The Recommended Vault Deeply Connected to The Foundling: Cult Guide

Dir: John B. O'Brien

In the future (1921), an alliance of several foreign countries plot to attack the US. American officials, coming to the realization that the country is basically defenseless, offer $1,000,000 to anyone who can come up with a weapon to defeat the invaders. Winthrop Clavering, a writer and inventor, hears of the reward and tells his friend Bartholomew Thompson, a scientist and inventor who has been working on developing flying torpedo. However, enemy agents have also heard about Thompson's project, and set out to kill him and steal his plans.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

A woman overcomes her fear of childbirth and embraces motherhood.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Robert Powers devotes himself to a life of dissipation until he meets Lillian Vale, the daughter of the curate of St. Anthony's church. Lillian marries Powers, determined to reform him. Years later, the happiness of their home threatened by the appearance of Hattie Lee, one of Powers' former lovers. While Lillian is at her father's deathbed, Powers is lured away by Hattie Lee one night. That evening, the house catches fire and when he returns, the place is in ashes. Frenzied with the belief that his son has perished in the flames, Powers goes to beg the forgiveness of his wife and discovers that she has saved the child's life. Her all-forgiving nature and the love of their son causes Powers to rise from his past life with a triumphant soul.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

A daughter of the slums has a little brother and makes a brave attempt to earn enough for both herself and Jimmy after her father is sent to jail on a fake charge trumped-up by "Nifty" Mendez, who is very anxious to get her in his toils. Betty escapes from the city and Nifty. On the road Jimmy is struck by Rodney Channing's motor. The injury is not serious but Jimmy must remain in Channing's home for some time. During the visit, love grows up between Channing and Betty, who is now of course very happy. But a newspaper announcement and the author send Nifty again into her life and simultaneously with his entrance comes the exit of happiness. Betty fears to tell her fiance that her father is in jail, so she gives Nifty the pearl necklace lately presented to her and leaves the wonderful home. "As the days pass" however, Channing's cousin finds it necessary to visit a modiste's shop in search of a wedding gown and Channing accompanies the bride-to-be. There he finds Betty, for she is the model who displays the gown.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Owen and Ernest Wharton, sons of sweatshop owner James Wharton, become interested in two of their father's employees. Owen, a settlement worker, falls in love with Mary, while Ernest, a full time womanizer, makes her sister Amy his mistress. Another sister, Jane, grows increasingly consumptive, but when Mary asks James for some money for Jane's treatment, he refuses. Hearing of the trouble, Ernest offers money to Mary, but only if she too agrees to be his mistress. Enraged, Mary forces him at gunpoint, to marry Amy. Then Owen, knocked unconscious in an accident, calls out for Mary. James begs her to see Owen, but before agreeing to go, Mary makes him promise to improve sweatshop conditions. Finally, Owen recovers and he and Mary plan their marriage. Meanwhile, marriage has turned Ernest into a devoted husband, and James keeps his word about shop conditions.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

Hulda, a plucky Dutch girl, brings her three little brothers from Holland to America to live with their rich Uncle Peter. Hulda finds love with a poor artist.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Young Nan was rescued from a shipwreck by a man who became her foster father. Years later, when he dies, she moves to a nearby city and unknowingly gets involved with a criminal gang. When the gang attempts and fails to rob wealthy Thomas Carter's home, Nan finally discovers what they are and tells the police all she knows, resulting in the imprisonment of Bad Riley, the gang's leader. The Carters gratefully take Nan into their home as a daughter, honoring the memory of their own daughter who had drowned years before, and the young son, Rev. Robert Carter, begins a romance with her. But the jailed Riley escapes and comes after Nan.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

