Rare Cinematic Gems Exploring the Legacy of The Flames of Chance: Cult Guide

Dir: Raymond Wells

Failing to get a loan from Nicholas Eyre, the Steel King and friend of his wife's father, Robert Lathrop induces his wife to beg for the money he plans to spend upon his mistress. He is given a check. Hurrying to Lola's apartments, he finds her in the arms of her lover, Haskell. In the fight that follows, Lathrop is killed and left in the park. Believing her husband to be a suicide because Eyre refused to advance him funds, the wife plans to revenge what she considers his murder, but enlightenment comes after terrible damage has been done.

Dir: Raymond Wells

Jimmy Dolan has just been defeated in a fight with "Spider" Flynn. Jones, Dolan's trainer, had bet their whole bank role on the battle. Twenty-four hours from Paris, in the little principality of Konigstadt, lived a king and his ward. Countess Alicia, a beautiful girl, was courted by Count Conrad, the King's nephew. Prince Frederick was to pay the King a visit, and the old King planned to wed him to Alicia. Count Conrad gets a message from the Prince asking him to come to a certain café. Conrad finds Frederick in company with a Mlle. D'Orsay. He begs Conrad to say he is stricken with scarlet fever. The Count consents, but plans to be revenged on Alicia. Jones and Jimmy enter the café. The Count calls Jimmy to his table, offers him twenty thousand francs to impersonate Prince Frederick, gain Alicia's consent to marriage and thus humiliate her. Urged by Jones, Jimmy accepts, and Conrad begins to teach him courtly manners. Jones is to play the role of an Arabian bodyguard. Jimmy and Jones are presented to the King and to Alicia.. Jimmy and Alicia are promptly interested in each other. Some days later, Jones and Jimmy read in the newspaper about "Spider" Flynn's being the champion of all Europe and are indignant. He sends Flynn an insulting message, challenging him to another battle, and Flynn immediately accepts. The King decides to call on Jimmy informally, and finds Jones and his friend boxing. The King takes up boxing and has a gymnasium built. Prince Frederick and Mlle. D'Orsay quarrel. He arrives at Konigstadt the evening of a dance given in honor of Jimmy. Jones sees him at the hotel, and with Jimmy's help ties him in a chair. The Prince escapes and tells the King of the outrage. The big fight is on between Jimmy and "Spider" Flynn. A great crowd has gathered, and among them the King, Alicia and the Prince. Jimmy defeats Flynn and the King is one of the first to congratulate him. The King looks from Alicia to Jimmy, saying there is a Count's title vacant in Konigstadt and that he hasn't had a good boxing match since Jimmy left.

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

Dir: Raymond Wells

It is about the Civil War. Dismayed it was made in Norfork Arkansas in 1928

Dir: Raymond Wells

Captain Jack Rogers returns home from the Civil War to find that his fiancée's father has broken his engagement to Sarah Catherwood because Jack's income is so low. Jack goes West to earn his fortune but soon hears that Pamela has wed her former suitor, Randolph. Heartbroken, Jack proposes to a widow, but their marriage is so unhappy that he leaves, taking his son John with him. In the town of Ten Strike, Jack robs a stage and is shot by a posse. The sheriff adopts little John, who grows to manhood nurturing such an intense hatred for the law that in his renowned law practice, he intentionally helps notorious criminals escape justice. Sarah's daughter, Sally Randolph, begs John to defend her lover who has been charged with murder, and John succeeds in winning his freedom, but upon the young criminal's release from prison, he is shot and killed. When John and Sally discover that their parents were in love, they marry and begin a new life together.

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

Dir: Raymond Wells

Jane Lee, the daughter of a stockbroker, comes under the attention of John Brock, a villain, who covets the girl, and starts to ruin her father. In the end Lee finds himself penniless, and commits suicide. Brock assuming the role of Jane's protector, gives her work in his office. He arranged for her to remain late one night and then attacks her. She defends herself, and her outcries bring assistance. Brock accuses the girl of attempting to rob his safe and she is sent to prison. Governor Barnes, interested in welfare work, employs Mrs. Carrington in uplifting unfortunate girls. The Governor's son has gained his father's displeasure and is turned away from home. Mrs. Carrington has become interested in Jane Lee and when the girl's prison term expires takes her into her home. Jane later loses her position, because her prison record becomes known to Mrs. Carrington's friends and they compel her dismissal. She meets Richard White who has met financial reverses through John Brock. With mutual impulses for revenge, White and Jane combine to work against Brock. The girl has found a friend in Bess Murphy. White covets Bess and tricks her into coming to his apartment, telling her Jane is ill. White attacks her and her cries attract Jane, who lives in the same apartment house. In protecting Bess Jane stabs White to death. Her trial results in sentence of death. George Barnes, the Governor's son, has been an attendant at Mrs. Carrington's mission and has met Jane and Bess. Meanwhile he has reformed and becomes a lawyer. He is in the west when he hears of Jane's misfortune and hurries home, to urge his father to pardon Jane. There is great rejoicing when the prodigal returns, the Governor consents to the pardon and Jane marries the Governor's son.

