Top-Tier Alternatives Exploring the Legacy of Mrs. Leffingwell's Boots: Cult Guide

Dir: Walter Edwards

Jane is a comely little slavey in a fishermen's village. The only two friends she has among all the inhabitants are David Holden, the aged keeper of the lighthouse, "The Eye of the Night," and Rob Benson, a young fisher lad whom she has loved with all her heart. Rob and Jane were to be married as soon as the lad could save enough to build them a little nest by the sea. But then the war broke out and Rob was the first to volunteer. Jane whispered a secret to him the day he was to leave that all but made him back out, but, like everyone else, Rob thought the war was to last only a few days and then he would be back in plenty of time, but he wasn't, and one day a nameless little waif was born in one of the big hospitals in London. In her despair Jane turned to the only friend she had, aged David Holden, and determined to ask him to take her baby and be its father. David Holden not only takes in the baby but the mother as well, to the resulting indignation of the narrow-minded townspeople, who first demand that Jane be driven out. When David refuses, they manage to secure his dismissal as keeper of the light. And so David, with Jane and the baby, move into the little cottage David has built from his savings and prepare to live out their lives. While readjusting their lives in the new home, Jane discovers that her mother was David Holden's wife and that her only protector was really her father. But David Holden's wife had run away and left him for another man years and years before and he does not give the girl, his daughter, a chance to make known her discovery to him, simply dismissing the subject of the woman the girl knew to be her mother with a word and a gesture. But Jane cherishes the secret. War comes close to the little hamlet in which David Holden and his two wards live. One night aeroplanes fly over it, dropping bombs as they sped past. One bomb wrecks the lighthouse. All the village knew that an army transport bearing wounded was making for their port. When David sees the lighthouse wrecked, he determines to guide the ship through the narrow entrance to the harbor at all costs. He deliberately sets fire to his cottage to serve as a beacon to guide the mariners. The boat reaches the harbor safely, thanks to David, and the next morning, among the first of the wounded to come from the vessel is Rob Benson. His reunion with Jane follows immediately and the tardy marriage ceremony is immediately performed. And then Jane, her own name cleared, tells David Holden that she is his daughter.

Dir: Walter Edwards

Parker, an Army lieutenant at a Western outpost, falls in love with Barbara Taylor, daughter of his commanding officer. But when Barbara rejects him, Parker fights with another soldier and deserts. An Indian attack gives him a chance to redeem himself.

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

Dir: Walter Edwards

After years on the international crime circuit, "Silver Jim" Farrel shares a comfortable and honest suburban life with Marjory, his sister, until word comes that an old friend from his thieving days is in desperate need of cash. To save his bankrupt friend from jail, Jim reluctantly executes a jewel heist, being careful not to involve Marjory or his sweetheart, who know nothing of his past, in the scheme. When Edgar Seymour, the son of the robbed jeweler, attends Marjory's wedding, Jim prevents him from exposing him on the spot only by jabbing a gun into his back during the proceedings. After the ceremony, Jim returns the jewels as promised, avoiding reprisals from the senior Seymour by reminding him of the time when he swindled Jim and caused him to serve time in prison for someone else's crime. With the help of a sliding trick door and a conveniently placed safe, "Silver Jim" escapes police detection and returns to his quiet, honest existence.

Dir: Walter Edwards

When playwright Curtis de Forest Ralston becomes enamored of actress Viola Strathmore, who is to appear in his play "Vanity," Viola induces him to change certain parts and give her more lines. Curtis, who is not as talented as he thinks he is, fails at his job but is saved by his wife Anita, a former actress who has forsaken her career for marriage. Anita and her old manager, Bruce Winthrope, fashion the play to suit Viola, and "Vanity" becomes a huge success. The play's triumph enlarges Curtis's ego even further, and he deserts Anita for Viola. When the play's financial backer discovers the illicit relationship between the star and author, however, he withdraws his funds and the play closes. Still in love with Viola, Curtis attempts to continue their affair, but she kills him because she blames him for her downfall. Fearful of the police, Viola takes refuge in a tenement, and when they track her down, Viola's faithful Egyptian servant Borul slays his employer rather than let her perish at the hands of the law.

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

Dir: Walter Edwards

Jules Ingram ( William Desmond ), the sole survivor of an old Puritan family, seeks solace and forgetfulness in drink. Unable to pay his debts, Jules is driven from his house when banker Rufus Moore ( Robert McKim ) forecloses on the mortgage. Offered shelter by Mercy Reed ( Margery Wilson ), a woman who in her youth naively sinned and has remained rejected by the community ever since, Jules begins to reform. Climbing his way back to respectability, Jules attends church with Mercy, causing a storm of protest. Moore's wife Agnes urges the mob to violence, and as they attempt to tar and feather Jules and Mercy, Mercy delivers an eloquent speech condemning Moore as her betrayer. The mob then takes Moore as their victim, leaving Jules and Mercy in peace.

Dir: Walter Edwards

Promising young lawyer Jack Dunn becomes a victim of drugs and loses his standing in the legal world. He passes his idle hours in the slums where he meets underworld figure Nan Bishop, whose influence helps to make a man out of Dunn; with her help he breaks his dependence on drugs and is successful in obtaining a position as a criminal lawyer. Years later, they meet again in a courtroom: Nan has been falsely accused of murder and Dunn is the prosecuting attorney. Learning that Dunn's professional future depends on his winning the case, Nan pleads guilty, but at the last minute, the real criminal is discovered and Nan is cleared of the crime. She then accepts Dunn's offer of marriage and together they look forward to a happy future.

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

Dir: Walter Edwards

A Pair of Silk Stockings is a 1918 American silent marital comedy film starring Constance Talmadge and Harrison Ford. It was directed by Walter Edwards and produced and distributed by Select Pictures Corporation. The film is based on a 1914 Broadway play of the same name.

Dir: Walter Edwards

After her family dies in the jungle, Ollante is raised by Brazilian Indians, and, from her rugged lifestyle, she grows into a woman of uncommon strength and courage. Then, she rescues Ridgeway Webb, an explorer lost in the wilderness, and he soon discovers, through papers left on Ollante by her parents, that she is worth a fortune. As a result, the unscrupulous Ridgeway starts courting Ollante, and after she has fallen in love with him, he marries her and brings her to New York. At a society party, however, which Ridgeway turns into a drunken orgy, Ollante hears her husband boast of his cunning in catching a millionaire for a wife. Suddenly aware of his motives, Ollante takes off her American high society outfit, puts on her jungle costume, and strangles Ridgeway.

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

Dir: Walter Edwards

After building a financial empire, Frederick Mallery feels chained to his wife Winnie, who stood by him during the years of poverty. As a result, he offers Warren Woods, a down-and-out former playboy, $50,000 to seduce Winnie, so that he will have an excuse for a divorce. Warren works hard at his job, but instead of weakening Winnie's devotion to Frederick, he himself falls in love with her. Needing the money, however, he boasts to Frederick of having seduced Winnie. Suddenly, Frederick becomes jealous, and after calling off the deal with Warren, he goes to Winnie and tells her that he loves her.

Dir: Walter Edwards

Wealthy John Steele has a handsome young son, Frank, on whom he pins his hopes. But riches lead Frank not into social standing and duty, but into depravity, drug-addiction, criminal activity, and finally to tragedy.