Rare Cinematic Gems Sharing the Atmosphere of Burning Daylight: Cul...

Dir: Edward Sloman

Marion Moore's sweetheart, Frank Kenyon, a young author interested in social reform, discovering that Marion's father is the owner of the worst factory in the city, pleads with her to persuade him to make better working conditions. Marion refuses. The season's society event is an entertainment for the benefit of the Belgian War Victims. Marian is to play "Humanity." That day, Mina, a child working in the factory, has her hand mangled in a machine. Frank learns of the accident from Bud and determines to bring the lesson home to Marian. He bribes her chauffeur to drive Marian to Mina's home. Marian is forced to enter the house with him. They find Mina alone and almost unconscious from an overdose of an opiate. The only hope of saving the child is by keeping her awake until he can summon medical aid. He orders Marian to walk the girl until he returns. Then he dashes away in the machine. Marian, seeing another machine approaching, leaves the child, and persuades the owner to drive her to the entertainment. When Frank returns, Mina is past saving. Wild with rage, he sets out for the entertainment. Marian has just achieved a great success when he arrives. He creates a sensation by mounting the platform and scathingly denouncing the shallow society people before him. Marian later hands him back his ring. He drives her by force to Mina's home. Marian is taken aback when she discovers that the animal mother is not weeping for love of Mina, but she wonders how she will ever pay for a cheap piano now that Mina's wages will no longer be forthcoming. Marian promises to attend to the payments. Marian laughs scornfully at Frank. Frank determines to wage a relentless war against Moore until conditions are modified. As champion of the working people, he is elected to the legislature. Frank introduces his bill for better factories. After much excitement, it is passed. Since the accident to Mina, Bud has been working to perfect a number of safety devices. With the idea of cheating the boy, Moore goes with him to a cabinet at one end of the building to look them over. Meanwhile a blaze has started. Soon the flimsy structure is ablaze. Marian escapes with the girls, hut Moore and Bud are trapped in the cabinet. From the roof of an adjoining building Frank throws a rope to the factory, where it fastens around a cornice. Then he makes his way hand over hand across the rope to the burning building, breaks through a skylight, and lowers a rope to Bud. Moore shoves the boy aside. Frank, angered, lowers the rope again for Bud. Moore rushes to the edge of the building. But as he hangs midway, the flames reach the rope, and he plunges to his death. A few weeks later the newspapers announce large gifts to charity from an anonymous source. Through Bud he discovers that it is Marian. The picture closes as she agrees to face the future with him.

Dir: Edward Sloman

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Money Isn't Everything perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

For advice on making money, down-on-her-luck Margery Smith visits Franklyn Smith, a lawyer who, although he appears prosperous, is equally hard-pressed for funds. Franklyn is struck by Margery's beauty and devises a plan whereby her services as a chaperoned partner at dances and teas may be purchased; however, because he believes her brainless, he forbids her to speak with the customers. The "Beauty to Let" corporation is a success, and soon two millionaires, Henry P. Rockwell and "Diamond Tim" Moody, ask to marry Margery. She has fallen in love with Franklyn and is distressed to learn that he has purchased bachelor's quarters from Tim. Diamond Tim forged the deed to the house, but when Margery sneaks into his room to retrieve Franklyn's money, her partner sees her and misconstrues her intentions. In the end, Margery and Franklyn outwit Tim, and Franklyn, realizing that his partner is bright as well as beautiful, proposes.

Dir: Edward Sloman

In the parched West, Louise MacLeod works as a secretary for Robert Powell, a lawyer defending businessman John Phelan, whom ranchers accuse of monopolizing water rights. Gordon, Louise's father, is one of the ranchers, and so Louise keeps him informed of Robert's strategy, with the result that the ranchers win their case. John, however, remains determined to control the area's water, and so he hires an engineer to dynamite a river in order to divert it from the ranchers and onto his own land. Robert then realizes the unscrupulousness of his former client, and defuses the engineer's bomb. Afterward, with the ranchers victorious, Robert concentrates less on water rights and more on Louise, with whom he soon begins a romance.

