Visionary Picks Drawn from the Same DNA as Loot: Cult Guide

Dir: William C. Dowlan

Clarence Webb, manager of the High Bluff Mineral Springs, has long doped the spring with lithia, sulfur, etc., to attract wealthy patients who imagine that they have aliments. The county health officer is aware of the fact, but as the county is benefited by the larger number of hotel guests, he holds his tongue. He has also another reason for keeping quiet, as he is attracted by Cornelia Wrigley, the aunt of Gladys Saunders, who owns the spring. Cornelia is also aware of the drugging of the spring, but she considers the end justifies the means, as the business provides a nice income for her niece, Gladys, who would have nothing without it. She jollies Dr. Perkins to keep him silent, but she prefers old "Doc" Jenkins, the clerk of the hotel, who also admires Aunt Cornelia. Gladys has lately returned from college and knows nothing of the methods used to obtain business. She knows her father's wishes were for her to marry Clarence, but she has given the matter no thought, as she is sorrowful over her father's death. A retired capitalist, Mr. Harron, and his daughter, Selma, who is in love with her father's physician, Dr. Sherwood, come to the spring hotel and an attachment springs up between Gladys and Dr. Sherwood, much to the chagrin and jealousy of Selma and Clarence. Clarence at once urges Gladys to marry him, but she refuses. He then tells her that she owes everything to him, that the springs are not naturally medicated and that he is the only one who can carry on the business successfully. She is horrified at the deception and still refuses him. He afterwards tells Aunt Cornelia he will tell all the guests she is defrauding the public. Terrified, she tries to persuade Gladys to listen to him. Clarence is then discovered putting ingredients in the water by Dr. Sherwood, who accuses him of defrauding the public. Clarence tells him that Gladys would lose all her property if it wasn't for the deception. Dr. Sherwood disagrees and tells him that the only real cure is diet, exercise and pure spring water; that he could effect cures, without the deception. Gladys, who has entered unobserved, promises to back him up if he will try his plan. Clarence in revenge tells the guests of the deception and they all prepare to leave. Dr. Sherwood, determined to keep them there and give his plan a trial, knows the only way to do so is to quarantine them. He has Clarence, who is about to leave town, locked in an old ice-house and tells the guests Clarence has smallpox and that they are quarantined. He stations guards outside the doors and windows and no one is allowed to leave the house. Many laughable difficulties with his eccentric patients present themselves to Dr. Sherwood, but the final catastrophe occurs when Selma, who is jealous of Dr. Sherwood, learns that Clarence hasn't the smallpox. She bribes one of the guards to send for the health officer and constable and they release Clarence, who at once tells the guests of the false quarantine. The guests have become much benefited by Dr. Sherwood's treatment, and when he asks them if they will stand by him instead of taking sides with the man who would allow them to remain invalids for life, they all rally to support Dr. Sherwood. As the Doctor could prove that Clarence defrauded the public for years, no one is arrested but poor Weary, the tramp, who, without clothes and food, has been locked in the house and has been dodging everyone until finally caught. He tells the constable disgustedly, "You couldn't find anyone else to arrest, so you arrested me." The path of true love appears smooth to Gladys and Dr. Sherwood as the business seems an assured success.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

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

Orphan Mary Wade is the ward of a family of farmers who keep her busy with drudgery. When Mr. Jenkins, the head of the household, makes advances to Mary, she flees to the city with her dog Zippy and lands in court for imitating a beggar who pretends to be blind. Harry Disbrow, a young millionaire in court for drunkenness, takes Mary home to his family, who take her in as a servant. Mr. Disbrow, a trust officer, has a partner, Horton, who has been stealing from the firm and who wishes to have his daughter Maud marry Harry to minimize the consequences of his crimes. Desperate to shore up his business, Disbrow demands that Horton reveal the whereabouts of certain securities, which fall out of Horton's pocket during the course of the confrontation. The struggle between the two men is resolved when Mary crashes a vase over Horton's head. Taken to the heart of the Disbrow family, Mary wins Harry's affections as well.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

