The Definitive Guide Deeply Connected to The Black Secret: Cult Guide

Dir: George B. Seitz

New York police are investigating the kidnapping of twenty wealthy girls.

Dir: George B. Seitz

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

Episode 1: "The Violet Diamond" Pearl Standish, bored with society and longing for excitement, is held up by a masked man who demands the violet diamond of The Daroon. He tells her that her father bought the diamond from a villainous priest in Arabia who stole it from its rightful owner. The masked man, Nicholas Knox, has been given three days to recover the diamond or die at the hands of the Secret Order at the head of which is a priestess who stops at nothing to gain her end. The only man that might know something about this diamond is Richard Carslake, her father's former secretary. In spite of the knowledge that her father and he had a disagreement, she requests him to give her what information he has concerning the violet diamond. Just then Knox enters, Pearl points to him and says, "There is the man who has the gold setting in which the stone belongs." Immediately Carslake moves toward the door. Locking it and drawing his revolver, he demands the setting for the diamond. Searching Knox he finds the setting and is about to escape when through the window comes the priestess, accompanied by two of her spies, who sneak behind Carslake and knock the revolver from his hand. In the struggle which follows, Knox recovers the setting. After a struggle Carslake escapes and Pearl finds herself alone with Knox. Wishing to know the identity of the mysterious woman who helped him, Pearl asks Knox. "I can tell you nothing," is his reply. "Well then if you can tell me nothing, I want you to hand over that apparently much-valued setting for the violet diamond," Pearl assures, covering him. Assisted by her butler, Pearl secures this setting, but the spies come to Knox's assistance again and Pearl is attacked by an Arab. In a struggle with him on the stairs, she is hurled over the rail but catches on to the chandelier and falls to the floor. Knox is finally overpowered by the butler. Standing by a window, Pearl discovers a knife stuck in the wall. Pearl pulls this knife from the wall and discovers a note on it. "Fifteen days are allotted to you to return the violet diamond or die," it reads. "What is this mysterious diamond, the possession of which means such dangers?" is the question which will bring audiences back for the next chapter.

Dir: George B. Seitz

Various groups of people, both well-intentioned and otherwise, search for a buried treasure that is buried underneath a skyscraper.

Dir: George B. Seitz

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

Impoverished by the Civil War and eager to replenish his fortune in the West, Colonel Halliday, his wife, and his daughter, Beth, proceed toward Salina, Kansas by wagon train, at the persuasion of Tom Kirby, a government scout and Beth's fiancé. Although Bill Hickok, Tom's friend, and a company of cavalry are in charge, Pawnee Killer, chief of the Sioux, attacks the wagon train, and Halliday and his wife are killed. Bill rides to Salina for help and to deliver the news to Buffalo Bill Cody. Beth, now hostile to Kirby, joins the household of Lige Morris, a trader in Salina, and, at the suggestion of Bill, Kirby joins General Custer's scouting expedition. Lige tells Beth that Kirby is suspected of being in league with Pawnee Killer, but she learns from the post adjutant's daughter that he loves her. Beth seeks out Kirby just as the Sioux stampede a herd of buffalo through the town, and together they find refuge. Custer gives battle to the Indians, Pawnee Killer slays Lige, and the lovers are reconcile.

Dir: George B. Seitz

A Navajo tribe suffers mistreatment by an Indian-hating agent who steals their horses. When WWI breaks out, a teacher convinces the tribe leader that enlisting will lead to better treatment.

Dir: George B. Seitz

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

A beautiful young woman is a daring master thief. She meets the young millionaire Thomas Babbington Norton, while fleeing from the scene of her latest theft.

Dir: George B. Seitz

Plenty of adventure in the desert with "villains dashing madly across deserts with the lives of both the hero and the heroine at stake, - long underground avenues, trick doors, trap doors, and many ways of the unruly villains to torture the innocent. Allene Ray plays the daughter of a Mohammedan desert merchant, and the discovery that she is really French furthers her romance with the hero. Also featured are archaeological diggings and rescue by the British Army." (Variety-1924)

Dir: George B. Seitz

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

George Rockwell is young and adventurous. He meets June, a beautiful young girl on the road and decides she will be his wife. But Professor Elliott, June's father, has him thrown out the door. George does not give up and saves the Professor from his cousin Murdock, who was trying to kill him. On the day of their engagement, George and June are abducted on a plane which takes them to Tibet. Dr. Santro, Murdoch's accomplice is the culprit. He and his wife Tharen leave the two in the hands of angry Tibetans. The two lovers are locked into a box with only a tiny hole in it through which they can see some food that is out of their reach. As if that wasn't enough suffering, one of the abductor decides to shoot them through the box. George miraculously opens the box with a rock he had picked up before. As he tries to capture two horses, June is taken away in the desert by a Tibetan. George follows the traces left by his horse and rescues June in time. They fly back to Professor Elliott's. He is perfecting an invention: a fire ray which Murdock and Santro try to steal, thus setting a fire in the country. After several attacks, the Professor wants to send his daughter safely to New York with George. But Murdock follows them. George protects the building where they are staying but oversees the rooftop, where Santro attacks with a plane. Santro, Murdock et Tharen steal the Professor's plans, fly back to his lab, and destroy his invention. George and a police inspector Tinguett launch a search for the plane. As they find it, they surprise Santro and Murdock having a fight during which Santro pushes Murdock into a tank. When he realizes George and the police are on his tracks, he takes the plans and escapes on his plane. June catches the plane in time, grabs the plans and throws them out the window. Santro takes her to her father's lab but she is once again rescued by George. Santro is arrested but as his wife Tharen appears, he requests to have a talk with her and uses the opportunity to disappear. George and June, aroused by curiosity, board his plane but Santro who was hiding in it, starts the engine. June accidentally triggers a torpedo stuck under the wings. George manages to untie it before it explodes. George and June fall from the plane onto a plantation of trees. Santro disappears in his plane. George and June soon recover from the fall. Upon his return at the lab, George is surprised to find Murdock there who says he is a reformed man. One month after that, Murdock and Elliott have rebuilt the device and the professor invites other scientist for a few experiments. That night June and George announce their marriage. But Santro tries to launch rockets on the lab. Murdock activates the fire ray on the plane which bursts into flames.

Dir: George B. Seitz

The adventures of a gentlemanly crook of astonishing resourcefulness.

Dir: George B. Seitz

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.