Visionary Picks Drawn from the Same DNA as Her Husband's Wife: Cult...

Dir: Ivan Abramson

Ignored by a husband who dedicates all his time to improving a universal language, Laurette Maxwell decides to try her youthful ambition of becoming an actress. Wealthy Charles Prescott offers to bankroll Laurette's debut and to clear all obstacles in her road to stardom, and Laurette files for a divorce from Maxwell on the grounds that their daughter Ruth is not his. Discovering the cause for her parents' divorce, Ruth decides to ensnare Prescott. Her mother discovers the affair and denounces Prescott who, in anger, assaults Ruth. Attempting to protect herself, Ruth kills Prescott and is arrested for the crime, but Laurette establishes on the witness stand that her daughter acted in self-defense. After Ruth is acquitted, Laurette confesses that Maxwell really is her father and the family is reunited.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

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

Wealthy capitalist, Clinton Reynolds, and his wife, Laura, have lost their son, Arthur, kidnapped and possibly dead. Attempting to write a wrong in his factory, he adopts the daughter of one of his workers who is killed on site. The girl, Rose, grows up resentful of her adoptive father and as she grows older, seduces him in order to break up his marriage. Long lost Arthur returns and, finding his parents' married life in disarray, becomes romantically involved with Rose in order to end the relationship she has forged with his father. Reynolds comes to his senses and makes amends with Laura, at which point Arthur leaves Rose.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

In order to provide for her widowed mother, Louise Mordyke, Ethel marries Arthur Woodridge, a wealthy philanthropist who is considerably older than she. Although she respects her husband, Ethel resumes an affair with Howard Rosedale, the husband of her cousin Helen. Helen hires a detective, who discovers the lovers at a roadhouse. Rushing from the inn, Ethel is caught in a thunderstorm, after which she contracts pneumonia and dies, repentant but unconfessed. Arthur grieves so deeply that Louise and Helen fear for his sanity, and when Louise learns that he is contemplating suicide, she reveals the truth about Ethel's infidelity. Arthur, incredulous, denounces her. Following Howard's sudden death, however, Helen confirms the story. Louise and Arthur marry, and Helen weds an old friend.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

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

Ada Forbes loves Eugene Cory, but she marries Stapleton, a political boss who promises Ada's father a Senate seat in return for his daughter. After several years of an unhappy marriage, Ada leaves Stapleton and returns to Cory, now married to Alice Wood, to be his mistress. Alice finds out about the affair and confronts Ada, who promises never to see Eugene again. Then, Ada learns that her mother is dying. The double shock of losing Eugene and her mother brings on a breakdown, and Ada is put under a doctor's care. Her round-the-clock nurse falls asleep, however, and a half-insane Ada wanders away, falls into a river and drowns.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

Wealthy Richard Covington, although aging and lonely, distresses his children, Waverly and Beatrice, by marrying a heartless seductress named Fay Hope. Because Fay's extravagant spending threatens to ruin Richard, Beatrice confronts her, which prompts Richard, who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful vampire, to order his daughter from the house. Fay introduces her lover, "Lucky" Travers, into the Covington household as her brother, but Waverly catches them in each other's arms and, in a fit of insanity, shoots at Lucky. The bullet strikes and kills Fay, and Waverly is locked in an asylum, leaving Richard broken, penniless and completely alone. In New York, he finds work carrying sandwich boards that advertise a cabaret, where he sees Beatrice warmly conversing with Lucky. Beatrice consoles her distraught father by admitting that she now works for the Secret Service. After securing Lucky's arrest, Beatrice returns to her fiance, Rodman Daniels, who has arranged Waverly's release from the asylum, and the entire family is reunited.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

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

Ruth Ancaster is about to marry her fiance, Edward, when she discovers that he has been cheating on her with a variety of different women. Angered, she marries Henry, Edward's best friend. Edward sees a chance to take his revenge on both of them when Henry, in financial trouble, forges Edward's name on a stock certificate and is caught. He offers to drop the charges against Henry if Ruth agrees to "pay the price"--and he doesn't mean money.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

