Curated Recommendations Seeking the Same Brilliance as Black Shadow...

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Peter Brent discovers silver in the Cobalt mining district and sends for Jim Symonds, an acquaintance, to assist in developing the vein. Although the mine proves to be worthless, Symonds sells stock to exploit the local citizens. Brent is buried in a cave-in caused by one of Symond's crooked pals, but a neighbor and her father rescue Brent and he arrives in time to force Symonds to return the citizens' money.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Heart-of-Oak, an Indian, shakes the dust of a Western reservation for a college career in the east. Heart-of-Oak is the son of a noted chief, and has taken the preservation of his race deeply at heart. His younger sister, Little Fawn, worships him. At college the Indian quickly becomes a favorite. He wins a place on the varsity crew, and finds a friend in a fellow oarsman Granville Wingham, a young American of wealthy parents. Granville's sister Carolyn also has a high regard for Heart-of-Oak, though the attachment never becomes romantic, Carolyn being betrothed to a young man whom she has known since childhood. Little Fawn wins a scholarship in the Indian school in the West, and surprises her brother by announcing that she is ready to return east with him the second year to share his studies. Carolyn befriends Little Fawn in her strange surroundings. At the sophomore ball, dressed in an Indian costume, she innocently captures Granville's admiration. On their return West for the summer Little Fawn secretly cherishes memories of the handsome white student who has covertly made love to her. Wingham, the elder, owns a ranch near the reservation. His son and daughter visit the property. They see a great deal of Heart-of-Oak and his sister. With deep foreboding the Indian watches Little Fawn and his friend. He talks gravely with the girl, telling her that for the sake of her own people she should not think of marriage outside her ancestral race. The Indian puts his trust in his college friend, whom he believes to be the soul of honor. When the disillusionment comes Heart-of-Oak tracks the runaways into the wilderness. The deep-rooted passion of the redskin for revenge takes possession of this educated Winnebago, who reverts to the type of his savage forebears. Ordering his sister into the hills, he closes in ferocious man-to-man battle with her lover, until the white man, bound and helpless, lies at the mercy of his erstwhile friend. Meanwhile, Carolyn has been summoned by the ruthless Indian. His vengeance is to be complete. But Little Fawn, driven back to the place by anxiety for the man she loves, is in time to sacrifice her own life for the safety of the white woman, his fury quenched by the sight of his sister, dead at his feet, Heart-of-Oak commands his victims to return to their own people, that he may be alone with his next of kin.

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

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Hoping to reconcile her divorced parents, Norris Gradley remains with her father, Giles, after he marries another woman. The new Mrs. Gradley snubs and mistreats Norris, who earns money by disguising herself as a boy and playing the violin at dances. Claude Wolcott, employed by Giles to drill oil wells, falls in love with Norris. When Giles discovers Rodney Bates trying to rekindle his romance with Mrs. Gradley, Claude prevents his employer from committing murder. The enraged Mrs. Gradley rushes from the house and falls to her death into an abyss. Norris reunites her parents and marries Claude.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

In France, artist Arthur de Sivry, also known as the Marquis of Savoy, falls in love with Marie Gautier, a peasant girl from the country. His depraved uncle, Count de Baudine, who leases his farm to the Gautiers, makes unwelcome advances on Marie until she joins a troop of entertainers in Paris. Arthur follows her to the city and offers the use of his vacant apartment. Upon learning of their arrangement, the count spreads rumors to ruin Marie's reputation and claims that Arthur is engaged to another woman. Marie's father returns from a visit to Paris and, believing the rumors to be true, tells his wife of their daughter's downfall. However, Arthur finally proposes to Marie and all ends happily.

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

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

A doctor's typist Shirley Brown lives vicariously through the romance novels written by Philip Smith. When the author comes to live at her boardinghouse, her admiration is fostered by sympathy upon realizing that her idol is losing his eyesight and that it can only be saved by a specialist in Italy. Sacrificing herself to help Philip, Molly makes him believe that she is an old maid who has been waiting forty years to find a husband, and she induces him to marry her in return for $5,000, half the legacy she is to receive on her wedding day. Philip consents, travels to Italy and regains his sight after which he becomes interested in Marion Sutherland. Upon returning, he neglects Shirley, who decides to kindle her husband's interest by disguising herself as an Alsatian maid in his employ. After several adventures, Philip realizes that he is in love with his maid, who then reveals herself to be his wife.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Beebe, a Belgian peasant girl of rare beauty, sells flowers in the marketplace where she meets unscrupulous artist Victor Fleming. Fleming eventually succeeds in making the innocent girl love him, much to the sorrow of Jeanot, a farm boy who loves the girl. Fleming has a sweetheart, however, Lady Magda, who begs Beebe not to take Fleming from her. The artist rejects Lady Magda but leaves Beebe behind when he returns to Paris. Beebe pines for her artist lover, and later, hearing that Fleming is ill, she goes to him. Arriving at his studio in the middle of a wild orgy, Beebe's illusions are shattered. She returns home to her village and accepts the simple love of Jeanot.

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

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

One night at a party, when her drunken husband Tom makes a fool of himself, Bess Rutherford becomes so humiliated that she accepts long-time admirer Jim Carpenter's offer to leave Tom for him. Bess goes to New York with Jim, who persists in postponing their wedding date, forcing her to live as an illicit woman. Bess's son Jack suspects nothing of his mother's circumstances until his fiancée's mother, Mrs. Dexter, asks him to stop seeing her daughter Gladys. Finally learning of Bess's scandalous living conditions, Jack confronts Carpenter, who is secretly hoping to win Gladys, and in their confrontation, Carpenter is shot and killed. Bess, hysterical, drinks poison, but then realizes that the whole scene was a nightmare which ends happily when Tom promises to never drink again.

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

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Upon her stepfather's death, the custody of Jane Day is willed to his wealthy young nephew, Jim Atherton. When Jim, accompanied by his fiancée, visits his ward, Jane becomes so upset at their intrusion that she runs away to the city with her dog, Buddie. There she is befriended by theatrical producer Allen Hamilton who, upon discovering Jane's natural musical ability, offers to send her to Paris to study. In Paris, Jane again meets Jim and the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Hamilton discovers his love for the waif, and Jane, feeling gratitude towards her mentor, is torn between the two men until Hamilton, realizing that Jane's heart belongs to Jim, withdraws his suit.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

In the absence of wealthy Malcolm Graham, his daughter secretly marries Philip Amory. Her eyesight is destroyed inadvertently by her husband; and when a baby is born, her father, not convinced that she is married, gives the child to a sailor to deliver out of the country. The sailor, however, keeps the child in his family. Cruelly mistreated, the child runs away and is taken in by an old lamplighter. Fortune brings Gertie into her grandfather's house, where she becomes companion to her blind mother. Willie Sullivan, the lamplighter's assistant, finds her father, who has been in India, and they return to America. When mother and daughter arrive to meet their ship, Gertie is rescued from a fire by the sailor who had kept her, and following Amory's reunion with his wife she becomes engaged to Willie.