Hermia Challoner, nicknamed the Madcap, has become so satisfied with luxury that she seeks happiness in danger and excitement. Her friend, Countess Olga Tcherny, introduces her to John Markham, a portrait painter. Although he interests Hermia, she is piqued at his treatment of her. Markham later goes to an isolated island to paint. Hermia, who has a country estate on the mainland, goes aeroplaning and purposely lands on the island. She disables the machine in landing, and Markham, who meets her, tells her that no boat will stop at the island for three days. Olga and others arrive. Meanwhile the aeroplane has been fixed and Hermia flies home. Markham afterwards spends a week-end at Hermia's home. Hidden from sight in a high-backed chair, Hermia overhears Markham tell Olga he starts for Normandy on the morrow. Later Olga tells Hermia she thinks she will take a trip to Normandy, and Olga, who has become rather jealous of Hermia, is surprised and displeased when Hermia tells her that she will accompany her. John Markham goes to Normandy, attired in vagabond clothes, and travels as an itinerant "lightning artist." Hermia is speeding to Trouville, where Olga is staying, and meets with an accident to her auto. She meets Markham and learns what he is doing. She longs with her whole heart to leave her world of sham and become a vagabond also. He finally consents to allow her to accompany him. She purchases a costume and determines to earn her living. She is known as Yvonne Deschamps. Markham passes as Philadin, a lightning portrait artist. Markham, now in love with Hermia, proposes to her in the rose garden at Vallecy, but she laughs and conceals her love for him. In the meantime Olga has made inquiries and is suspicious that possibly Hermia and Markham may have met and are together, so she starts an investigation. Markham and Hermia join a small band of performers and go to the Alencon Fete. While Markham is sketching the villagers at the show and Hermia is playing her instruments outside the tent she sees Olga in the distance, tells Markham and disappears. She knows her reputation will be destroyed if Olga sees her. Olga sees Markham and insists on investigating everything. Although Olga causes much suspense, she doesn't discover Hermia, but is still suspicious and gets her chauffeur to act as a spy. Hermia and Markham, tearful of discovery, leave that night and discover the chauffeur following them. Markham sends him about his business. Then they struggle on through the forest until, exhausted, they discover a hunting lodge. No one seems to be around, so they take possession. The next morning Olga is seen by Hermia and Markham coming toward the lodge. Markham tells Hermia to climb the ladder to the attic and escape through the window. Olga enters, and finding Markham, looks around, but can find no trace of Hermia until she notices the mud on the ladder and feels sure that Hermia is in the attic. She then starts to talk to Markham, inventing tales of the days they have spent together and his vows of constancy. He is too astonished to reply at first and as he is about to do so she fires her gun out of the window. Fearing something awful has happened, Hermia raises the trap door and comes down. Olga is now triumphant. Hermia tells her she has brought down the game and to whistle for the dogs. She tells Olga that she loves Markham and that Markham loves her. When Olga has left Markham takes Hermia in his arms. She if furious at him, and tells him she lied to Olga, that she detests him, and that, now their vagabondia is spoiled, they must part. Their next meeting is in New York at the home of Mrs. Hammond, a social leader, who is giving a party. Private theatricals are to be the feature of the evening. As Hermia enters Olga tells her she hopes she will like the play, as she wrote it herself. Later Hermia is horrified to find the play is a story based on her summer's adventures. Olga spreads the gossip and Hermia, seeing herself the object of scandal, is ashamed and broken hearted. Markham is indignant. Mrs. Hammond, hearing the scandal, questions Markham. He tells her the whole truth and how innocent of wrong Hermia is. Mrs. Hammond is furious at Olga's taking advantage of her hospitality and assures Markham that she will see that the story is denied and that Olga is ostracized from her circle of friends. Markham finds Hermia has left her home and spends weeks trying to find her, all to no avail. Finally, one day he receives a package containing nothing but a tiny bell. He recognizes the bell as being like the ones Hermia wore on her vagabond costume. The postmark is Vallecy and he knows it is a silent message from her, and that she is waiting for him in the rose garden. He hurries with all speed to Vallecy and there finds Hermia in the rose garden where he first told her of his love.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

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

Upon returning home from school one day, Lotus Blossom, a Japanese orphan who lives on the island of Hilo in Hawaii and teaches at a native school, discovers Parker, nearly dead from hunger. Believing his story of a shipwreck, Lotus nurses him back to health and then, mistaking loneliness for love, agrees to marry her patient. Soon tiring of her, Parker deserts her and assumes a new identity. Later, Lotus falls in love with Komo, a visiting Japanese artist, and follows him to America. There she accepts a job as a companion to Mrs. Stanwood. When Mr. Stanwood returns from a business trip, Lotus is shocked to discover that he is her former husband but decides to remain silent. Stanwood, distrusting her silence, attempts to kill her by poisoning her incense. Before Lotus succumbs to the deadly fumes, Komo arrives, and in the ensuing fight, Stanwood is locked in Lotus's room and dies by the deadly smoke that he had intended for Lotus.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

