Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of The Highbinders: C...

Dir: George Terwilliger

A jealous leading lady does herself out of money and honor, while the object of her jealousy steps in, carries the show and wins the love of the play's author.

Dir: George Terwilliger

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

A peasant girl marries a Russian nobleman against the wishes of her parents. A son is born to them and the husband takes him away from her so he can be reared in luxury. The wife spends two years searching for her husband, intending to kill him. She is known as the "mad woman," her mind being partially clouded by grief. But when she finds the husband, a reconciliation follows his promise to restore their son to her.

Dir: George Terwilliger

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: George Terwilliger

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

John Carter is a good fellow. In fact, his good fellowship is Carter's one great fault, for the highballs and cocktails which go with it too frequently make him forget his more serious obligations and are cause for anxiety on the part of his charming fiancée Marybelle. Marybelle's little brother, Billie asks Carter what is making Marybelle so sad. Carter replies evasively, "It's a Ringtailed Rhinoceros." Billie vows to kill the rhino. When Carter fails to appear on time at a dinner which was planned to announce his engagement to Marybelle, and finally arrives intoxicated, her parents in anger force her to break the engagement and forbid Carter the house. Marybelle's rejection of Carter hits him hard. When he returns to his rooms, he finds little Billie, who has come to seek his assistance in his hunt for the rhino. Taking Billie on his knee, Carter tells him they will kill the rhino, and they begin to plan how to do it. Billie falls asleep. So does Carter. And Carter dreams. In his dream Carter has become what a harsh creditor predicted, a bum. Then he is shanghaied by pirates and made to scrub decks. Then the ringtailed rhinoceros appears to him and leads him to the captain's rum. The pirates chase him around the ship and finally make him walk the plank. Carter floats and floats and finally crawls out on an island. A guard appears and chases him. Dozens of soldiers appear by magic and all chase him until he falls at the feet of a little prince and begs to be saved. The prince saves him from the soldiers and takes him to see his sister, "The Weeping Princess." She must always weep until the ringtailed rhinoceros has been slain. Carter promises to kill the rhino, so, although the frowning king and queen trust him not, the prince gives him an eight-legged horse, "Resolution," and Carter starts on his hunt. He meets the rhino, but, instead of a killing, they have quite a party together in the king's wine cellar. This continues night after night for some time, Carter deceiving the royal family into believing he is after the rhino, until the Counsellor Bird, failing to make Carter ashamed of himself, "squeals" to the prince about it. They want to cut Carter's head off, but the little prince once more intercedes for him and at Carter's pleading, sets out with him to kill the rhino. The rhino and his "cronies" plead, threaten and cajole with Carter, but the prince's influence is stronger. Through the rhino's domain they plunge, firing at their tempters and not even stopping to "wet up" at the "River of Drinks," which is so inviting to Carter. Seeing that Carter is at last in earnest, the rhino calls his crowd together and they attack the castle. Carter and the prince hasten back to the rescue. On the way Carter finds a bottle of wine. Just as he is about to put it to his lips, the prince commands: "The rhino is here. Kill him!" and as the dreaded beast plunges into the throne room, Carter sends the bottle hurtling at its head. The Rhino falls dead. The princess stops crying, and throws herself gladly upon Carter's manly bosom. The king, queen and all the court hail Carter as a hero. And although this prophecy is made in a dream, it is fulfilled in real life, for Carter comes out of his dream a saner and sober man and tells Billie and Marybelle that he has killed the ringtailed rhinoceros.

Dir: George Terwilliger

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: George Terwilliger

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

After school one day, Violet, who associates with wicked boys bent on deceiving young girls, persuades her friend Louise to go riding with a couple of boys. Louise, suspicious of the boys' intentions, demands to be taken home. After Louise confesses that she lied to her mother about the escapade, her mother gives her Faust to read. Faust, an old man, sells his soul to the devil for one year of youth to win Marguerite. Marguerite succumbs and soon becomes enshrouded in darkness. The story causes Louise to refuse to meet the boys again. After Violet goes to a distant city with a boy who promises to marry her, Louise receives a letter asking her to help. She follows, and after learning from Violet of the boy's deception, Louise is lured into an apartment by the boy's friend. She attempts to jump from a ten-story window, but the boy catches her. Louise awakens to discover that she has been dreaming since reading Faust and then relates her lesson to Violet.

Dir: George Terwilliger

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: George Terwilliger

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Tom's Little Star perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Matthew and Reginald Crosby, two brothers, and their cousin, James Thedford, manage an industrial conglomerate. Reginald marries an actress and gives so many lavish and ostentatious parties that one of them leads to a strike after being reported by labor editor Oscar Lackett. The strike leaders are fiery orator Jem Burress, German immigrant Louis Stolbeck, and Stolbeck's feisty daughter Louise, who is also Jem's girlfriend. John Stedman, a labor lawyer, lends moderation to the cause and thus impresses Matthew and Reginald's sister, Grace Crosby, who joins the workers. When Jem, jealous of Louise's infatuation with John, attempts to discredit him with the union members, Louise goes to John's apartment to warn him, but Grace arrives at the same time to accept John's marriage proposal. To prove her devotion to John and the cause, Grace summons her brothers to John's apartment, and when everyone converges, they finally resolve the strike.

Dir: George Terwilliger

A nervous business man is pursued by what he thinks are visions of the same girl in many places. The latter turns out to be an authoress who changes jobs frequently in order to get literary material.

Dir: George Terwilliger

Factory owner John Gray takes ill during a strike at his factory. His doctor suggests that John's brother David, who looks just like him, take his place at home and at the factory. Although the two are look exactly like each other, in temperament and personality they are exact opposites--John is cruel and brutish to both his family and his employees, while David is considerate, thoughtful and kind to everyone. When John sees the effect that David has on his employees--and his wife--by treating them humanely, he begins to re-evaluate the way his own life has turned out, and why.