Dir: Edward Sloman

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

Rhoda Eldridge lives in the Paris Latin Quarter, learns at the death of her father Charles that her real name is Sayles and that she has an uncle somewhere in America. She travels to the States as a nursemaid but is discharged soon after her arrival. In the park, she finds an envelope containing a letter to Rosy Taylor from a Mrs. Du Vivier, along with a key, $2, and instructions to clean the Du Vivier mansion each week. When the penniless Rhoda learns that Rosy is dead, she cleans the home herself, and all is well until Jacques Le Clerc, Mrs. Du Vivier's brother, mistakes her for a thief and sends her to a reformatory. Rhoda, however, escapes and returns to the house. Upon discovering that Rosy has been dead for weeks, Jacques and his sister catch the mysterious housekeeper once again. Through the efforts of Jacques, who has fallen in love with her, Rhoda is united with her rich uncle, and to demonstrate her gratitude, she accepts the young man's marriage proposal.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Gerard Hale and Luther Snaith, partners in the same law firm, are rivals for a seat vacant in the Senate as well as for the hand of the governor's daughter Marion. When Tom Shores, recently released from prison, turns up at the law office with his sister Mary and her two-year-old baby, the illegitimate child of Gerard's late father, Gerard Hale, Sr., Snaith sees the opportunity to win both the Senate seat and Marion. Gerard meets with Mary and learns that the child is the offspring of his father. Overcome with his father's dereliction, Gerard gives Mary a check for $50,000. As Mary and Tom leave, they are seized by detectives who bring them back to the office for identification. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hale and Marion have stopped in to visit and Gerard, afraid that the truth will prove fatal to his mother's ailing heart, testifies that the baby is his. Upset over the revelation, Mrs. Hale is confined to bed and Snaith threatens to expose the truth unless Gerard withdraws from the Senate race. Sensing that death is approaching, Mrs. Hale asks Gerard to do his duty and wed Mary. Mary insists upon telling her the truth, but Gerard refuses, fearing that it would prove fatal to his mother, but Gerard is spared from the sacrifice when his mother dies, freeing him from the shackles of truth.