Dir: Raymond Wells

The story gets away with a bang, as the wedding of Tony the Banker is rudely interrupted by Detective Moran and the bridegroom is dragged off to the station house. Tony is tried, convicted of counterfeiting and sent to prison. Moran becomes a police captain and, shortly afterward, runs up against the most baffling mystery of his career. Laura Bowers, a new boarder at the house where he lives, is the person that excites his curiosity. He sees her open a street door with a hairpin, but is forced to believe her when she assures him she is now leading an honest life. A love affair follows. After the wedding the couple go to their own home and Moran is shot while seated at a window. Tony threatened to get even when Moran was married and the news is brought that the Italian has escaped from prison. The fact is also established that he was killed while trying to resist capture, but finger marks outside the window prove that he is implicated in the shooting of Moran. The explanations are cleverly planned.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of His Enemy, the Law perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Raymond Wells

A ranch foreman wins a series of events at a frontier day rodeo.

Dir: Raymond Wells

In adjoining kingdoms rule Sylvia, beloved of her people, and Ferdinand, who is forced to exact homage from his subjects. He spends his life in riotous living. One day the two meet, and straightway Ferdinand decides that he will marry the queen, sending his prime minister with the proposal. But she refuses it. He delivers the ultimatum that unless she consents to his proposal within a certain space of time, he will declare war. In America two cowboys, Jim and Johnny Little Bear, discover a rich mine and decide to spend some of the money traveling. The two start out. It happens that during their travels they stop near the kingdom of Sylvia, and Jim, wishing to see a real queen, makes bold to climb the wall. He sees a beautiful lady, who is none other than Sylvia herself, but he thinks her one of the court ladies. She finally confides the predicament of the queen, and he tells her that he will come to the assistance of the great lady. He wires to Bill, one of the cowboys, and tells him to come on with the whole gang. When he rides to the palace to tell the lady, he finds that she is the queen. Meantime, Ferdinand's favorite, seeing that her reign is coming to an end, tries to hold him, but he refuses to have more to do with her. Both sides prepare for battle. Ferdinand, with his army, attacks Sylvia's force before the cowboys arrive, and they are being forced to retreat when Bill arrives and saves the day. The favorite is killed when she tries to slay Sylvia. Jim explains to the boys that he is in love with Sylvia, and they finally persuade him to ask her hand in marriage. But Sylvia kindly explains that though she loves him, the dictates of custom compel her to marry royalty. Bill and the boys, seeing that Jim is taking this keenly, leave him in the palace and after a time return, telling him that they have captured the whole of Sylvia's forces, and that now he is the king. Sylvia is informed of this and with queenly dignity places her crown upon Jim's head, and so accepts his proposal of marriage.

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

Dir: Raymond Wells

Cashiered out of the army by what he believes was an unjust court-martial, the man known as The Weakling wanders aimlessly in the desert and is found by cowboys from the Lazy Y Ranch. They clean him up and give him a job on the ranch as a cowboy. He soon finds love with a local dance-hall girl, and discovers that his luck may be changing in more ways than one.

Dir: Raymond Wells

Donald Naughton, the lazy son of a self-made millionaire named Bill Naughton, is sent to his father's rock quarries to replace the crooked superintendent, Mike Carney. The job at first proves difficult for Don, who does not know how to handle the rock drillers, but is made somewhat more pleasant by the presence of Shiela Dolan, the pretty daughter of Naughton's old friend Lynch, an alcoholic. Don hires a new gang of workmen, but they prove to be anarchists secretly in Carney's employ. The young boss earns the respect of the regular hands by beating Jerry Shea in a fight, but Carney and his partner, Greek Louis, succeed in stirring up a strike. After Don and his men defeat Carney's agitators in a brawl, Don saves Carney from a lynch mob. The men return to work with a new respect for their boss, and Don wins Shiela's love.