At a party thrown at the Metcalf estate, the Marquise D'Irancy's Sultana diamond disappears when the lights go out during a power failure. Suspected of the crime is William Kirkland, the wastrel son of the wealthy Kirkland family, but William's sister Diana comes to his defense. Aiding her in the investigation is Clamp, a wandering peddler. After several misadventures, Clamp reveals that he is a secret service agent on the trail of the international criminals, the de Vallignacs, who are summering at the resort. After proving that the de Vallignacs have stolen the diamond, Clamp arrests his prey, clears William and marries Diana.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

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

After complaining about her dull life, shop girl Sally Manvers falls asleep on the roof of her apartment. Drenched from a downpour, Sally awakens and finds the roof entrance locked. She enters the apartment of society woman Mrs. Standish and encounters Mrs. Standish's brother, Walter Arden Savage, opening the safe. Sally protects Savage from a burglar, and after learning that he and his sister plan to steal their jewels to collect insurance money, she agrees to keep quiet if they take her with them to Newport. Although Savage, Donald Lyttleton, and Trego, a Western millionaire, woo her, Sally, who becomes a secretary to Savage's wealthy aunt Mrs. Gosnold, tires of society life. After a detective arrives, Savage plots to have Sally, whom he thinks will squeal, kidnapped, but Mrs. Gosnold changes clothes with her and is abducted instead. Savage recovers her, and at a masquerade ball the thieves are revealed. Sally returns to New York disgusted, but Trego, who earlier rescued her from Lyttleton, follows. Sally accepts his proposal and suggests that they live on Riverside Drive rather than Fifth Avenue or in Newport.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

Russian Paval Pavlovitch is married to an American woman when a decree is handed down that nationalizes women between the ages of seventeen and thirty-five as common property of the state for the use of its citizens. Passports are refused for Pavlovitch's family. His old servant takes out a certificate claiming Pavlovitch's wife Anna, and the son of the village priest claims Pavlovitch's daughter. Matters appear bleak for the Pavlovitch family, but a troop of American cavalry arrives and battles the Russian mob in the streets of Saratov. The edict is withdrawn and the Pavlovitch family is happy again.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

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

When, on a prank, shimmy dancer Marcia Meadows visits bookworm Horace Tarbox in his Yale dormitory, Horace falls madly in love and follows her to New York, where they marry. Denounced by his wealthy father, Horace attempts to support Marcia through his writing, but all his manuscripts are rejected, and he is fired from every job. Marcia continues her dancing, and one night, Horace is soundly thrashed while trying to protect her from a fervent admirer. The incident forces Horace to take up athletics, and he is offered a job as a vaudeville trapeze artist. Marcia has a baby and for amusement writes a dictionary of slang. The book is published, Marcia becomes famous, and Horace's father forgives his son.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

Mary Brenton, daughter of wealthy Anthony Brenton, marries a man her father doesn't approve of, and they become estranged. When she tries to return home, her father refuses to let her in. Her daughter Angele disguises herself as a Belgian war refugee and her grandfather, not knowing who she really is, takes her into his house--and eventually into his heart. However, trouble arises in the form of the Brentons' greedy housemaid, a clandestine German spy ring, and an American agent tracking them.

Dir: William C. Dowlan

When noted scientist John Vandam dies in the Orient, he leaves the guardianship of his eighteen-year-old daughter to his old friend Sandy Verrall. Sandy believes that Eliza is a little girl and so prepares for the arrival of a child. Displeased with the situation, Eliza decides to dress and act like a kid so that Sandy will tire of her and send her away. Eliza does everything she can to annoy Sandy, but when she detects that his fiancée Vera is only after his money, Eliza also discovers that she has fallen in love with her guardian. In an effort to expose Vera's avaricious nature, Eliza vamps Sandy's rich Uncle Gregory, whom Vera is also chasing. Sandy then realizes Vera's fickleness and his love for Eliza, and the two marry.