Underground Favorites Parallel to the Artistry of Madame Bo-Peep: C...

Dir: Chester Withey

Polly, a young woman on the run from three unwanted suitors, checks into a hotel using an assumed name. This subterfuge leads a Secret Service agent to mistake her for a German spy, which in turn leads her to become unwittingly involved with real German spies.

Dir: Chester Withey

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

Living quietly under the assumed name Paul Sernine, reformed gentleman crook Arsene Lupin is summoned to protect his invalid, wealthy friend Henry Forbes. Despite the watchfulness of Paul and Alexandre Mazeroux, a fellow criminal turned detective, Forbes is murdered. French detective Jabot and the New York detective force have many suspects including Paul, Marie Forbes, the dead man's widow who is suspected on the basis of an apple found with an imprint of her teeth on it, Gordon Savage, her lover, and Florence Chandler, Forbes' secretary and beneficiary under his will. After a series of traps, false arrests, chases through secret passageways, and an escape from handcuffs, Paul deduces that the true criminal is Doctor Varney, who cared for Forbes. Paul prevents Varney from blowing up the house, and at the same time wins the affections of Florence.

Dir: Chester Withey

When innocent country girl Paula Letchworth comes to the big city she foolishly allows herself to be influenced by her superficial friends while ignoring the wise counsel of Allen Cotter who truly cares for her. Paula's frivolous life leads her into a marriage with Lawrence Topham, a worthless louse who abuses her and squanders her money. Desperate, Paula offers to buy a divorce from Topham, and turns to Allen for the money. After Topham spends his fee, however, he refuses to go through with the deal, and Paula's invalid mother, unable to endure further cruelty to her daughter, shoots him. Paula and Allen both have reason to believe that the other is guilty of the murder, although the evidence points to suicide. Realizing that the lovers' suspicions are keeping them apart, Paula's mother confesses to the shooting shortly before her death, thus eliminating the barriers between Allen and Paula.

Dir: Chester Withey

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

When Marie Callender is left a fortune by a wealthy old admirer on the condition that she marry the man she loves, Marie targets Ernest Lismore but is too shy to ask him to marry her. Instead, Marie disguises herself as an elderly woman of considerable wealth and offers to bail Ernest out of his impending bankruptcy in exchange for marriage, with the understanding that if Ernest ever falls in love with another woman she will grant him a divorce. Then Marie disguises herself as June Dayne in order to make her husband fall in love with her. She succeeds, and when Ernest confesses his love for another woman, Marie discards her disguise and Ernest discovers that the woman with whom he is in love is his own wife.

Dir: Chester Withey

Senator John Coburn's son Steve, who associates more with gamblers, criminals and drug addicts than with his father's congressional cronies, impulsively murders his mistress' new lover. The senator tries to use his influence to have Steve acquitted, but all of the evidence firmly and correctly implicates him, and so the jury prepares to find Steve guilty without much deliberation. Before the verdict can be announced, however, Steve's mother rises in court to make an impassioned plea for her son. As a result, moved by the mother's grief, the jurors choose to ignore all of the evidence, and declare that Steve is not guilty.

Dir: Chester Withey

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

Genevieve Rutherford Hale, a pampered youngest child, reads an advertisement for women to work on farms to increase food production during World War I. After having her modiste make silk overalls which Genevieve models on Russian ballet attire, she arrives at the Hubbard ranch in New York State with her chauffeur, maid, and pet dog, to be a "farmerette." While Genevieve finds the chores difficult and the other girls unfriendly, Bobbie, the youngest Hubbard, discovers officer training camp to be equally discouraging. Although he is tempted to desert, Bobbie only leaves for one night to see his home again. He finds Genevieve crying in a potato patch, and together they resolve to do their patriotic duty. When a prying neighbor, seeing them together, tells the Hubbards that Genevieve was with a soldier, Genevieve remains silent about Bobbie's identity, and is banished from the ranch. After Bobbie gets a furlough and explains matters, the Hubbards apologize to Genevieve. Bobby proposes, and they plan to marry when he returns from "over there."

Dir: Chester Withey

Adventures of King Richard when he travels with Queen Berangaria, the knights and ladies of his court, and his army of crusaders to Palestine to fight Sultan Saladin and the Saracen hordes for possession of the Holy Land.

Dir: Chester Withey

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Old Folks at Home perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Billy Jenks, a young bank clerk in a small town, goes to New York City in search of greater opportunity and becomes a cashier in a department store. When several dollar bills he is counting are blown out a window, he chases after them and, by coincidence, finds the money at the feet and on the hat of stenographer Phoebe Howard. They become so romantically overwhelmed that they neglect their jobs and are soon fired. Billy wires his aunt for money, but the next day, when he throws his alarm clock out the window, it hits, by coincidence, the head of a lawyer who has come to tell Billy that his aunt has died and left him $100,000 in thousand-dollar bills, which he duly presents to the stunned heir. When Billy gives Phoebe the news on a Fifth Avenue bus, con man "Handsome Harry" Brent overhears their conversation, introduces himself, and arranges to "help" them by investing the money the next day. However, Billy's money is stolen by John Carter, who is desperately in debt, and Billy, by coincidence, mistakes Stephen Fiske, Carter's creditor, for the thief. During a series of chases, notes and money are exchanged to the satisfaction of all parties, leaving Billy and Phoebe to get married.

Dir: Chester Withey

A young couple gets married in secret because her family objects to the match. To escape the family, the couple goes into hiding.

Dir: Chester Withey

Maggie Pepper, a strong-willed, sharp-witted saleswoman for a dry goods store, raises her deceased brother's daughter, Claire, to shield the girl from her thieving mother, Ada. Unaware that she is speaking to her employer, Joe Holbrook, Maggie shares her ideas for improving the store. Maggie is fired by the insecure manager, but rehired as Joe's assistant, and the store prospers with the help of her innovations. After Ada marries Sam Darkin, she reclaims Claire and teaches the girl to be a pickpocket. The mother and daughter are soon apprehended in Joe's store, and Claire is returned to Maggie's care while Ada is sent to prison. Realizing that Joe's interest in her has ended his engagement, Maggie quits her job and takes Claire to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as protection from Darkin. Joe arrives soon after and rescues Claire from being kidnapped by her stepfather. Although he sustains only a minor wound, Joe pretends to be seriously hurt so that Maggie will nurse him through the night. The next day, Joe proposes marriage and she accepts.