The Auteur's Selection In the Shadow of Impossible Catherine: Cult ...

Dir: John B. O'Brien

In New York's notorious Pell Street district, U.S. District Attorney Arnold Somers' men capture Queen X, known to drug smugglers as "The Queen of Chinatown," a woman with a cross-shaped birthmark on her wrist. Summers recognizes her as Janice Waltham, formerly a prominent society woman. After becoming an addict and dealer, Janice was imprisoned in underground dens filled with opium fumes to prevent her from recovering and betraying her suppliers. She refuses to name her associates despite third degree questioning. As Janice is about to be sentenced to a long prison term, Miriam Evans, whose brother George is the assistant district attorney, recognizes Janice as the former schoolmate who rescued her in a convent fire. Somers allows Miriam to take Janice home and advises George to court her to get the names of the gang leaders. With George's help, Janice develops enough will power to kick her drug habit, while George, according to their pact, stops smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. After George secures the names, Janice, threatened by a Chinese cohort, learns about George's deal, but George, now in love, confesses this and they marry.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

Robert Powers devotes himself to a life of dissipation until he meets Lillian Vale, the daughter of the curate of St. Anthony's church. Lillian marries Powers, determined to reform him. Years later, the happiness of their home threatened by the appearance of Hattie Lee, one of Powers' former lovers. While Lillian is at her father's deathbed, Powers is lured away by Hattie Lee one night. That evening, the house catches fire and when he returns, the place is in ashes. Frenzied with the belief that his son has perished in the flames, Powers goes to beg the forgiveness of his wife and discovers that she has saved the child's life. Her all-forgiving nature and the love of their son causes Powers to rise from his past life with a triumphant soul.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Owen and Ernest Wharton, sons of sweatshop owner James Wharton, become interested in two of their father's employees. Owen, a settlement worker, falls in love with Mary, while Ernest, a full time womanizer, makes her sister Amy his mistress. Another sister, Jane, grows increasingly consumptive, but when Mary asks James for some money for Jane's treatment, he refuses. Hearing of the trouble, Ernest offers money to Mary, but only if she too agrees to be his mistress. Enraged, Mary forces him at gunpoint, to marry Amy. Then Owen, knocked unconscious in an accident, calls out for Mary. James begs her to see Owen, but before agreeing to go, Mary makes him promise to improve sweatshop conditions. Finally, Owen recovers and he and Mary plan their marriage. Meanwhile, marriage has turned Ernest into a devoted husband, and James keeps his word about shop conditions.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

Mae Carter is the ward of Col. Aitken and the fiancée of his nephew Robert. They plight their troth and after much teasing from Mae, Bob succeeds in giving her an engagement ring. While Mae and Bobby are out riding one day the shoe of Mae's horse becomes loosened. She calls for Bob to exert his masculine strength and jerk the shoe from the horse's foot to save the horse further pain. After several unsuccessful pretenses to release the shoe they go to a blacksmith. Mae discovers in the blacksmith a man of extraordinary strength. He jerks the shoe from the horse with one pull, and thereby wins the admiration of Mae. That night Mae dreams that she is the cave woman of Robert, a cave man. While eating shrubs she is attacked by another giant cave man and about to be carried off when a rescuer appears, and he proves to be none other than the blacksmith. In the morning she pays a visit to his shop and takes a snapshot of him, much to the distress of Robert. She breaks off her engagement with Robert and is about to elope with the blacksmith when her uncle, having dealt with many women in his time, and knowing feminine ways better than Bob, concocts a scheme whereby he will induce the two to live at his house for a month to find out if they still love each other, at the end of which time he promises to consent to the marriage. The girl gives an engagement party and his conduct makes her see how impossible a match would be between the two. Thoroughly disgusted, she breaks off her engagement and returns to Robert. A marriage between her and Robert is arranged by the Colonel for the following day, and the blacksmith learning of it becomes jealous. When the ceremony is about to take place, the blacksmith comes to the house and steals the bride and plans to take her to a neighboring town and marry her himself. He gets away with her and after many hair-breadth escapades he finally gets caught in the quicksand with the girl but Robert releases him and the wedding takes place.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Beth Treadway, a high-spirited young Southern woman, lives with her father, Major Treadway, and her Aunt Sarah on the Treadway estate, Headland Hall, in Maryland. Beth is being courted by Rippley, a Southerner with questionable morals, when John Standish comes from New York to landscape the grounds of Headland Hall. Standish arouses Beth's antagonism until he rescues Haskell, a hermit living on Treadway land, from a fire. Beth dresses Standish's wounds and eventually comes to admire him. Meanwhile, she learns that Rippley has compromised Dorothy Pennell, the overseer's daughter, and tricks him into marrying Dorothy. Their marriage is short-lived, however, when Rippley is caught by the Major while robbing his safe and kills the old man. At first, Haskell is charged with the murder, but when a piece of Rippley's pajamas is discovered in the Major's hand, he is accused of the crime. Rippley resists arrest and in the ensuing melee is killed by Standish.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

