The Essential Watchlist that Capture the Essence of Great Guy: Cult...

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

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: Robert N. Bradbury

A simple country girl, brutally mistreated by her stepfather, awakens first the sympathy, then the love, of The Boy. The Spider, who lusts after The Girl, makes a bargain with the stepfather and takes her to the city where, kept prisoner, she is soon broken in health and spirit. Cast out and near death, she is taken in by The Boy. Following the demise of The Spider, The Boy takes her to church, where he prays, and after many hours she is restored to health.

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

Dir: Eduardo Notari

A crime drama in the Gennariello-series. The police detective in Naples that is confronted with modern gangsters and crime events.

Dir: Charles Horan

While working as a flower girl in Devlin Maddox's nightclub, Nellie Vaughan meets wealthy young Pelton Van Teel and falls in love. Maddox, desirous of using Nellie to blackmail Van Teel, spreads a rumor that she is his mistress. This makes Nellie uncomfortable, and she demands that Van Teel marry her immediately, to which he agrees. Meanwhile, Van Teel has been losing money gambling to Maddox, who threatens to break up the marriage by producing a worthless check that the young husband has written. Venturing to Maddox's apartment for a showdown, Nellie pulls a gun and demands the check, accidentally shooting Maddox when he throws a lamp at her. Maddox plans to charge Nellie with assault, but when the police arrive, his butler, actually a detective employed by the elder Van Teel, exposes Maddox, who is then arrested, clearing the path for the couple's happiness.

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

Dir: Edward LeSaint

When famous opera singer Elinore Duane undergoes an operation on her throat, she has a series of ether-induced visions. In one, she is transported to ancient Rome where she appears as a much-admired woman in love with Paul, a young heretic, and at odds with Lutor, the high priest. To save her love, she poisons Lutor with her ring. After several other visions which involve variations on this love triangle, Elinore awakens to discover that Lutor is actually her doctor, Sascha Jaccard, and that Paul is the son of a friend who has come to visit the recovering prima donna.

Dir: John G. Blystone

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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

Dir: John G. Blystone

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Alexander Butler

In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.

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

Dir: John G. Blystone

Pansy Pickles was the step-daughter of Peter Pickles who kept the most fashionable boarding house in Corncob Corner. He had ambitions of either sending Pansy to school or marry her off so that he could live comfortably from his son-in-law. Pa Pickles receives a letter from some attorneys stating this his step-daughter's uncle died and left a vast estate but that Pansy was not mentioned in the will. At and the same time the school teacher who taught Pansy her P's and Q's, received a letter stating that his inheritance was being shipped by express. The station agent hears of this inheritance and knows right well old Pa Pickles will favor the school teacher. He takes a bank book from one of the men, crosses out the name and puts his name on it, adding several figures too. Pansy goes off to school, but when teacher calls the roll, Pansy is not present. He sends a notice to her Pa, who searches for her, finds her sitting in a tree reading a book. He throws a stone at her and she falls right into the school room under the spanking machine. She, in turn, throws the teacher under the spanking machine and the poor fellow has matches in his pocket, that burn and blaze like fury. Pa Pickles finds the bank book with the station agent's name on it and decides that Pansy shall marry the agent. Some one put's Pa wise that it isn't his book at all, and the agent is thrown out. The wealthiest man in town is at the wedding and offers his son as a groom, the minister sets them up again and just as he's about to pronounce them man and wife, Pa discovers that the bridegroom isn't worth a cent, and he too is thrown out. Pansy is thoroughly disgusted now and changes place with another girl who has come to the wedding. This time the school teacher is pronounced bridegroom and they are married. His inheritance comes at the same time and to Pa's dismay he finds it is a pig, he is just about to murder the teacher he discovers the change in brides. Pa gets a bridegroom whom Pansy likes and they are married with a whoop and hooray.

Dir: John G. Blystone

Alice appears as Minnie Grabit, just released from prison. She poses as a Salvation Army girl long enough to collect loose change, then later becomes a nurse and finally a servant girl. The incidents are of the knockabout sort, and the eccentric characterizations are funny.