Masterpiece Selection that Capture the Essence of The Island of Int...

Dir: Henry Otto

William Claxtonbury, the elderly, lecherous head of the Working Girls' Welfare Association, flirts with his pretty clients and gives plainer applicants an inspirational pamphlet. Claxtonbury's stenographer, Norma Wood, is engaged to George Goodie, a sanctimonious, miserly clerk, who looks forward to her continued employment after their marriage. Determined to have a fling at life, Norma walks out on Goodie and charges a number of gowns to Claxtonbury. In her finery she visits a restaurant, where she meets Oliver Morley. Oliver's sister, Mrs. Sentel, a wealthy widow whose two passions in life are her son Gregory and "the movies," hires Norma for $5,000 to lure Gregory from his portly sweetheart, a delicatessen owner's daughter. Using tips found in How to Win a Man in 48 Hours , written by a "picture vamp," Norma succeeds and Gregory proposes to her. Norma, however, realizes that she has fallen in love with Oliver and confesses all to him. Her love is reciprocated and Norma and Oliver plan to marry.

Dir: Henry Otto

Young bride Patricia Morley's flirtatious ways at a summer resort keep her husband Henry in a state of continual anxiety. At an old-fashioned barn dance, Patricia enacts the role of a chicken breaking out of an egg, and Henry's wrath explodes. After accusing her of being in love with another man, Henry returns to New York and files for divorce. Heartbroken, Patricia sends her friend Victoria French to tell Henry that she is dying. Meanwhile, Patricia goes to a hospital and alarms the staff with her hysterical conduct. Later the nurse discovers that Patricia is bluffing. Henry arrives at the hospital just in time to see Patricia pretending to be nurse to his divorce lawyer, Geoffrey Patten, whose leg is broken. Henry's anger explodes again, but he makes up with Patricia and they go home together. Henry hires the hospital nurse as a detective, causing more complications, but Henry finally is cured of his jealousy.

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

Dir: Henry Otto

Rosalind Chalmers, a New York society girl, goes on an unannounced visit to her friends, the Witherbees, at the Thousand Islands, primarily for the purpose of escaping the unwelcome attention of Reginald Williams. She misses the last boat to their island, and is taken over in the decrepit motorboat of an interesting young man known as Sam. Sam is really William Kellogg, heir to the Davidson millions. During the absence of his uncle, Henry Davidson, Kellogg has broken a handsome vase, and decides to earn the money himself to pay for it. So as One-Cylinder Sam he begins to carry passengers between the islands. On the way to the Witherbee island Kellogg's motor goes dead. Rosalind's hobby is motors, and she puts the engine in working order in no time. When they reach the island the family has retired for the night. Rosalind tries to climb in a window, but sets off a burglar alarm, and runs to escape the people who come to investigate. Startled by shots, she takes a small boat, and goes out into the river. She hears more shots, this time for Davidson Island. From angry voices she learns that the supposed burglars are there, too. Two motorboats set out. Soon the engine of one goes dead, and Rosalind goes to help. Kellogg, whom she knows as Sam, and whom she things is a burglar, is in the boat. But in spite of this she starts his engine for him, on account of the strange attraction he has for her, and aids his escape from the pursuing boat. Rosalind and Kellogg thereafter see a great deal of each other in the simple life of the islands. At a hotel dance he appears in his evening clothes, and after getting Rosalind to dance with him, induces her to go for a short walk in the moonlight. He tells her he is madly in love with her, and that he is going to marry her, with her consent or without it. She still thinks he is a burglar, and is frightened. He picks her up and carries her to his boat, but in mid-stream the boat strikes a submerged rock and sinks. Kellogg swims ashore with Rosalind to his uncle's island. He offers to break into the house and get some dry clothes for her and though still thinking he is a burglar she consents. Kellogg arrays himself in fresh clothes, and is greeted joyfully by his uncle. Kellogg hands him a purse containing the money for the vase, earned by his efforts as "One-Cylinder Sam," and introduces him to Rosalind, who is relieved to know that the man she is going to marry is not a burglar.

