Visionary Picks In Alignment with the style of Smashing Through: Cult Guide

Dir: Elmer Clifton

Polly has herself arrested and committed to a reformatory in order to investigate conditions at the institution, after the committee charged with the investigation whitewashes the facts.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of I'll Get Him Yet perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A young woman is in love, but the man of her affections wants only her and no part of her vast wealth.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

Jane is a rootless young lady who finds an abandoned child and adopts it as her own. The decision, however, leads to great conflict with the child's vicious outlaw father.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

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

While relaxing in his cabin one stormy night, John Winton, a rising young businessman who has successfully resisted the institution of marriage, is interrupted by cries for help. Opening his door, he finds a soaking wet, pretty girl, who pleads with him to come to her aid. She guides him to a swamp where a man is lying insensible. John carries the man to his bungalow and goes for a doctor. On his return, both have disappeared. John, his curiosity thoroughly aroused, follows the only clue that has been left to him, a glove that is lying on the cabin floor. After a series of mysterious encounters in which the girl is involved, John marries her without knowing who or what she is. Then it is revealed that the whole mystery has been a scheme contrived by John's father to marry his son off by employing the romance of mystery.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

Down on his luck after his discharge from the Armed Services, Henry Warner snatches a gentleman's wallet, then rushes into the home of a wealthy man named Middleton to escape the police. Middleton threatens to expose Henry unless he steals a certain document for him which is hidden in the home of his nephew Craig. Henry traces Craig to the modest abode of Ruth Orton, who has been left penniless by her father's death. Through Ruth, with whom he has fallen in love, Henry obtains an invitation to a reception at which Craig intends to announce his engagement to Ruth. The document in Craig's safe is the late Mr. Orton's will, in which he bequeathed his entire fortune to Ruth, but which Middleton had earlier falsified to his own advantage. Having saved Ruth from the machinations of both crooks, Henry gives her the will with a declaration of his love.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

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

When an aviator dies performing in a traveling circus, the circus closes and side show con men "Sky-High" Billy Wardell and "Domino" Dominick are arrested for giving out fake watches to wheel of fortune winners. After Domino springs the jail's lock, they jump a freight train and arrive in the next town, where Billy falls in love when Jane Higgenbotham allows them to breakfast on her freshly baked pies. When Billy, who gets a job as a reporter, learns that Jane's father Dave, an inventor, has no money to manufacture his "aerochute," designed to insure airplane safety, Billy opens a stock company and sells shares to villagers and farmers. After Ed Warmbath, a disappointed rival for Jane's affection, learns that Billy is wanted for jailbreak, he informs the townspeople, who demand that Dave return their money. Because Billy sees that Jane doubts his honesty, he volunteers to test the chute in a plane piloted by Murphy, a circus friend. Murphy's drunkenness inspires Billy to jump, and he lands safely, thus winning back the townsfolks' confidence, and Jane's love.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

James Gordon, Sr., owner of the Gordon syndicate, dispatches his roughneck son Jimmy to investigate why production has fallen off in his opal mine on an island off the coast of lower California. After an argument with his fiancé, socialite Lucy Andrews, Jimmy leaves for the island where he is met by Juan, McCool's servant who, along with Jasper Sneedham, has been cheating the company. On the launch, Juan tries to eliminate Jimmy by hitting him over the head, but escapes and swims to shore where he is rescued by Sneedham's stepdaughter Nadine. Nadine takes Jimmy to the hut of mine foreman Fred Haimer, the only honest man on the island. When Nadine overhears her stepfather's plans to take his ill gained fortune and flee, Jimmy and Haimer team up to defeat Juan, Sneedham and McCool. After a number of grueling skirmishes, Jimmy, Haimer and Nadine escape to the mainland where they notify the police who return to the island and arrest the gang. Jimmy then introduces Nadine to his father and is thrilled to learn that Lucy has married a nobleman, thus freeing Jimmy to marry Nadine.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

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

Framed by police inspector Finch and his managing editor, R. H. Steadman, to cover up their own crooked work, reporter John Mull languishes in prison until he escapes, determined to wreak vengeance. In Mull's absence, his sweetheart, Bess Miller, has been dating Burton Grange with whom she plans to elope. When Grange has an altercation with Steadman, in the scuffle, Steadman is knocked unconscious. Grange flees and is arrested for Steadman's murder but escapes and encounters Mull, now a fugitive from justice. After persuading Grange to give himself up, Mull pays a visit to Finch and forces him to confess to Steadman's murder. With Finch's testimony, Mull is also vindicated of charges and is free to marry Bess.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

When his father commits suicide after being ruined by dishonest stockbroker Abner Hinman, Randolph Shorb resolves to gain revenge and rebuild his fortune by whatever means necessary. With the aid of notorious crook Philadelphia Johnson, Randolph becomes the head of a gang of thieves and is thereafter known as The Ferret. Joe Freeman, the brother of Randolph's girlfriend Mary, moves to the city, where he is robbed by Johnson and forced to hold up a bank. Mary learns of Joe's troubles and rushes to the city to help him but is lured to a rooming house and attacked by Johnson. Joe disappears with the intention of committing suicide, after which Randolph, frantic over both Joe and Mary, goes to the power house and flashes a message in Morse code over all of the city's electric lights. Through his message, Joe regains hope and Mary is rescued. After the gang's arrest, Randolph vows to lead an honest life.

Dir: Elmer Clifton

In order to be admitted to his school fraternity, David Bruce is told to impersonate a Balkan prince. In that guise, Bruce leaves for the prince's tiny principality. En route, he becomes involved with a gang of anarchists who order him to kill the prince he is supposed to be impersonating. After escaping from the anarchists, Bruce arrives at the Balkan state and learns that he is to marry a princess from a neighboring land. Bruce willingly agrees to the ceremony when he learns that the princess is Hulda Maroff, the college coed with whom he fell in love back home. After the marriage, the anarchists arrive to kill Bruce and his bride, but they escape. At that moment, the telephone rings and awakens Bruce from his dream. On the line is Hulda, calling for help. Bruce rounds up his college chums, goes to Hulda's rescue and the two are married.