The Definitive Guide Inspired by the Vision of Pudd'nhead Wilson: C...

Dir: Frank Reicher

Cinders, a news girl, with a love for books, idealizes as her hero a "Daddy Long-legs," who will someday make her a great lady. Bill Holt, a reporter, is one of her best friends. Walter Crane and Kirkland Gaige observe Cinder's independence as she turns over to a policeman a man who has been annoying her. Later Crane wagers $50,000 that within a year he can transform and improve the girl that one of the men will want to marry her. Crane places her in the care of his aunt, who sends her to a boarding school. At the end of a year she returns home and at once becomes a favorite. Cleo Duvene, an adventuress, demands of Gaige a necklace which he is unable to purchase. Crane meets with reverses and Gaige, anxious to win Cinders, reveals the bet, suggesting she marry him in order that Crane may realize the $100,000 stake. She refuses and goes to her friend. Holt, securing a position as reporter on the paper. Crane accepts the position of assistant cashier in the bank of which Gaige is vice president. In order to buy the necklace for Cleo Gaige takes a bag of currency and Crane, accused of the theft, is placed in jail. Cinders goes to Gaige and by placing chewing gum on the end of her umbrella, picks up the pieces of a receipted bill for the necklace. She gets into the apartment of Miss Duvene, and is demanding that she tell all she knows of Gaige just as he comes in. They bind Cinders but she manages to get the telephone receiver down, calls Holt, who hears the conversation of the three, and with Crane and a policeman apprehend the guilty man just as he is about to escape. Crane frees the brave little girl and takes her to his arms with the statement that it pays to lose some bets.

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

Maris, having married Lynch, a worthless man who deserts her, taking their daughter Felice with him, marries mill owner Dwight Alden after receiving notification that her husband and child are dead. Discovering that Alden employs child labor, Maris, assisted by the village minister, tries to persuade him that this is wrong, but he will tolerate no interference in his business. After violently denouncing Alden from the pulpit, the minister dies and Maris becomes interested in a child who has been injured while working overtime at the mill, only to discover that the child is her daughter and her first husband is still alive. She leaves, taking Felice, and Alden, after having a fight with the first husband, discovers that Lynch had secured a divorce. Alden seeks out Maris, tells her that he has abolished child labor and made other improvements affecting the welfare of his workers, and a reconciliation occurs.

Dir: Frank Reicher

The family of an Irish landlord want him to wed who they think is a visiting heiress from the US but the real heiress pretends she is just a servant and hides her identity.

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

Wealthy American widow Elizabeth Carter plans to marry the Earl of Dettminster when lawyer Augustus Tucker informs her of a codicil in her late husband's will. The Carter fortune will go to nephew Pitney Carter, who is in love with Elizabeth, if her second husband is not an American. Elizabeth therefore pays penniless playwright Jasper Mallory $50,000 to marry her and schemes with actress Mme. Albani to provide grounds for divorce so that she may then make the earl her third husband. The plan backfires when Jasper's play is a success and Elizabeth finds herself falling in love with him. Tucker admits to forging the codicil to enhance Pitney's chances with Elizabeth. As Jasper and Elizabeth announce their plans to remain married, a telegram arrives with news that Mme. Albani and the earl have wed.

Dir: Frank Reicher

To help their unemployed father make ends meet, Edith and her twin sister Grace work as seamstresses . An invalid, Grace falls prey to the temptations of Chinatown opium and becomes an addict, a condition worsened by a misguided physician who prescribes morphine to ease her pain. When their father strikes oil, the family enjoys a new prosperity and the sisters meet the eligible Jack Herron, a fellow oil prospector. To Grace's shock, Jack falls in love with Edith and in her jealousy, Grace tells Jack that Edith, not she, has a drug problem. Hinting that her sister will soon need more morphine, Grace arranges for a dinner in Chinatown with the couple. While her sister and Jack dance, Grace slips away to an opium den. Edith follows her, but ends up in the wrong den and is arrested in an ensuing drug raid. After he bails her out of jail, Edith takes an angry Jack to search for Grace and stumbles across her half-conscious body lying in the street. The truth about the sisters is revealed, and after sending Grace to a sanitarium in the country, Jack and Edith are married.

