The Auteur's Selection In the Shadow of California Straight Ahead: ...

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: Wilfred Lucas

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

Brian O'Farrell (Snowy Baker), is an English 'new chum' who takes a job at an Australian cattle station. He is teased by station hands because of his appearance (including spats and a monocle) but he soon impresses them with his skills at riding and boxing. The station manager, John MacDonald (Wilfred Lucas), takes O'Farrell to Sydney to meet his daughter Edith (Kathleen Key) who is working in the slums. Edith is kidnapped by criminals after witnessing a crime but O'Farrell rescues her. It is later revealed he is the owner of the station.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Leander Potts, a burlesque manager, has brought his Frivolous Frolickers to Greenville for a one-night stand at the Opera House. But there are bigger things ahead for Leander in Greenville. The natives have mistaken him for the Potum of Swat, a sturdy centenarian, who with his daughters, ranging in age from 70 to 85 years, is to give a lecture on how to live a thousand years. Leander and his burlesquers are given a royal welcome, and then and there he decides to assume the identity of the real Potum.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

When a young bride, newly entered into society, discovers she is pregnant, she consults an old friend on the most effective means of abortion. The friend gives her a potent drug, and that night the woman locks herself in her room, presses the potion bottle to her lips, falls across her bed and begins to dream. In her dream, her husband finds out about her abortion and demands a divorce. Years pass and the woman, now decrepit and alone, is visited by the ghost of her "Child-That-Might-Have-Been." The ghost takes her on a spiritual journey where she sees her husband, who is remarried and happy with his own family, hundreds of smiling babies wrapped in flowers in Babyland, and finally her own death and damnation. At her demise, she wakes from her nightmare, joyful to find the drug untouched, and rushes to tell her husband about her impending motherhood.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

John Douglas, a high-society playboy, is a cynic concerning the women of his social set, and has a pictured ideal of the girl of his dreams. Wising to avoid the upcoming social season, he hops a freighter bound for the Orient. It sinks in mid-ocean and he, as the sole survivor, is washed upon a island, where he is rescued by Nia, daughter of the tribal chief, Neto.John is puzzled as all of the tribe are white people, but he learns from the tribal chief they are descendent's of English-origin who also are on the island because of a ship wreck a few hundred years ago. John soon arouses the jealousy of Kaura, the tribal sub-chief who wants Nia as his bride, but Nia wants nothing to do with Nia, and favors John. Kaura demand that Nia become his bride, but John Rescues her and they head for the jungle, with Kaura and his henchmen in hot pursuit. The pursuit only lasts until a storm comes up and Kuara is killed by a bolt of lightning, and his followers take that as a sign the Gods aren't in favor of the pursuit. John and Nia take up residence in the Tribal Priest's jungle cave, after the Tribal Chief performs a marriage ceremony. They are quite happy and content, especially Nia who likes to play the harp John made for her. But a yacht appears on the horizon, and John struggles with a decision as to light a signal fire and be taken back to civilization.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

Peggy Brockman's idyllic life with her oil-magnate father is disrupted when he remarries and arrives home with his bride and her two snobbish daughters. The new Mrs. Brockman reads that Lord George Raleigh is anchored off shore in his yacht, and regarding him as a possible conquest for one of her daughters, issues him an invitation to a garden party. In quest of his seclusion, his Lordship sends his butler Wiggins to attend in his place. Peggy is banned from the party, and in revenge, sneaks aboard the yacht where she meets the real lord who is enchanted by her. For her prank, Peggy is banished to college and the lord enrolls also. One night by mistake, Peggy climbs into the boys' dormitory and finds herself in Raleigh's room. To prevent a scandal, they elope, but on the way from the justice's house are arrested and thrown in jail. Peggy's horrified family arrives just in time to witness Lord Raleigh disclose his true identity and announce that Peggy is his bride.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Miss Jackie Holbrook is the daughter of wealthy Californians. She is noted for her frolicsome nature, and is the favored of all but Captain Robert Crowne, U.S.A., whose ship is anchored off Coronado awaiting further orders. Jackie decides to make Crowne fall in love with her, and her opportunity comes when she hears of a new sailor going to ship with Crowne to the Isle of Vergania, to quell a native uprising. The girl dons sailor clothes and sails with the ship. She is the butt of Big Bill Blount's jokes and jeers because of her effeminacy, and causes the others on board much laughter. When they arrive at Vergania she is one of those chosen to go into the interior and is the one that saves Crowne's life. Her identity is discovered to the delight of the sailors, and Crowne asks her to marry him immediately.

Dir: Edgar Jones

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

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

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Motherless Phyllis Ladd runs the household of her father John, a railroad president, who loves her but dreads the day that she will marry and leave. To make her social debut, Phyllis leaves her hometown of Carthage and accepts the invitation of Mrs. Fenshaw, a Washington social matron, to live with her. Phyllis soon tires of the stuffy life and boring suitors and returns. At a matinee road-show performance, Phyllis becomes infatuated with actor Cyril Adair. When she invites him for tea, the vain actor accepts, hoping to seduce her. After more meetings, Cyril's discarded lover informs Ladd, who demands that the romance cease. Phyllis elopes with Cyril, who, touched by her devotion, marries her. Although their life is plagued by Cyril's alcoholism, firings and inability to get new roles because Ladd influences theater managers to reject him, Phyllis patiently tries to bring out the best in her husband. When Phyllis and Cyril refuse Ladd's bribes to end the marriage, Ladd relents, backs a show in which Cyril is to star and is reconciled with the couple.