Editor's Top Picks Sharing the Atmosphere of The Crimson Stain Myst...

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

Gordon Kent, wealthy, is trying to paint the continent red. He meets Norma Selbee and marries her the next day. She runs away with Marchmont, and Kent condemns them to live together always. Later Kent finds he and Norma love each other and a reconciliation follows.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

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

Jim Rittenshaw is happily married to Daisy, or so he thinks. Richard Desborough, Jim's friend from his college days, becomes enamored of Daisy, who leads him on. Desborough lives by the creed "No God. No Sin. No future life." Desborough neglects his own wife and child. His wife Caroline goes to Rittenshaw and tells him what is going on. Rittenshaw then kills Desborough. However, before his spirit can be at rest, Desborough must make right the things he left wronged. He appears in visions to the various characters, even his dog, and one by one they are guided to perform acts that set conditions right. Eventually Flora confesses that she is the reason Desborough was murdered. When Desborough's wife recognizes him, she forgives him, and he is able to depart the earth.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

Hunting the desert for his daughter, Jonas Warren finds the man who took her away, who then produces a marriage certificate to pacify Warren's anger. After the husband finds a gold mine and uses the certificate to mark it, they die in a sandstorm. Later, Dick Gale, an Easterner in search of adventure, rescues his friend Captain George Thorne and the captain's sweetheart Mercedes Castenada from Mexican bandit Rojas. Dick takes Mercedes to Jim Belding's ranch, where Dick falls in love with Belding's adopted daughter Nell. When Rojas arrives with a band of outlaws, Dick and the ranch cowboys escort Mercedes to the mountains, led by Dick's Yaqui Indian friend. After the Yaqui throws Rojas off a cliff and locates a water source for the ranch, he shows Nell the gold mine. The marriage certificate of her parents proves that the mine is hers. Since she now knows she is not illegitimate, she can marry Dick.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

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

The tale is hung upon the rivalry of Mrs. Winkle and Slocum, each the owner of a pickle factory. Some of the most unusual and humorous situations arise. Andrew Slocum sends Andy, his son, to Winkle's factory to spy on the latter's secrets. Many who have been buying the Winkle pickles are taken ill. Mrs. Winkle suggests a partnership. Winkle answers her scornfully. She enters Slocum's office and finds out his secrets. One night she blows up his safe and escapes with the formulas. Meantime Andy has confessed his real name to Matilda. They elope. Mrs. Winkle finds Matilda's note. She decides to take back the secret papers. But John Heaps has already stolen them. She learns that Slocum has gone to Shreveport. While Slocum is being engaged with his bath a thief steals his clothes. Wrapped in the curtains he rushes downstairs. The constable is called. He protests that he is Andrew Slocum, "the pickle king." Andy denies knowing him. Andy and Matilda then hurry to the station. Mrs. Winkle arrives and identifies Slocum. Andy and Matilda meet Heaps. Mrs. Winkle and Slocum follow. They turn Heaps over to the constable and recover the formulas. Now they are making pickles under the name of "The Slocum Company, Inc."

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

A dandy saves a wife from the guillotine by framing the woman who helped kidnap her.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

