Deep Archive Finds in the Vein of Sporting Youth: Cult Guide

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Yulita is known to the inhabitants of one of the South Sea islands as "The Peart of Paradise." Her father, Gomez, a Spanish fugitive from justice, has reared her in ignorance of the evils of the outside world. Piete Van Dekken, the captain of a Dutch schooner and the only other white man the girl has even seen, is infatuated with her. John Dellow and his fiancée on a yachting cruise are forced to jump from the yacht and the next morning Dellow is found on the beach by Yulita. Gomez orders John shot, but Yulita saves his life and Gomez tells Dellow of how years before he married an American girl after accidentally killing her husband and another man. They fled to the island and there the mother died shortly after Yulita was born. Later John realizes his love for the girl but also remembers that she is a child. Van Dekken comes to the island and engages in a fight over Yulita. Denise, Dellow's fiancée, is also saved and found by John, who takes her with him and leaves Yulita alone on the island. He then sees Yulita start out in a boat after them and plunge into the sea. Dellow awakens from his dream in time to save Yulita from Van Dekken and the next day sails for home with his "Pearl of Paradise."

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Charley Chase

A young married couple volunteer to take charge of several orphans after the asylum has burned down. Of course they find their hands full with their troublesome charges.

Dir: Maurice Campbell

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

Carver Endicott, a young sophisticate, is rejected by his fiancée for being too foppish and dull. When she feigns an interest in his father, Carver attempts to disgrace his family name by working as a farmhand and later as a busboy in a hotel. However, the newspapers only praise him for his self-sacrificing principles; and finding that he cannot bring shame to the family through menial labor, he takes up with a notorious actress. But when this maneuver also fails, he returns to his former fiancée, who has no further complaint about his being an inexperienced dullard.

Dir: Maurice Elvey

A lady marries a horse trainer but withholds herself until her crippled brother is cured.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

A naive débutante longs for a romantic adventure, and sets out to have one, scandalous or not. She rashly decides to burgle a random home, but is caught. At the jail, she's mistaken for a notorious con woman, and nervously is taken into a gang.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

While walking along the street one day, Arthur P. Hampton, an impoverished young doctor, and his chums, Stub Masters and Johnny Stokes, are persuaded to part with their last remaining funds by tag day solicitor Mary Jane Smith, with whom the doctor promptly falls in love. Doc's friends then hit upon a get-rich-quick scheme. Knowing that his Uncle George has promised a large sum of money upon his nephew's marriage, they persuade Doc to send out fake wedding invitations naming Mary Jane as the blushing bride. Uncle George, elated at the good news, writes to Mary Jane's aunt, Angelica Burns, an old sweetheart, to invite Mary Jane and Angelica to be his guests on an ocean voyage. Meanwhile, Mary Jane pays a visit to the doctor's office and, upon seeing the wedding invitations, becomes so flustered that she trips and sprains her ankle. Doc comes to her rescue and then begs her to pose as his wife. She agrees, but at ship-side, Stub and Johnnie confess all to Uncle George, who flies into a rage until Doc announces that he and Mary Jane have chosen a wedding at sea.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Richard Smith

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: Harry A. Pollard

John Douglas, a high-society playboy, is a cynic concerning the women of his social set, and has a pictured ideal of the girl of his dreams. Wising to avoid the upcoming social season, he hops a freighter bound for the Orient. It sinks in mid-ocean and he, as the sole survivor, is washed upon a island, where he is rescued by Nia, daughter of the tribal chief, Neto.John is puzzled as all of the tribe are white people, but he learns from the tribal chief they are descendent's of English-origin who also are on the island because of a ship wreck a few hundred years ago. John soon arouses the jealousy of Kaura, the tribal sub-chief who wants Nia as his bride, but Nia wants nothing to do with Nia, and favors John. Kaura demand that Nia become his bride, but John Rescues her and they head for the jungle, with Kaura and his henchmen in hot pursuit. The pursuit only lasts until a storm comes up and Kuara is killed by a bolt of lightning, and his followers take that as a sign the Gods aren't in favor of the pursuit. John and Nia take up residence in the Tribal Priest's jungle cave, after the Tribal Chief performs a marriage ceremony. They are quite happy and content, especially Nia who likes to play the harp John made for her. But a yacht appears on the horizon, and John struggles with a decision as to light a signal fire and be taken back to civilization.