Dir: Edward Sloman

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

When the unruly drinking party at "Big Bill" Darcey's hunting lodge runs out of liquor, they move to the lodge of Darcey's agent, Enoch Foyle, and finding attractive Nora Farnes waiting alone, harass her. Bill, who previously was interested only in pleasure, with his consumptive friend Sammy Goode, protects Nora, who, armed with a revolver, intends to confront Foyle for swindling her mother. When Foyle returns, Nora wounds him slightly. Bill brings her to his lodge for the night, and falling in love, convinces her to marry him to protect her name. As he is preparing to leave on his honeymoon, Bill learns that Foyle fleeced him of his fortune. Finding Nora at Foyle's lodge, he loses faith in her, and leaves with Sammy for the desert because of Sammy's illness. Lost and exhausted, Sammy makes a dying request that Bill return and listen to Nora's explanation. After Bill's rescue, he finds Nora dining with Foyle, but upon learning that she has hidden detectives to overhear Foyle's confession, Bill is reconciled with Nora, and they finish the dinner.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Bob Stephany, "The Twinkler," is completing a long stretch in prison. He has saved the life of Old Doc, in charge of the dynamo room, and the old man promises to repay Bob, should the opportunity present itself, Bob's fiancée, Rose Burke, whose father, Daddy Burke, has a prison record, comes to visit Bob. She tells him she has but one dream, and that comes to her every night. She pictures Bob in a responsible position, and their living in a vine-clad cottage. Bob is won over by the idea and promises to go "straight." Freed from prison, "The Twinkler" sets about to get honest work. A crooked detective discovers him and he is forced to submit to blackmail rather than lose his job. The chief, Boss Corregan, meets Rose and makes advances to her. At the Political Ball he annoys the girl and Bob comes to her rescue. Daddy Burke, Rose and Bob disappear. The next day Corregan tells Bob to send for Rose to come to his office because he wishes to apologize to her. Bob suspects that Corregan has designs on Rose and tells her to bring his revolver with her. Corregan has Bob jailed on a false charge, and when Rose comes to his office she is greeted by Boss, who takes her into his arms. In the struggle which ensues. Rose fires Bob's revolver and Daddy, who is at the window, also fires a shot and runs away. The police arrive at the scene and find Corregan dead and Rose in a faint. Rose is held for the murder and Bob is released. He is unable to find Daddy and resorts to stealing to secure the money to fight for Rose's freedom. However, Rose is sentenced to execution. On the day before Rose's scheduled execution Bob meets Daddy Burke. The old man has been seriously injured and when told of Rose's predicament confesses that he was responsible for the fatal shot. Bob hurries to the Governor with Daddy's signed statement. The Governor sends his secretary to the prison with a pardon for Rose. Bob boards a train tor the prison city. A fearful storm comes up and all telegraph and telephone communication is cut off. Bob sees a well-groomed man displaying a wallet and he cannot resist the temptation to steal it. He escapes from the train and finds his way to a deserted cabin. Here he opens the wallet and to his horror discovers that he has robbed the Governor's secretary and has Rose's pardon in his possession. Realizing that all communication is cut off, Bob hurries to a nearby town. Here he sees a train and boards it. He arrives at the prison an hour after the time set for Rose's electrocution. There he learns that Old Doc, who has learned of "The Rose's" identity, has been the means of saving her life. He had placed a file in the dynamo and when the switch was turned on, the armature had burned out and it was necessary to send to another town for a new one. "The Twinkler" makes a clean breast of his guilt and produces Rose's pardon. The prison officials agree to forget the incident and set both Bob and Rose free. Old Doc smilingly watches them go.

Dir: Edward Sloman

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

Loath to leave her pet dog in the baggage car, the wealthy Norah McDonald dresses the animal in baby clothes and carries him into the Pullman coach. There she meets millionaire philanthropist Paul Howell, who remarks that she seems rather young to be married. When Norah responds that she is unwed, Paul assumes that she has been betrayed and sympathetically offers her a position in his charity organization. Attracted to Paul, Norah accepts the job, but she disapproves of his bureaucratic methods and soon establishes a rival organization based less on efficiency than on charity. Norah's success and a few glaring failures of his own finally convince Paul that red tape and philanthropy don't mix, and after he learns that her "baby" is a Pekinese, the two become engaged.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Wealthy banker John Sevier is engaged to Elaine Morier, who runs an upscale gambling club with her father Gerald. One night at the club John stops a fight between club employee Jim Hammond and a wealthy young customer named Tom Leonard. He takes Leonard home and meets his sister Marion. The next day he discovers that his banking partner, Jim Collins, has made too many bad investments with the bank's money and the institution is in danger of going under. John promises to use his own money to save the bank, but Elaine, outraged, breaks off their engagement. However, Marion and Tom congratulate him on his courage in putting up his own money to save the bank. Elaine and her father--who were scheming to take John for his money all along--realize that they made a mistake and try to get the two back together again. Complications ensue.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Episode 1: "Fate and Death" Arthur and Esther Stanley and son, little Arthur, en route from Virginia to England, are victims of a train wreck. Father and mother are killed but the child escapes death. Quabba, the gypsy, now the king of the band, learns of the accident from his followers. He hastens to the wreck and finds the bodies of Arthur and Esther Stanley but finds no trace of their son. De Vaux, the conspirator, who has been shadowing the Stanleys, is also present at the wreck. He finds little Arthur and discovers The Diamond From the Sky suspended from his neck. He transfers the jewel to his pocket and disappears into the night carrying off little Arthur. Later Quabba sees De Vaux carrying the child into an orphanage, temporarily used as a hospital. Quabba awaits his chance and steals the child.