A woman overcomes her fear of childbirth and embraces motherhood.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

A daughter of the slums has a little brother and makes a brave attempt to earn enough for both herself and Jimmy after her father is sent to jail on a fake charge trumped-up by "Nifty" Mendez, who is very anxious to get her in his toils. Betty escapes from the city and Nifty. On the road Jimmy is struck by Rodney Channing's motor. The injury is not serious but Jimmy must remain in Channing's home for some time. During the visit, love grows up between Channing and Betty, who is now of course very happy. But a newspaper announcement and the author send Nifty again into her life and simultaneously with his entrance comes the exit of happiness. Betty fears to tell her fiance that her father is in jail, so she gives Nifty the pearl necklace lately presented to her and leaves the wonderful home. "As the days pass" however, Channing's cousin finds it necessary to visit a modiste's shop in search of a wedding gown and Channing accompanies the bride-to-be. There he finds Betty, for she is the model who displays the gown.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

Mary Lawson was on trial for the killing of Dr. Brundage. He had come to the little village and with his up-to-date methods had made great inroads into the practice of Dr. Kirk. Mary's mother, a confirmed invalid, was one of those who had turned to the new doctor. Mary in repulsing the advances of Dr. Brundage, had said, "You have destroyed my faith in mankind. I feel as though I could kill you." Mary's mother took a turn for the worse, so she went to summon Dr. Brundage, but on arrival at his office found him dead in a chair. Other arrivals found Mary alone with a knife in her hand and this coupled with her previous statement, which had been overheard, was the means of her conviction. Through the help of a cripple she managed to escape. Securing work in a faraway city she soon became the wife of a fellow workman, John Harlow, who turned out to be a wealthy clubman, working only on a wager. Her happiness was complete till the day when she ran across Dr. Kirk, now penniless and ragged. He forced her to take him in as her "uncle." One day, led to the vicinity by her picture, detectives came to the house. Mary, on seeing them, told her whole story to her husband. He, instead of turning her over, assisted her to escape in a sailboat. A storm arose and the boat was driven on the rocks. In the morning Mary came to, to find herself on the rocks but her husband was nowhere in sight. Overhearing voices speak of the other body, she made her way to the house for one last look at her husband. While there the detective approached only to tell her of the confession of Dr. Kirk.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Young Nan was rescued from a shipwreck by a man who became her foster father. Years later, when he dies, she moves to a nearby city and unknowingly gets involved with a criminal gang. When the gang attempts and fails to rob wealthy Thomas Carter's home, Nan finally discovers what they are and tells the police all she knows, resulting in the imprisonment of Bad Riley, the gang's leader. The Carters gratefully take Nan into their home as a daughter, honoring the memory of their own daughter who had drowned years before, and the young son, Rev. Robert Carter, begins a romance with her. But the jailed Riley escapes and comes after Nan.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Rich artist David King sends his infant daughter Molly to an orphanage, then years later regrets it and tries to find her. She's sent to slave at a boarding house, and the mistress of the orphanage passes her niece off as Molly.