Henry Patterson, living in Chicago with his wife, Lola, and infant boy, Harold, receives disturbing news regarding his mining interests at Denver. He goes there to investigate, and to avoid publicity, assumes the name of Henry Donovan. At Denver, he finds the mine is worthless, and faces ruin. He meets Louise Douglas, a wealthy woman, who becomes attracted to him. She makes overtures of marriage, unaware of his real identity. Henry, in a wild belief that he can save his family from poverty, marries Louise. He invents excuses to Lola, whom he still loves, for his long absence. The poor woman receives his money and affectionate letters, ignorant of his folly. In due course, Louise gives birth to a daughter, Muriel. The months lengthen into years, Lola in her solitude, has formed a strong friendship for Fred Warren, an artist, for whom she poses. The artist, believing Lola to be a widow, presses her to marry him. Her refusals arouse his suspicion, until one day Lola receives a letter which, Warren notices, agitates her. The letter is, indeed, from her husband, a confession of his bigamous union with Louise, and promising to make early reparation. Taking advantage of Lola's absence from the room, Warren purloins the letter and learns her secret. Meanwhile, Louise has entrusted Henry with a large sum of money for investment in New York. He goes instead to his wife at Chicago. In a touching scene, past sins are confessed and forgiven, and the couple make preparations for a hasty departure. At the moment of leaving, Warren pays Lola an unexpected visit. Furiously Warren denounces Henry, calls him "Bigamist," and threatens to turn over his letter of confession to his wife Louise. Henry, demanding the letter, draws a revolver, and in the struggle, the pistol is accidentally discharged, killing the bigamist. With a plea for forgiveness as he dies. Henry hands over to Lola Louise's money. In order not to implicate her in the murder. Warren orders Lola away from the scene. She, having in mind the $50,000, heeds his advice and immediately leaves with Harold for New York, where she assumes the name of "Gibson." Warren telephones the police, giving himself up as the murderer. Louise, notified by the Chicago police of her husband's death, comes to Chicago. Seeking revenge, she secures permission to see her husband's murderer. She enters the cell with a concealed weapon. There she learns for the first time the truth, from the written confession of her husband which the prisoner has concealed on his person. She is prostrated by grief, and her vow of vengeance becomes a promise to help the prisoner. The trial takes place. Warren, aided by Louise's counsel and her testimony, is declared "not guilty." With gratitude on the one side, and sympathy on the other, a strong bond of friendship is formed which soon gives way to love. Warren and Louise marry and come to live in New York. With the passing of years, Lola, giving way to extravagance, becomes penniless. Harold, now at Milan studying music, requests funds, and with her son's need in mind, Lola at a dance steals a necklace. Her theft detected, she is tried and sent to prison for two years. Harold, who has made a name for himself in Milan, meets a charming student, Muriel Warren. Unaware of each other's antecedents, they form a deep attachment and finally arrange to return to America to marry. Lola's prison term expired, she comes to New York. There, sitting on a park bench, she picks up a discarded newspaper, in which she reads the wedding announcement of Harold and Muriel, to take place that afternoon. She rushes to the church, breaks through the crowd, and in a most dramatic scene, before the altar, makes her confession to the priest. Muriel now learns for the first time that her stepfather, Warren, killed her father. Her soul, embittered by the guilt of her parents, she leaves her mother's house and becomes a nun. Harold, learning that his, father's misdeeds nearly caused the marriage of brother and sister, forgives his broken-hearted mother, takes her with him and makes a home for her.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

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

After becoming a Supreme Court justice, Peter Graham is visited by Olive Martin, a singer from New Orleans, Louisiana, with whom he had an affair in his youth. Although Peter has been sending money to maintain Olive's silence and to support their son, she now sees an opportunity to join high society, and demands that Peter divorce his wife to marry her. Meanwhile, in Boston, Massachusetts, Olive's son, Harold, becomes engaged to Peter's daughter, Anita, but the young lovers are soon devastated by the news that they were both sired by the same man. Olive's dissolute brother-in-law, Thomas Donald, finds Peter on the brink of suicide and reveals that he is Harold's father. Thomas goes on to explain that Olive adopted the boy as a means to blackmail Peter. Harold and Anita marry, while Peter confesses to his wife and Olive leaves town.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

