The Recommended Vault Parallel to the Artistry of Macbeth: Cult Guide

Dir: John Emerson

During World War I, Herr Dresser, a German-American professor from West Hoboken, New Jersey, invents a "mustache fixer," which stiffens the whiskers, making the wearer look very fierce. Much to the consternation of Dresser's daughter Elsie, a patriotic American, Kaiser Wilhelm calls them to Berlin to begin mass production of the tonic for the German army. Elsie's boyfriend, Teddy Swift, is particularly disturbed by this turn of events and decides to earn enough money to follow her to Germany. When the United States joins the war, Teddy is among the first to enlist, and soon he finds himself in Berlin trying to help Elsie escape from prison. After several narrow escapes, the two make their way to the mustache factory and blow it up. Brought before the Kaiser, they are rescued when American troops storm the palace, and the Kaiser loses his mustache and the war.

Dir: John Emerson

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

To avoid unwanted attention at her next job, a young professional disguises herself, leading to some unintended consequences.

Dir: John Emerson

The civilized inhabitants of a formerly wild western town scramble to recreate the town's rough and rowdy heyday in order to indulge the fantasies of a rich newcomer.

Dir: John Emerson

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

In New Jersey lives Teddy Rutherford, a vigorous exponent of preparedness. Before the populace realize it, the community becomes a hive of munition manufacturers. Teddy falls in love with Pacifice Ford, who happens to be the daughter of an extreme pacifist When Teddy's courtship is refused in favor of a youthful pacifist, the youth vows that he is through with the fair sex for all time and imbibes freely in spirits nectareal. On awakening the next morning he finds himself in jail with a girl nursing his discolored optic, the cause for which he does not seem to be able to remember. After becoming acquainted with his fair nurse, Teddy decides that the world is not so bad after all, and when he learns that she is Janie Smith, the deputy sheriff's daughter who is never allowed to venture outside the prison grounds by her watchful parent, he welcomes with joy the information that he is sentenced for thirty days in jail. Someone's mania for placing bombs under Jersey ammunition plants and blowing them into the thin air disturbs the sheriff's peace of mind to the extent of promising the hand of his daughter to the person who can throw some light on the mystery. When his worries are at their height the sheriff discovers the new trend of Janie's affections and orders the prison authorities to allow Teddy to go free on the ground that the prisoner's health is in great danger. The latter finding that he is by no means a welcome caller at the jail, decides that he will get back, and proceeds to live the life of an unlawful citizen. He tries speeding only to find that he has crossed the city line and is sent to the wrong jail. Breaking up a pacifist meeting conducted by the father and fiancé of his former sweetheart, robbing a house, and other disorderly acts fail to attain the desired results. As a last resort Teddy impersonates the mysterious stranger who has been sending the munition plants skyward, from a description of the culprit which has been spread broad-cast. He finally realizes his great ambition but is given little time to rejoice over his success for things take an abrupt and serious turn when he discovers that he has no means of proving that he is not the desperate criminal he is impersonating. Fate intervenes, however, at the last minute just as Teddy is about to be lynched by the angry Jerseyites and not only does he go free but he catches the real criminal, thus winning the hand of his sweetheart.

Dir: John Emerson

A little English girl, abandoned in India and raised by an Indian swordmaker, learns of her true origin and returns to England to seek out her birthright.

Dir: John Emerson

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of In Again, Out Again perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A patriotic but short American man tries without luck to qualify for the Army, but can't get in until a knock on the head raises a lump high enough for him to pass the height requirement. Meanwhile, his lady friend decides to become a Secret Service agent, though she is unable to keep the fact a secret, even from the German spies she hopes to apprehend.

Dir: John Emerson

A healthy outdoors-type follows the girl he loves to a resort for wealthy hypochondriacs. In order to prove to her and the other patients that their "illnesses" are all in their minds, he hatches a scheme to take them on a boat ride, then get them stranded in the wilderness, where he can show them that they can live without their pills, doctors and "cures".

Dir: John Emerson

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

In the town of Fremont, janitor Abraham Lincoln Jones is being groomed as the successor to Mayor Joe Bush. The old men who discuss politics in back of Hobart's grocery store like Abe, as does Mary Shelby, whose dress shop carries Vogue magazine and the latest New York City fashions. Feminist Aurora Noyes and her daughter Lotta arrive in town to politicize the women. Abe finds Lotta intellectually stimulating and loses interest in Mary. After war is declared, the eligible men in town enlist, Aurora ousts Joe, then convinces the townswomen to assume men's jobs and wear men's clothes, to the detriment of Mary's business. When Abe returns, he finds that Lotta has replaced him, the old men are doing housework, and the women will not relinquish their jobs or their clothing. He campaigns for mayor against Aurora by showing the townswomen pictures of American boys enjoying the charms of French girls. To win their men back, the women abandon their feminist ideals, patronize Mary's store, and elect Abe, who then weds Mary.

Dir: John Emerson

Pete Prindle wins the affections of Christine Cadwalader, but the father of the girl demands that Pete shall get a half interest in his father's food product company before he is allowed to marry her. Pete accepts the ultimatum. Proteus Prindle, father of Pete, is angry when he receives the request from his son. He shows how his two girls have broken into print with an illustrated article in Vegetarian Gazette. Pete offers to get his picture on the front pages of all the New York papers. Proteus gives Pete $100 and tells him not to come back till he makes good his boast. Pete wrecks an auto, wins a prize fight, swims to shore from a steamer and is locked up after a fight with the police. But none of these adventures net him more than a line or two in the papers. Then he foils a band of yeggs and rescues a train from being wrecked. Christopher and his daughter are on board and congratulate him. It ends with his getting his picture in all the metropolitan papers.

Dir: John Emerson

Doug is an American mining engineer. Pres. Valdez of Paragonia (Aitken) wants him to reopen the country's mines. Doug is not interested ... until he sees the President's beautiful daughter, Juana (Rubens). Valdez returns to Paragonia, but is deposed by Generals Sanchez and Garcia and locked in San Mateo Prison. The Americano arrives. His company's local office has been ransacked, but he finds loyal caretaker Dan (Wilson) in hiding there. He is contacted by former Prime Minister Castille, now in disguise as a peddler... Valdez writes the mysterious date "23 Noviembre 1899" on scraps of paper which are then thrown from the prison window as garbage. Juana checks her father's diary. That date contains an account of a successful escape from San Mateo, using the secret tunnel! But Garcia demands that Juana marry him the next day or Valdez will die...