was; she finds herself the subject of some vicious gossip begun by her mother's new husband when he spots her at the estate with David. Complications ensue.

Dir: Allan Dwan

Sunny Wiggins is regarded as worthless by the other members of his family, who have risen to the social station where they are snubbed by the best people. The morning of the day the play begins his sister is preparing to entertain a party of butterflies, among whom is the mentally lacking beanpole she intends to marry. Sunny is in bed with as queer a lot of associates as could be collected. He has recruited his following from the bread line; two of them are in bed with him while the others are sleeping on the carpet, and one has even gone to rest in the bathtub. Not too willingly do all hands go to the shower, but it is a wash or no breakfast. Downstairs goes the motley array and into the dining room. Sunny thinks it fine that such a spread has been prepared for his guests and there is little left when sister enters with her guests. Of course, Sis at once tells father and Sunny is called to book. Dismissing his own guests, he finds that he has only one friend in the place, one of his sister's guests, and he doesn't know her name. She thinks Sunny is splendid and when his father has sent him out to try his sociological theories along the Bowery, she wishes him luck. There in a cheap lodging house Sunny teaches the derelicts to laugh, and with such success that an eminent specialist drafts him to cure a millionaire grouch of dyspepsia. In the rich home of the dyspeptic he finds that the girl is the millionaire's daughter. She enters heartily into his plans but an aged 'cellist, whose favorite music is Chopin's "Funeral March," exerts more influence in the household than he. But when father has discovered his daughter and the supposed physician in fond embrace there is a fight, which ends with father a prisoner in his room, to be cured by starvation. Meanwhile a broker, whose offer of marriage has been refused by the daughter, is plotting to ruin her father in Wall Street. How Sunny thwarts the attempt, cures the grouch, becomes his son-in-law and partner and thereby is reinstated in the good graces of his own family, is the story this comedy tells.

Dir: Allan Dwan

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

Winthrop Clavering a mystery writer, is continually ridiculed for the fiction of the crimes he depicts, so he decides to solve a case himself. To that end, he determines to find the slayer of Pedro Alvarez, who whispered before dying that his assailant was a woman. At the City Refuge for Homeless Girls, Clavering obtains the assistance of Margaret Holt, the sister of Victor Holt, the district attorney. Margaret, it is revealed, was abducted by Juanita, a member of a gang of white slavers led by Alvarez. After escaping from a brothel, Margaret became Alvarez' stenographer, hoping to gather secret information on his gang. While searching for evidence, Margaret was surprised by Alvarez, whom she killed. Finally, Clavering captures the gang, clears Margaret, and encourages her romance with cub reporter Jack Howell.

Dir: Allan Dwan

An outcast named Lo Dorman encounters a young woman lost in the woods. He defends her from danger in the forest and from Sheriff Dunn.

Dir: Allan Dwan

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

Neighboring ranchers John Ashby and Allene Houston are in love, but their fathers' violent feud over the route of the new X. Y. Z. Railroad eventually drives them apart. Colonel Houston and the elder Ashby are both killed in a fight, leaving John and Allene to continue the feud, John accepting a position with the railroad company and Allene swearing that it will never cross her property. Allene is aided in her battle by the foreman of the Houston ranch, Harry Marshall, an ambitious man who hopes to make Allene his wife. After an intense struggle, one of Allene's men shoots John, but even as she is winning the fight, Allene realizes that she still loves John. In the end, Allene herself lays the last tie just in time to save the company's franchise rights.