Victor Gilmore, a composer, is in love with his father Cyrus' secretary Dorothy Eldridge, but Dorothy marries his brother Robert, even though a doctor has told them that Robert can never father children. Dorothy, however, has never lost her hope to have children, and doesn't know that Robert is secretly supporting his former lover Flo Merrivale. The brothers' father eventually dies but leaves his estate to Robert, saying that he didn't believe that Victor was his son. This causes a huge rift between the brothers and a fight ensues, resulting in Victor's being thrown out of the house and family. Complications ensue.

Dir: Ivan Abramson

Rhoda Cortlandt, daughter of Theodore Cortlandt, a millionaire who is interested in charity, is beloved by Webster, son of Madeline Stuyvesant, a philanthropist who is Cortlandt's competitor. Burton Woodrow, employed by Cortlandt in order to send his consumptive mother to Colorado, steals $250 from his employer. He is detected and sent to prison for a year. Clarice Lee, a thief, is beloved by Chicago Jim, a gang leader. Mrs. Stuyvesant and Rhoda are visiting a poor family residing in the apartment adjacent to Clarice's. Chicago Jim discovers Clarice in the arms of Pugsy, a member of his gang, and beats her. Her cries reach Rhoda and Mrs. Stuyvesant, who go to her rescue. Jim escapes. Clarice, to work upon the sympathies of Mrs. Stuyvesant, declares that Jim beat her because she would not steal for him. Mrs. Stuyvesant takes Clarice to her home. Cortlandt, believing that Mrs. Stuyvesant has procured a million dollar contract through bribery, calls her a trickster in Webster's presence; he defends his mother. A quarrel ensues. Cortlandt orders Webster from his home. Clarice while in the home becomes infatuated with Webster, who ignores her. Hearing of his love for Rhoda, she persuades Pugsy, her admirer, to lure Rhoda to his room for the purpose of degrading her. Pugsy entices and attempts to assault her there. Rhoda, defending herself, is severely wounded and suffers great loss of blood. At the hospital to which she is taken the doctors declare that only a transfusion of blood will save her life. Webster, hearing of Rhoda's condition, offers his blood. The offer is refused by the stubborn and angry Cortlandt, who orders the doctors to advertise and offer $500 for the necessary blood. Burton, released from prison, unable to secure employment, reads the advertisement and applies at the hospital, where after a rest he is accepted and a quantity of his blood is transfused to Rhoda's veins. Before his discharge from the hospital Burton learns that the recipient of his blood is the daughter of the man who sent him to prison. Cortlandt and the Stuyvesants become reconciled. Burton in the presence of Rhoda offers to return to Cortlandt the money he stole. Rhoda prevents her father from accepting it, and insists that he re-employ Burton. Cortlandt grants Rhoda's wish. Mrs. Stuyvesant gives a reception in celebration of Rhoda's recovery, during which the engagement of Webster and Rhoda is announced. Rhoda is horrified by constantly recurring visions of Burton. Wherever she goes Burton appears before her, whatever she does recalls him to her mind. His vision constantly calls to her. She struggles against the thought, but realizes that with the blood given her by Burton has come love. Unable to restrain the call of his blood she surrenders herself to it and telephones asking him to visit her. He does so, and she confesses her love for him. Burton tells her that he loved her long before he was sent to prison, but that his past is a shadow that will darken her future. Rhoda pleads with Burton and declares that his shadow will fade in the warmth of her love. That evening Webster finds Rhoda in Burton's arms, and is horrified. Rhoda returns the engagement ring to Webster, telling him, "Condemn me if you will, Burton gave me blood, and with it came love." Webster, realizing the power of true love, sacrifices his own love for Rhoda's sake and takes back the returned engagement ring. Cortlandt enters the scene, learns the truth. He is shocked and in great excitement denounces and orders Burton from his house. Webster tells Cortlandt that his stubbornness of not permitting him to give his blood caused it all. He pleads and moves Cortlandt to consent to the marriage of his daughter to the man he sent to prison.