Visionary Picks In Alignment with the style of Early to Wed: Cult Guide

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Shopgirl Rhoda Regan is in love with the Harmony Lad, the leader of a New York street gang called the Hudson Dusters. After two gang murders are committed in the Pepper Box, a local cabaret, the Harmony Lad promises his worried sweetheart that he will abandon the gang for a singing career, and true to his word, he soon accepts a job on the Pepper Box stage. When Stumpy Darcy, the new leader of the Dusters, kills rival gang leader Wedge Barker, who had flirted with Stumpy's girlfriend, Mamie Conlon, the Harmony Lad flees to New Jersey to escape police interrogation. In order to throw the police off the track while her lover escapes, Rhoda dances all night long with Stumpy, who has come to a masked ball dressed as Charlie Chaplin. Stumpy follows Rhoda home, where the police, imagining him to be the Harmony Lad, arrest him. His name cleared, the Harmony Lad marries Rhoda and embarks on a promising career in vaudeville.

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

A saloon owner loans her lover the money to buy a house, which he has led her to believe they will live in after they're married. Instead, he takes the money and buys a saloon in another town.

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Josiah Pringle, a benevolent old musician, who ekes out his livelihood by giving music lessons, after playing the organ for twenty years in the church of a little New England hamlet, must make way for a younger man, Gordon Howard, who comes from Boston. Faith Pringle, adopted by Josiah and his aged sister, Letitia, is leader of the choir, and when Pringle is replaced, she refuses to sing, but relents at Pringle's gentle insistence. When the new organist appears, Pringle's pupils leave him for the younger man, but he feels no resentment against Howard and compliments him on his playing. A young ruffian attacks Faith, but Howard rescues her and Pringle, deeply appreciative, invites Howard to the house. For many years Pringle has been working upon an improvement in organs. He shows the model to Howard who discovers a point that has baffled the old musician for ten years. The young ruffian, seeking a way to revenge himself on Howard through Pringle, shows Pringle a newspaper bearing the picture of a young man, resembling Howard closely, sought as an embezzler, but Pringle, in his kindly way, says that if Howard has reformed, he will not be the first to persecute him. Pringle places his model in the hands of Howard, to obtain a patent. Howard writes that he has secured an advance of $20,000 royalties and they hear nothing further from him. As the weeks drag by and Pringle's small store of money is exhausted, he and his sister are forced to the decision that Faith must be returned to the orphanage whence she came. The day of her departure comes all too soon. At the last moment, Howard comes in and explains that after receiving the money he placed it in a safe for the time being. In passing a building in the course of construction, he was injured. At the hospital to which he was taken, no means of identification were found on him, and just as soon as he recovered his memory he returned to the Pringles. The cloud on his antecedents is cleared when he looks at the newspaper pictures and says "My brother, the poor fellow is dead now." Through Howard's influence, Pringle is reinstated as organist and the friendship between Faith and Howard quickly ripens into love.

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

American sailor Allan Carroll, an American sailor, is shipwrecked of the coast of Japan in the 19th century. He makes it to shore and is rescued by kind Yori. The local ruler, Prince Iku, has ordered that all foreigners who are "trespassing" on Japanese soil should be killed. He hears about a foreign sailor who washed ashore and has been hidden by villagers, so he sends his sister Omi San to investigate. She finds Alan, and instead of turning him in to be executed, she falls in love with him. Prince Iku captures both Allan and Yori and intends to execute both of them. Complications ensue.

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Immediate Lee, employed on the ranch owned by one Masters, is discharged by the manager through the influence of one of his men, who is in the brand blotting game with Masters. Beulah, a dance-hall girl, has attracted the attention of Hurley, a brand blotter, but prefers Lee. Hurley entraps Lee and cuts his mouth open with a wide gash, which leaves a permanent scar. Lee vows vengeance and follows the man all over the country. He at last meets him face to face, but Hurley is saved by the intercession of Beulah. He later is killed in a fierce encounter. The brand blotters are discovered and punished by the aid of Immediate Lee, and Beulah receives the reward of loyalty and devotion by becoming Lee's wife.

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

Prudence's ( Olive Thomas ) parents send her from their Pennsylvania Quaker colony to a fashionable girls seminary, hoping she can learn about the devil's tricks, instead she engages in girlish pranks, but uses her pure appearance to escape blame. Later, Prudence visits her New York aunt, a society matron, and soon attracts an array of male admirers. She falls in love with wealthy Grayson Mills, but John Melbourne, who lives off of his wife's wealth, plots to seduce her. After Melbourne loans Prudence $200 to pay a gambling debt, he forces her to go to a roadhouse by threatening to show her stern father her canceled check. At dinner, Prudence produces a love letter which Melbourne had earlier written to an actress, and says that if she is not back by midnight, her hotel clerk will show Melbourne's wife his nineteen other love letters. After Melbourne hurries her back, he discovers that she only had the one letter. Prudence now becomes engaged to Grayson.

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Successful model, Phyllis Clyne, convinces a down-and-out nobleman, Billy, to pass her off in society as titled gentry. They fall in love and when it turns out that her late father actually was a lord, they decide they now can marry.

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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When Benny Boggs, a good-natured hobo, is rejected by the U.S. Army, he decides to overcome his aversion to work and offers assistance to a farmer known as Old Man Cushing. Cushing falls seriously ill and, believing he is about to die, asks Benny to deliver a package to his daughter Ruby, who left home to pursue an acting career. Benny soon learns that the package contains $50,000, but resolves to earn the old man's trust, despite his poverty. After arriving in the city, Benny rescues Beatrice Burnett from an attacker, and the two become friends. Later, Beatrice takes Benny to visit her ailing friend, who identifies herself as Cushing's long-lost daughter. Benny gives the money to Ruby and accompanies her back to the farm, where they receive a warm greeting from Cushing, who has recovered from his illness. The army finally accepts Benny, and Ruby promises to marry him when he returns from active duty.

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Jennie is a slavey in a theatrical boarding house. To her the actors are all wonderful, but Montague Booth is the chief. In an accident Booth is disfigured for life and is saved from suicide by Jennie. They join a medicine show in which Booth is lecturer, but Jennie cannot stand the road. Booth leaves the show and takes up a homestead claim. The manager of the show sends one of Booth's old loves to get him back, for his services are valuable, but Belle fails after very nearly wrecking everyone's happiness.