Dir: Allan Dwan

May Blossom loves Richard Ashcroft, a Southern officer, and accepts his proposal of marriage immediately after receiving one from her father's choice, a suitor named Steve Harland, who loves her madly. She sorrowfully tells him she prefers Richard, nearly breaking Steve's heart. That night, without a chance to bid May good-bye, Richard is arrested by officers from the Northern army, who have suspected from his frequent trips across the river that he is a spy. Richard is torn away by his captors, exacting a promise from Steve, who witnessed his arrest, to tell May the circumstances, that she must be faithful, and that he will return some day, if he lives. Steve yields to temptation and only tells May Richard has fled, never to return. May believes Richard false, tries to shut him out of her heart, and finally succumbs to Steve's importunities and marries him. Steve and May are married a year, and a little girl comes to them, who is adored by both. Steve is tortured constantly by the remembrance of his perfidy to Richard, who has not been heard of since his arrest, and is thought by all to be dead. Richard returns to claim his promised wife, having finally escaped, and finding her married to Steve, tells her the story of the arrest, and Steve's oath to him. May calls Steve, who mutely confronts the man he wronged, till May is about to be torn from him, when, like an angered lion, he protects his own. Richard is sent away by May, and Steve goes to war, returning finally to be forgiven.

Dir: Allan Dwan

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

When Colonel Archer, the military post commanding officer, refuses to loan money to his second-in-command, Captain Waring, Waring gets the money from Brent Lindsay of the nearby mining town, in exchange for his note. Both Waring and Lindsay court Floyd Bingham, the daughter of a retired colonel, but Floyd learns that Lindsay is involved with Queen, a dance hall girl. Following the urging of her father, Floyd marries Archer, who has two children left to him by his dying sister, whom Floyd loves. When Lindsay continues his attentions to Floyd, Archer quarrels with her and leaves to go hunting. Floyd goes walking in the woods with Lindsay and his kiss is photographed by Waring, who attempts to blackmail Lindsay. When Lindsay is found dead and Archer, who suspects Floyd, is arrested, the men from the mining town almost lynch Archer, but Queen, who witnessed the murder, clears him.

Dir: Allan Dwan

The story of David Harum, a small-town banker, and how what he does and who he is affects the lives of everyone in his town, whether they--or he--realize it.

Dir: Allan Dwan

With the opening of the story Richelieu pardons the Duke of Orleans and all his followers in the Languedoc revolt, save one. The exception is Adrien de Mauprat, because he seized a French town without his leader's orders. Richelieu advises him to lead his troops against the Spaniards and seek honorable death in battle. Julie, Richelieu's ward, loves de Mauprat, but notwithstanding her entreaties, the Cardinal is relentless; de Mauprat courts death on the battlefield. But now that he seeks death, it shuns him; instead of a soldier's grave, he wins glory. Julie has another admirer, Haradas, the King's favorite. Aware of de Mauprat's place in Julie's affections, he sets himself to bring discredit upon his rival. Later, Julie, at the King's request, attends court. She makes a deep impression upon the weak-minded, fickle monarch. A year after the departure of de Mauprat, Baradas and his followers conspire to murder Richelieu and seize the throne of France. At this critical time de Mauprat returns, famous in battle, sad of heart and loathing Richelieu. Thus he becomes a ready member of the conspirators. However, Richelieu hears of his arrival and of the conspiracy and has him arrested. In the meantime, Julie has returned from court and again appeals for de Mauprat's life. Thus, when de Mauprat is ushered into the Cardinal's presence, instead of hearing his death sentence, he is informed that he will marry Julie the following day. Hearing of this the King is violently angry: Julie is summoned to appear at court. Once there she is virtually held prisoner and her marriage is declared invalid. The false Barad is convinces de Mauprat that he has been tricked by Richelieu. De Mauprat swears vengeance and again joins the conspirators, all of whom sign a scroll addressed to the Spaniards offering to deliver France into their hands. From here the story develops with plot and counterplot. How de Mauprat discovers his tragic mistake in thinking the Cardinal has double-crossed him, how he manages, through a heroic effort, to save the old man's life, how de Mauprat falls into the hands of the King and is only saved by a master stroke of diplomacy on Richelieu's part, the death of the scheming Baradas and the final achievement of happiness for the young lovers, Julie and de Mauprat, makes up the essential points of the story.