Masterpiece Selection that Capture the Essence of Princess Virtue: ...

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

The cabaret act of husband-and-wife dancing team Peggy and Joe Blondin is broken up when Joe becomes consumptive and is ordered West to recuperate. Peggy remains in New York to maintain the couple's income but gradually becomes desperate when letters sent her by her husband request more and more money. Joe's letters actually are being intercepted and rewritten by millionaire Harlan Quinn, who has designs on Peggy and wishes to portray Joe's situation as hopeless. After receiving a particularly alarming letter, Peggy consents to sell her honor to Harlan, but Joe arrives, fully recovered, just as the villain knocks on her door. The two men fight until Peggy's stepfather, a drug addict who has been acting as Harlan's dupe, shoots Quinn. The police arrive and shoot the old man, after which Peggy and Joe begin a new life together.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

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

Senator Wright and foundry foreman Richard Wallace lobby hard in Washington for passage of a war preparedness bill, which Congress finally enacts. Foreign spies Keron Theris and Orlin Dagore tell their governments that it will be at least two years before the United States is ready to fight, though, thus guaranteeing the success of an immediate invasion. Richard, however, called in by the president, presents him with a plan through which American industry could arm the country almost instantly. The president puts the plan into action, and Theris and Dagore quickly revise their opinion and warn their governments against an invasion of the United States.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Moralistic Aunt Elvira, has raised Elena Evans and believes that because of Elena's mother, Elena possesses "the scarlet strain." Aunt Elvira scolds Elena when the youngster is caught flirting with Van Presby. Elena and Van sneak out to a movie and then return home where Aunt Elvira demands that they get married. Van's uncle, Harvey Presby, prevents the hurried marriage and takes Elena to the home of Van's mother Edith Presby. Mrs. Presby accepts Elena and sends Van off to college. When Mrs. Presby discovers that Uncle Harvey, in whom she is interested herself, has developed an interest in Elena, she plans to marry Elena off to Joseph Fleming. Elena later rebels and refuses to marry Joseph. Van returns from college, and in a drunken state tries to take advantage of Elena. Uncle Harvey rescues her and marries Elena himself. "The scarlet strain" turns out to be the sin of a second marriage.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

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

Living with her drunkard father in the North Woods mountains, Betty Yarnell is shunned by the villagers whenever she ventures out to pick up her father from Abner Grimp's saloon, and her only friend is a little lamb. In debt to Abner, John Yarnell signs a note turning over his daughter to Abner in return for unlimited drinks. When Abner goes to the cabin to claim Betty, revenue officer Ralph McGibbon arrives from the city and rescues her. Abner sends his Indian partner Dark Cloud, but Ralph rescues Betty again, although he is badly beaten up. Betty nurses Ralph, and even sacrifices her lamb to prepare broth for him. The sheriff decides to auction off Betty to the highest bidder. Abner demands that she be turned over to him, but Ralph fights him and manages to win Betty.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Little Eve has always been the companion of her father, who, with his friend, John Elbertson, roams the face of the earth in search of rare botanical specimens. Eve has never known her mother and has been reared by her father in the studious atmosphere of the scientist, without any thought of love or anything approaching affection having entered her life. Shortly after the play begins her father decides she shall marry his friend, who is a man many years Eve's senior. The girl accepts the dictum as a matter of course. At this time they are in the heart of South Africa following their scientific pursuits. A native runner brings cabled information that there will be at Los Angeles a meeting of botanists, and the two men decide that they will attend. Eve, of course, going along as part of the traveling equipment. James Barton, a young man of wealth and of a highly flirtatious disposition, has grown tired of New York society and decides to shift the scene of his activities to Los Angeles. Shortly after he arrives there the attentions of the hotel guests is divided between his escapades with every pretty girl in sigh and the strange gathering of delegates to the convention. Little Eve Edgarton has attracted considerable attention from the guests, because being a rather pretty girl she remains hobnobbing with the botanists. Dressed very plainly and unattractively, her big bow spectacles make her noticeable upon the verandas and in the rotunda of the fashionable resort hotel. Barton has a cousin who has set her heart upon the young man marrying his friend, Miss Van Eaton. This cousin is inclined to play pranks upon Barton, and when she introduces Barton to Eve Edgarton, the courtesies are extended more as a joke than anything else. But, as in many cases, this joke did not work out as intended. Barton takes a sudden interest in the little botanist and the flirtatious young man finds much to attract him in the quaint and unusual personality of the little student. They indulge in horseback rides and gradually becomes better acquainted. On one occasion, while they have ridden their horses to the top of a mountain, a violent electric storm comes upon them and during the outburst, Barton is struck by lightning. Eve half drags and half carries him to a cave she has discovered in the mountain and by scientific methods of massage, she restores him from the shock. Here in the cave the senior Edgarton and his friend Elbertson accidentally discover the young couple, and then it is that the minds of the scientists are opened to the fact that youth courts youth and age is out of the running. We are left to believe that ultimately the young couple will enter a new life in partnership.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of What Am I Bid? perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Wanting to escape from the drab life of the country, Helen Wayne moves to the big city and becomes a secretary for the Calder family. Just before beginning her new job, however, Helen meets a man who promises to take the hungry girl to dinner. When she goes to the prearranged meeting place, she is arrested and her name is put on the police record. Some time later, Helen and young Rand Calder fall in love. As they are about to announce their engagement, Martin Ingleton, the man who earlier had caused Helen's arrest, attempts to ruin Rand's business ventures. When all of the principals go to court to fight the issue, Ingleton recognizes Helen and tries to label her a woman of unworthy character. Instead of causing Rand to admonish her, however, Ingleton instigates Helen to tell the judge her story and she is exonerated.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Stage actors Della and Julian, while playing a series of one-night-stands, miss their train and the troupe on it. They move into a hotel. A fight breaks out.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

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

Margaret MacLean, who has been saved from life in a wheelchair by the miracle of medicine, vows to devote her life to caring for crippled children. She becomes a nurse in the children's ward of Dr. MacLean's hospital, but after the beloved doctor's death, his son Bob returns home from abroad and decrees that he is closing the ward and that Margaret's little charges must leave the hospital. Furious, Margaret quits her job and storms out, with Bob in pursuit. As he rushes across the street, Bob is struck by a car and must be hospitalized. During his convalescence, he realizes that he is in love with Margaret and decides to have a home built for her and her patients. Unable to locate Margaret, Bob hires detectives, who find her and bring her to the home. There Margaret finds that all her dreams have come true as she sees her little charges happily living in their new home and gladly accepts Bob's proposal of marriage.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Nancy Lee is a well-bred member of the Virginia aristocracy. Her father forbids her marriage to the man she loves for reasons of social inequality. She consents to marry a wealthy man on her social plane in order to help her family out of difficulty, but he eventually leaves her a desolate widow in New York. Her efforts to extricate herself from this dilemma further subject her to shame, and disaster looms unless the young man she loved can save her.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

A story that begins on the South African veldt and goes to the drawing rooms of fashionable London Society.