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

In New York's notorious Pell Street district, U.S. District Attorney Arnold Somers' men capture Queen X, known to drug smugglers as "The Queen of Chinatown," a woman with a cross-shaped birthmark on her wrist. Summers recognizes her as Janice Waltham, formerly a prominent society woman. After becoming an addict and dealer, Janice was imprisoned in underground dens filled with opium fumes to prevent her from recovering and betraying her suppliers. She refuses to name her associates despite third degree questioning. As Janice is about to be sentenced to a long prison term, Miriam Evans, whose brother George is the assistant district attorney, recognizes Janice as the former schoolmate who rescued her in a convent fire. Somers allows Miriam to take Janice home and advises George to court her to get the names of the gang leaders. With George's help, Janice develops enough will power to kick her drug habit, while George, according to their pact, stops smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. After George secures the names, Janice, threatened by a Chinese cohort, learns about George's deal, but George, now in love, confesses this and they marry.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Mae is a girl of the slums. Her antecedents are unknown. She works as a dancing girl around a rough dive where her sweetheart Bob is a waiter. Graves, a cheap sport, takes a fancy to Mae and asks the bartender who she is. The bartender tells him that nobody knows where she came from. When Graves becomes fresh with Mae, Bob warns him off. On their day off, Bob and Mae go walking in the park. They see young couples with their babies and long for a decent married existence. Judge Lewis, in his courtroom, is sternly sentencing a criminal who is pleading for mercy. A second judge enters the room and is invited to the bench as a matter of courtesy. He whispers to Judge Lewis in favor of the criminal, but Lewis is firm and sends the prisoner away condemned to the limit. Court adjourns and the two judges depart. They go down the courthouse steps and walk away to the park, where they see Bob and Mae. The second judge recognizes Bob and stops him. The judge asks him questions and Bob replies that he is behaving himself. Bob is eager to get away. Alone with Mae, Bob explains that the judge is the one that paroled him after his last fight. Back at work in the dive. Graves becomes offensive to Mae. He follows her to her room and is followed by Bob. A fight occurs in which Mae shoots Graves. Bob disappears, fearing the result of his parole if he should not obey the judge. Mae is to be tried before Judge Lewis. She is assigned a young attorney to defend her. The attorney sees her in her cell and gets her story. He can find no trace of Bob, who, however, keeps himself posted in hiding. The young attorney has secured from Mae, however, a locket given to her by her dead mother when she was a little child. The locket has a photo of her mother with the address of a photographer in a country town. The attorney visits the town, finds the old photographer, and is directed to Old Man Aitken as one who can tell about the woman of the photo. Aitken shows great emotion when he sees the photo, and on being told of Mae's coming trial before Lewis, shows great eagerness to go with the attorney. The trial is commenced, and the attorney admits the killing, but pleads self-defense and the girl's irresponsibility. He places her on the stand, and she tells her story. The judge is cold and relentless. She is asked on cross examination, "Where is this man Bob?" She doesn't know. Bob, however, has crept into the back of the courtroom. He presents himself and is examined. He corroborates Mae, but the judge, recognizing him as the boy of the park, discredits his testimony by asking him, "Are you not a paroled prisoner?" Bob admits it, and the effect on the jury is obvious. Mae is found guilty, with a recommendation for mercy. On being brought up for sentence, the attorney calls Aitken to prove the girl's irresponsibility. The prosecuting attorney jumps to his feet and objects. The judge is about to rule out Aitken's testimony, when Mae's attorney interposes, "It will not be necessary to mention the name of the father of this defendant, but I will ask the witness to identify this photograph as the girl's mother." The portrait of the locket is passed to the judge. He conceals his emotion with difficulty. Mae's attorney proceeds, "I will prove by this witness that the defendant's birth and early life are responsible." Aitken then tells his story, fading back to Mary Alden and Lewis, their love, the locket, Lewis' desertion to follow his career, sending her a letter telling her of his decision, the baby's birth, and the disappearance of mother and child. After the story the judge faints, court is adjourned, and the judge is carried out. The next day another judge is on the bench: he who had paroled Bob. He suspends sentence on Mae and she and Bob go away free. Judge Lewis is convalescent at his home in the country. Aitken brings Mae and Bob to him and he expresses his interest in them and determination to devote his life to his daughter.

Dir: John B. O'Brien

Imar the Servitor rescues an American tourist who has lost his way in the desert and the two men become friends. Before he leaves, the American gives his friend a picture of his fiancée. When the tourist returns home, he discovers that his girlfriend has married a horseman, both of whom have journeyed to the Arabian desert. Imar's master attacks the trader's wife. Her husband then accuses her of infidelity and starts to beat her. Imar recognizes her from the picture given to him by his American friend and rescues her. They both traverse the desert and meet her former fiancé, who has been sent for. Her husband and Imar's master are slain, leaving the three friends free of any retribution.