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

Mrs. Jackson endures the cruelty of her husband, Henry, for the sake of her son, Little Billy. They are visited in their Florida home by Mrs. Lenning, an adventuress who has convinced Henry that his wife is monopolizing Billy's affections. Although Henry intends to leave his wife for Mrs. Lenning, he will not consider a divorce without the custody of his son. While in Florida, Mrs. Jackson meets Richard Darcier, who sympathizes with her plight. Henry accuses his wife of being unfaithful, then sues for divorce and wins custody of Billy. Meanwhile, Jake, an African American voodoo worshiper in Richard's employ, has been warned by a priestess that he must provide their group with a sacrificial victim or die himself. Crazed by the threat, Jake chooses Billy. Mrs. Jackson finds the sacrificial cave and offers her life in exchange for that of her son's. At that moment, Mr. Jackson arrives with a rescue party, saves both their lives, and returns Billy to his mother after witnessing the strength of her mother love. Mrs. Jackson then marries Richard and the reconstituted family begins life anew.

Dir: Frank Reicher

"Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo" is an interesting play of intrigue between the Grand Duke Augustus Peter of Russia, whose incognito is Mr. Grex, an English Secret Service agent, Lord Huntersley and a young American millionaire on pleasure bent, Richard Lane. Mr. Grex and two other diplomats who unofficially represent France and Germany, plan to meet as if by chance in Monte Carlo for the purpose of arranging a secret pact. The American millionaire sees and falls violently in love with Miss Grex, that is, the Grand Duchess Fedora. After several fruitless efforts to gain an introduction to this mysteriously inaccessible young lady, he secures the services of a bandit who is to pretend to hold up Fedora's car so that Lane may effect a rescue. Lane arrives on the scene as per schedule and is informed by the bandit that he has changed his mind and intends to make a real hold-up instead of a fake one. Lane, therefore, makes a real rescue and meets Miss Grex. He is informed by Lord Huntersley that his efforts are useless as she is a Grand Duchess of Russia. The third member of the conference arrives and coming across Lane in the middle of a love scene with Fedora, thrusts the papers into his hand saying "Give these to Huntersley," and disappears. Complications arise between Fedora and Lane. Lane finally manages to get rid of Fedora's father for a few hours and hiring a yacht they pick up a parson who for $5,000 and his trip home consents to go with them to America. Once outside the three-mile limit they are married under the laws of the United States.

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

Bad woman turns good, but as a recent widow finds her past a roadblock in terms of accepting remarriage.

Dir: Frank Reicher

Henry Sherwin has every cent invested in a mine which is apparently valueless. James Fleming, a mine expert, discovers a rich vein of gold in the mine but keeps it secret. Mr. Sherwin dies and leaves Betty, his daughter, in the care of John Kenwood and his sister, Constance who, finding the estate worthless, allows Betty to believe she has an income. She goes to boarding school, lives luxuriously, and when she returns home is shocked to find John and Constance working, so she hires two servants. A frost wipes out the orange crop, their last hope. Fleming proposes to Betty and is refused. Betty tells John he may have all her money, and although heartbroken and discouraged, he is greatly amused. Fleming finally tells Betty her mine is worthless, again asks her to marry him and is again refused. Betty dreams she sees gold pouring from her mine and runs away. Going to the mine she finds Big Jim, and together they search for gold. The boys "salt" the mine and Betty is delighted at her supposed find of gold. She learns of the joke and decides to try her luck at gambling. She stakes her nuggets in a roulette game and loses. Fleming finds her here and takes her in his arms, announcing, just as Kenwood enters, she is to become his wife. As Jim and the proprietor of the gambling house are looking over the nuggets Jim notices a strange one and asks Betty where she found it. She leads him to the mine and he discovers a rich vein, worth a million. Fleming's conspiracy is discovered. John takes Betty in his arms and tells her he has always loved her, and is informed of the discovery of the gold. Her sudden wealth seems in his mind to create a great gulf between them, but she wriggles back into his embrace. She tells him she loves him and asks him to be her husband. He takes her closer in his arms and their happiness is complete.

Dir: Frank Reicher

A Japanese maiden is pursued by an unscrupulous American young man who falsely believes her to have great riches.