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

Kitty Cobb had longings for the big city which she had never seen. One day Kitty met a young civil engineer, Bob Caldecott, on his way to the fort near her home with secret plans. He took her riding in his auto and entertained her with stories of the great metropolis. Bob finally left her at her gate and drove away. But Kitty was restless afterwards, and started to wander over the fields towards the fort. Suddenly she stopped. Before her were three suspicious-looking characters with cameras. They seemed to be taking photographs of the fortifications. Creeping closer, she overheard their conversation. They were spies. Kitty started to run home, but the spies discovered her and gave chase. She outdistanced them, however, and had just time to telephone the fort when the men entered her home, jerked her away from the 'phone and bound her father, mother and herself to chairs. Then they fled. Bob and the Colonel came to the rescue. Young Caldecott devoted himself to comforting Kitty. The yearning to live in the city grew upon her as a result of Bob's visit, and she importuned her parents to permit her to go and find work. After long urging they at last reluctantly consented. Her early experiences were not encouraging. She could not get anything to do, and in a short time was down to her last cent. After barely escaping being turned out on the streets of New York for not paying her board, through the efforts of a fellow boarder, a kind-hearted woman, she secured a position as usher in the Globe theater. One night at the theater a young top presumed to force his attentions upon her. A lovely old lady, richly gowned, overheard his remarks and interfered. As she was talking to Kitty, who should come up and address her as mother but Bob. Kitty and Bob recognized each other at once, and the result was that Mrs. Caldecott made Kitty her secretary. One day Count Pulaski, Bob's sister's fiancé, was introduced to Kitty. He was none other than the infamous villain whom she had discovered taking pictures of the fortifications. Quick as a flash Kitty saw through the count's stratagem. He was there not because he loved Bob's sister, but to steal the secret plans. Kitty hastened to the room which Bob had converted into a workshop. She barely concealed the precious drawings when the count also entered the room. Seizing her he wrapped a heavy curtain about her head and lowered her out of a window to his waiting accomplices outside. It was at this time that Ed Randall, Kitty's country swain, came to New York. As he was passing through a side street on his way to see Kitty he saw an auto stop in front of a squalid tenement. Two men sprang from it, and carried a struggling figure tied in a curtain into the house. When Ed reached the Caldecott mansion he found the entire household in dismay over the mysterious fate of Kitty. He related what he had seen. Without a moment's wait he and Bob started for the suspected house. They gained admittance, but were informed that the girl was not there. As they were about to leave in despair, Bob found Kitty's handkerchief. Hearing a muffled cry, Bob and his companion dashed upstairs and entered a room. Here Kitty was being held by the count and his confederates. There was a terrific exchange of blows. The count and his forces went down. So did Ed Randall. Bob seized Kitty and started down the stairs. He was attacked by another of the gang. In the struggle both fell over the balustrade and were rendered unconscious. A woman confederate recaptured Kitty, just as the count and one of his thugs reappeared on the scene. The girl was bound again. Bob was dragged to a small room, where his captors tossed him. still unconscious, on a bed, turned on the gas, and left him to perish. Ed, overcome in the battle upstairs, soon regained his senses and started down the fire escape. He heard Kitty trying to beat down a boarded window on the floor below. He battered it in and rescued her. But Kitty would not go without her Bob. The two returned to the house. After a short search Ed found Bob and carried him into the air. But before they could make their escape the count and his followers returned to the attack. Kitty battled her way to the street and obtained the aid of the police. That was the end of Count Pulaski. There was a great reunion at the Caldecott mansion that evening to celebrate the return of Kitty. And as for Bob, well, Miss Cobb became Mrs. Bob.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

When Barton Baynes's mother and father die, his Aunt Deel and Uncle Peabody provide a home for him. He grows up with Amos Grimshaw, son of a miserly moneylender who holds the farmers of the area in his power, and falls in love with Sally Dunkelberg. Bart becomes friendly with Joe Wright, who arranges for his education in town. There he meets Roving Kate, the Silent Woman, who sees death and the gallows in the palm of Amos and for Bart a future of fame and success. When Kate's fatherless son returns home to see his mother, he is killed by Amos Grimshaw; and Amos' father, Ben, who fights to save him, proves to have been the father of Kate's son.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

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

Modeled after a popular collection of stories known as "Brother Gardener's Lime Kiln Club," the plot features three suitors vying to win the hand of the local beauty.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

A mechanic with the French Air Force, Vanesse sabotages the plane of Capt. Charles Nungesser, France's Flying Fiend, by placing Paul Willard's flying insignia in Nungesser's intake manifold. Paul is accused of the deed and sentenced to 20 years in a military prison. Six years later, the Willards, a wealthy American family, arrive in France, searching for Paul, who had run away to war. They interview Vanesse, who informs them that Paul died like a hero in the war. The Willards then meet Nungesser, who falls in love with Lucille, Paul's sister, and makes a silent resolution to arrange for Paul's pardon. This he does, and then goes to the United States to find Vanesse and to discover the truth about Paul's case. Nungesser discovers that Vanesse is planning to rob the air mail; with Paul's help, he captures Vanesse and recovers the loot. Vanesse dies from the effects of a plane crash; Paul is cleared of all guilt and marries his former sweetheart, Marie, with Nungesser and Lucille are swept to the heights on the wings of happiness.

Dir: T. Hayes Hunter

Because both his father and grandfather died of alcoholism, the inhabitants of Denny Bolton's small home town in upstate New York consider him, too, a hopeless drunkard. Swayed by the suggestion that he has inherited a craving for liquor, Denny fights to abstain from it, aided only by the woman who loves him, Dryad Anderson. One night, however, Denny is kicked by a horse, and when Dryad sees him unconscious on the floor, she believes the worst and abandons him. Angered, Denny moves to New York City and applies for a job as a fighter in Flash Hogarty's gymnasium. In the ring, Denny stands up to a good fighter named Sutton, which so impresses Flash that he trains Denny to face the lightweight champion, Jed the Red. An encouraging note from Dryad delivered to Denny during the big fight so inspires him that he defeats Jed and returns home triumphant.