Underground Favorites Mirroring the Impact of The Drums of Jeopardy...

Dir: Edward Dillon

Born on Friday the thirteenth with thirteen letters in his name, Reginald Jones has been plagued with bad luck his entire life. Attempting to escape his jinx, Reginald attends a chauffeur's ball, where, after he helps a girl whose companion is berating her, the girl hits Reginald for interfering. After Reginald loses at matching coins, is sold out in the stock market, and is fleeced of his money in a badger game, he loses his inheritance of $999,998.60 when he gets arrested for fighting, and misses his aunt's funeral. Reginald then boards a schooner and meets millionaire Professor Lattimore and his daughter Helen, supposedly there to look for buried treasure. After falling in love with Helen, Reginald discovers the ship captain's plot to hold Lattimore for ransom. Reginald fights off all the crew members and forces the wireless operator to signal a U. S. Destroyer, which arrives and saves them. Reginald and Helen marry.

Dir: Edward Dillon

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

The theft of a sacred diamond band from a Hindu shrine starts the action. Count Kotschkoff, who has stolen the band, soon finds that the Mystic Seer and the Mystic Doer are hot on his trail. To thwart them, he asks the Widow Marrimore to keep the jewels for him. She wears the band as a garter, and at a dance it drops off and is picked up by Alonz Evergreen, a middle-aged actor who still aspires to be the juvenile. He does no work and lives on the daily touches he is able to obtain from his hardworking son. Evergreen, who believes that he's in love with the widow, reads an advertisement for the return of the jewels. He aims to increase his favor with the widow by sending back the band. He has wrapped it up in an affectionate note when his son's fiancée enters the office on her way home from a shopping tour. When she departs she takes all the bundles in sight. Alonzo discovers his loss and goes in mad pursuit. In her home the young woman has decided that her beloved is untrue, and has sent back the diamond band and her engagement ring. A distracted lover soon reaches the house to find his father engaged in a frantic attempt to verify his suspicion that the young woman is wearing a costly garter. The gems regained, Evergreen races to the hotel where the widow lives. The Mystic Seer and the Mystic Doer are on his track, but he eludes them and delivers the band. When the Seer and Doer break in and explain their errand the widow goes to the hiding place, but the jewels are gone. The Count has recovered them. The widow is taken to the shrine and tied, to a stake and threatened with death. The stake is near a cage in which a lion is confined. Slowly the gate is lifted and the lion is about to dart out when Alonzo arrives and releases his adored one. There is a thrilling chase and Leo, the lion, finally stalks the widow to a bath room. There Alonzo rescues her under the nose of the beast, the count is captured and the band recovered.

Dir: Robert N. Bradbury

A simple country girl, brutally mistreated by her stepfather, awakens first the sympathy, then the love, of The Boy. The Spider, who lusts after The Girl, makes a bargain with the stepfather and takes her to the city where, kept prisoner, she is soon broken in health and spirit. Cast out and near death, she is taken in by The Boy. Following the demise of The Spider, The Boy takes her to church, where he prays, and after many hours she is restored to health.

Dir: Edward LeSaint

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

When famous opera singer Elinore Duane undergoes an operation on her throat, she has a series of ether-induced visions. In one, she is transported to ancient Rome where she appears as a much-admired woman in love with Paul, a young heretic, and at odds with Lutor, the high priest. To save her love, she poisons Lutor with her ring. After several other visions which involve variations on this love triangle, Elinore awakens to discover that Lutor is actually her doctor, Sascha Jaccard, and that Paul is the son of a friend who has come to visit the recovering prima donna.

Dir: Edward Dillon

Ann Wharton, a rambunctious young student at the prestigious Bredwell Academy, is in trouble after a spoonful of cereal she flung at a classmate hits Mrs. Bredwell in the face. As she is being reprimanded in Mrs. Bredwell's office, a misunderstanding results in a member of the football team arriving at the office with Ann's clothes--she had left them behind when she changed into a football uniform so she could play football with the team--and Mrs. Bredwell writes to Ann's father notifying him that Ann is being expelled. She intercepts the letter, but her troubles are far from over.

Dir: Alexander Butler

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

In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.

Dir: Edward Dillon

A young girl, Rose Eastmen ( Besie Love ) lives with her lazy Uncle, who works as a janitor in a publishing house. Lacking education, both Rose and her Uncle are susceptible to the socialist ideas of writer Rudolph Creig. One day Rose encounters Jack Stevens the wealthy son of the owner of a publishing house, working on his car. She believes he is a common laborer, and she begins courting him. Through her exposure to Jack, Rose begins to realize the rich are not such an abominable people. Rudolph has also reached this conclusion after learning Stevens has published his book. Now bolstered by success and armed with a hefty royalty check, Rudolph is able to marry Rose.

Dir: Harley Knoles

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

Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.

Dir: Edward Dillon

Mr. Goode, a wealthy old gentleman, takes his wife and daughter, Evelina, out for a spin in their automobile, but throwing in the wrong lever the machine backs into the side of the road and burns up. They continue their journey on foot. Meanwhile, Foxy Monte, a polished crook, has stolen a beautiful car that has been left standing at the curb in a nearby town, and as he whizzes by he sees the Goode family. He stops and offers them a lift. Of course, they gladly accept. And while the ride is continued he persuades Mr. Goode to buy the roadster. Mr. Goode is so easy, in fact, that Monte determines to impose on him again. When Goode is called out of town on business he makes the trip in his new machine. As an alarm has been sent out to the police by the original owner of the car he is immediately apprehended and thrown into jail. His family, believing he has been detained on business, make no inquiry about him, but go on entertaining Foxy Monte, who has come into their circle disguised by full beard and another alias. Ever making the best of his condition, Goode has the jail refurnished and otherwise contributes to the comfort of the inmates. Upon leaving at expiration of his sentence, he invites the jailbirds to come and visit him at the first opportunity. Shifty Ed and his best girl, Shorty Sal, come to the Goode home to pay that visit just as Mr. Goode is entertaining a very fashionable house party, Monte in the number. Sal recognizes Monte, and he, realizing he is in danger, informs the hostess that Ed and Sal are notorious crooks. Then he persuades Evelina, whose hand has been refused him by Mr. Goode, to elope with him. It is at this point that Ed Ed and Sal make a big return for the kindness of Mr. Goode, and there is a thrilling finish.

Dir: Edward Dillon

Traveling on a Pullman train are two strangers who, except for a difference in hair color, bear a striking resemblance to each other. Horace Barney, the heir to a fortune, is on his way to a mental sanitarium, accompanied by his unscrupulous guardian Maurice Claypool and Claypool's accomplices, Dr. Wallace and Thomas Farrel. Jack Trevor, an automobile salesman, is substituted for Barney when the train crashes and Barney is killed. When Trevor awakens from his unconscious state, he finds himself in a mansion and addressed as Barney. He falls in love with Helen Townsend, Barney's cousin who is next in line for the inheritance. Trevor realizes the fraud and sets out to save the estate for Helen. Claypool, who wants to marry Helen, tries to declare Trevor insane and commit him to an institution. A series of fights, chases, and misunderstandings ensue, but Trevor finally forces a confession from Claypool and wins both Helen and the fortune.