Underground Favorites Parallel to the Artistry of The Figurehead: Cult Guide

Dir: Robert Ellis

After she is hit on the head with a golf ball, Jane Morgan, whose interest in criminals has led her to admire the notorious pickpocket Annie Adams, comes out of a coma believing she is Annie. After her father's influence saves her, when, dressed as a man, she is caught robbing a bank, Dr. Gregory, a specialist, is called in and, to her parents' dismay, he recommends that she be given complete freedom of movement. Gregory then disguises himself as "The Leopard," whose creed of relieving the public of its superfluous wealth, appeals to Jane. When her true sex is revealed during some rough-housing in a Chinatown den, she falls in love with him. After they rob her parents' safe and the Leopard shoots the intruding butler, Jane faints thinking that her love may be electrocuted. When she awakens recovered and learns that the shooting was acted out to shock her to health, she and Gregory marry.

Dir: Eduardo Notari

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

A crime drama in the Gennariello-series. The police detective in Naples that is confronted with modern gangsters and crime events.

Dir: Robert Ellis

As heiress to a large fortune, Marguerite is able to satisfy her love for beautiful clothes and a taste for adventure, while confronted by a multitude of schemers and gangsters bent on reducing her to poverty.

Dir: Maurice Elvey

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

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

Dir: Harley Knoles

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: Dallas M. Fitzgerald

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

Confidence artist Flossie Golden attempts to fleece foolish but wealthy James Venable with a breach-of-promise suit. Venable's shrewd attorney, Richard Harding, outwits Flossie by proposing that she marry Venable and live on an allowance of $3,000 per year. Flossie is determined to get even with Harding for ruining her plans. In an attempt to con him, she poses as Innocence Page, but falls in love and marries him instead. Larry, Flossie's former accomplice, endeavors to blackmail her with her errant past, but Harding is already cognizant of the facts and Larry fails.

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: Charles Horan

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

While working as a flower girl in Devlin Maddox's nightclub, Nellie Vaughan meets wealthy young Pelton Van Teel and falls in love. Maddox, desirous of using Nellie to blackmail Van Teel, spreads a rumor that she is his mistress. This makes Nellie uncomfortable, and she demands that Van Teel marry her immediately, to which he agrees. Meanwhile, Van Teel has been losing money gambling to Maddox, who threatens to break up the marriage by producing a worthless check that the young husband has written. Venturing to Maddox's apartment for a showdown, Nellie pulls a gun and demands the check, accidentally shooting Maddox when he throws a lamp at her. Maddox plans to charge Nellie with assault, but when the police arrive, his butler, actually a detective employed by the elder Van Teel, exposes Maddox, who is then arrested, clearing the path for the couple's happiness.

Dir: Robert Ellis

Elderly, crippled millionaire Cyrus Cairns, is a great admirer of dancers, brings Gay Raydon, a young ballerina, to live with him. Also in residence is Hal Crofton, an athlete hired by Cairns to be his physical therapist. Cairns soon falls in love with the beautiful Gay, who does not reciprocate his affections but loves Hal instead. Dolores, Gay's benefactress and a devoted friend of Cairns, forces her to marry Cairns, however, and Hal, devastated by the marriage, vows to leave the mansion. Gay announces her desire to go with him, but Zarth, the valet and another admirer of Gay, overhears her declarations and reports the news to Cairns, who, in a fit of jealous fury, locks the couple in a room to starve them to death. Cairns leaves for his townhouse but after a few days has a change of heart and notifies the police. The miserable old man kills himself, and the authorities overpower Zarth as he struggles with Hal for possession of Gay.

Dir: Robert Ellis

Publisher of the influential newspaper, The Record , Martin Drake, supports Prohibition because of his own secret battle with alcohol. Ned Medford, a powerful politician who represents the liquor interests, is infatuated with Martin's wife Esther, and when Martin enters the room as Medford is seizing her in his arms, he mistakenly believes that she is being unfaithful to him and goes on a drinking spree. One of Medford's henchmen kidnaps Martin to prevent him from publishing information that would implicate Medford in a plot to destroy the publisher. Reporter Tip O'Neill rescues Martin and writes up the story, while Martin goes to Medford's apartment, just as Medford is attacking Esther, who had gone there to plead her husband's case. After a vicious fight in which Medford is defeated, Esther explains everything to her husband, and his shadows of doubt are banished.