Hand-Picked Alternatives Movies That Echo the Spirit of Peg o' My H...

Dir: Reggie Morris

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Bruno Ziener

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Eva, wo bist du? perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: King Vidor

Nancy Scroggs, the daughter of the owner of a once-famous but now-struggling hotel, hatches a plan to draw in new customers. She picks up Peter Alstyne, a young man following his doctor's orders of a strict diet and a relaxing vacation, at the train station and convinces him--using the philosophy of Christian Science--to disregard his doctor's orders and stay at their hotel and eat all he wants. Soon he and Nancy fall in love and the hotel begins to pick up business again. But soon Peter receives a letter that changes everything for both him and Nancy.

Dir: Charles Horan

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

While working as a flower girl in Devlin Maddox's nightclub, Nellie Vaughan meets wealthy young Pelton Van Teel and falls in love. Maddox, desirous of using Nellie to blackmail Van Teel, spreads a rumor that she is his mistress. This makes Nellie uncomfortable, and she demands that Van Teel marry her immediately, to which he agrees. Meanwhile, Van Teel has been losing money gambling to Maddox, who threatens to break up the marriage by producing a worthless check that the young husband has written. Venturing to Maddox's apartment for a showdown, Nellie pulls a gun and demands the check, accidentally shooting Maddox when he throws a lamp at her. Maddox plans to charge Nellie with assault, but when the police arrive, his butler, actually a detective employed by the elder Van Teel, exposes Maddox, who is then arrested, clearing the path for the couple's happiness.

Dir: Edward LeSaint

When famous opera singer Elinore Duane undergoes an operation on her throat, she has a series of ether-induced visions. In one, she is transported to ancient Rome where she appears as a much-admired woman in love with Paul, a young heretic, and at odds with Lutor, the high priest. To save her love, she poisons Lutor with her ring. After several other visions which involve variations on this love triangle, Elinore awakens to discover that Lutor is actually her doctor, Sascha Jaccard, and that Paul is the son of a friend who has come to visit the recovering prima donna.

Dir: Richard Smith

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

Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

Dir: Robert N. Bradbury

A simple country girl, brutally mistreated by her stepfather, awakens first the sympathy, then the love, of The Boy. The Spider, who lusts after The Girl, makes a bargain with the stepfather and takes her to the city where, kept prisoner, she is soon broken in health and spirit. Cast out and near death, she is taken in by The Boy. Following the demise of The Spider, The Boy takes her to church, where he prays, and after many hours she is restored to health.

Dir: King Vidor

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

Paul Perry, the son of Perryville's wealthiest citizen, marries Reverend Matthew Barker's younger daughter Evelyn, while her sister June, who disputes her father's sermons preaching that it is God's will that sends affliction, hides her own love for Paul. When Evelyn dies in childbirth, Paul nearly goes insane. His questions to Reverend Barker about God's role in Evelyn's death shake Barker's faith. Barker's new sermons, focusing on God's love, arouse his wealthy congregation to dismiss him. Meanwhile, Paul searches for God's truth but becomes a derelict in Chicago. June takes Paul's child Bob to Chicago, but returns after being fired for refusing her employer's advances. Paul's father Hamilton, who denies wage increases at his iron works, is about to be shot by his employees, when Bob, now six, visits with his six puppies. His lovable nature subdues the workers, and Hamilton, also softened, complies with their requests. After Paul returns and learns that Bob, whose philosophy of love has touched him, is his own son, his happiness returns.

Dir: Harley Knoles

Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.

Dir: Dallas M. Fitzgerald

Confidence artist Flossie Golden attempts to fleece foolish but wealthy James Venable with a breach-of-promise suit. Venable's shrewd attorney, Richard Harding, outwits Flossie by proposing that she marry Venable and live on an allowance of $3,000 per year. Flossie is determined to get even with Harding for ruining her plans. In an attempt to con him, she poses as Innocence Page, but falls in love and marries him instead. Larry, Flossie's former accomplice, endeavors to blackmail her with her errant past, but Harding is already cognizant of the facts and Larry fails.