Dir: Henry Otto

Dick Warrington, a successful New York dramatist, receives a visit in his apartments from Katherine Challoner, an actress whom he has "made." She shows him her engagement ring and tells him that she is soon to be married, as the stage never really fascinated her, but she refuses to tell the name of the man she is to marry. As Kate is about to leave the butler announces another caller and Dick requests her to remain in order to meet John Bennington, as he and John are great chums. Kate protests that her presence in his room so late at night might cause embarrassment and leaves to enter the butler's pantry. John finds a pair of white gloves which Kate has left behind her. He put them in his pocket surreptitiously. The two men sit down to smoke and chat, and John tells Dick that he is going to be married, and wishes him to act as his best man, but must withhold the name of his fiancée for the present. After John's departure Kate comes out of the pantry and Dick helps her to look for her gloves. Kate tells him that John Bennington is the man she is to marry, and that he bought the gloves for her that very morning. Failing to find her gloves, and realizing that Bennington had probably taken them away with him, Kate falls in a faint. The next morning Dick escorts Kate out of the apartment. The janitor sees them enter a cab and drive off, fully aware that the actress has spent the night in Warrington's flat. Some days after Dick returns to his native town, Herculaneum. John Bennington's marriage to the actress, Kat Challoner, has caused considerable gossip in Herculaneum. One of the scandal mongers says, "That actress and Richard Warrington have been very intimate, and you know Warrington's reputation." The honeymooners return a day sooner than expected. Shortly after their arrival Dick meets Senator Henderson, the boss of the Republican party, who tells him that he wants him to run for mayor of the town at the fall election. McQuade, the boss of the local Democrats, is determined that Mayor Donnelly must have another term. At the Republican convention Warrington is nominated for mayor. After Dick's nomination McQuade sends Bolles, one of his henchmen, to New York to dig up some "dope" on Warrington's metropolitan career. A month later Bolles returns from New York and informs McQuade that he got what he went after, as the janitor he interviewed there had told him about Kate passing the night with Richard Warrington in his apartment. McQuade keeps this information as a trump card until the night before election. Then he goes to the editor of the local Democratic paper, which he controls, and forces him to publish this bit of scandal in the election day issue. Pattie Bennington's sister reads the scandal and rushes to the conservatory to find her mother and Kate. When Kate reads the article she becomes excited. Dick, who has meanwhile read the attack on him, comes over and meets Kate in the parlor. Dick tells her that John must be made acquainted with the truth. Kate protests, fearing that it will cause her to lose her husband's love, but Dick throws open the parlor doors and, as John enters, shows him the article. After reading the scandalous attack carefully, John, who is a large-minded man, emphatically declares that he does not believe it. Then, pulling out Kate's white gloves from his pocket, he turns to her and adds: "Even with this evidence I never doubted you." Dick rushes to McQuade's office and insists on knowing who is responsible for the scandal. Bolles comes forward and says that he unearthed it in New York. Dick promptly knocks him down and says defiantly: "Miss Challoner did remain in my apartment one night, but there was a nurse and doctor in attendance until I escorted her home next morning." After Dick has returned to his library he learns that Donnelly, his opponent, has the plurality vote in nine districts. Later Pattie phones to the editor of the Republican paper and is told that Warrington has the plurality of over 700 in fifteen districts heard from so far, which assures his election. Pattie then calls up Dick and informs him that he is elected. Dick embraces Pattie and they walk, hand in hand, down the path as the scene fades out.

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

Dir: Henry Otto

In the sordid shirt factory in which she works, Sadie Hicks dreams of the great outdoors. Surrounded by men of puny minds and flabby bodies, her fancy goes out to great manhood that is strong of mind and muscle. Translated in the language of the shirt factory life she knows best, she finds that she admires a man with a 44 chest. She sees a shipment of 44s all ready to be sent to Arizona, and she writes a little note and tucks it into one of the shirts. On account of a rush order, the box is sent to Canada and the shirt with Sadie's note reaches John Stoddard, a wealthy civil engineer, who prefers the life of the woods to the polite society enjoyed by his family and friends. Good-naturedly, he answers Sadie's note, telling her to let him know if he can help her at any time. Sadie receives the letter on the same day she is discharged from the factory for repulsing the advances of Ferguson, the foreman. She at once telegraphs Stoddard that she is on the way, and takes the next train for his Canadian Camp. He receives the message too late to wire her not to come. Stoddard goes to the station to meet her, intending to put her on a southbound train immediately, but he misses her, as she has left the train at a station nearer his camp than the post-office station. Stoddard finds her, and they start in a canoe for an island hotel where he expects to place her until he can send her away again. But a storm comes up, the canoe is swamped and Stoddard and Sadie are obliged to swim to the nearest stretch of shore. It is a small deserted island, and the two have to spend a day and a night there. The noblest qualities of both are shown, and they fall in love with each other. They construct a raft on which they embark, but it has been flimsily put together on account of lack of materials, and Sadie and Stoddard are capsized again. This time they are rescued by Stoddard's Indian guide, Eagle Eye, who takes them to the camp. They find Larry Livingston at the camp. He is the brother of Estelle Livingston, the society girl whom Mrs. Stoddard wishes her son to marry. He tells them that Mrs. Stoddard and Estelle, who are stopping at the hotel, will be at the camp presently. Sadie feels diffident about meeting these fashionable women, and hides in the woods. Here Larry Livingston finds her. He tells her that if she really loves John Stoddard, it is her duty to give him up to a woman of his own station in life, that it would be only degradation for him to marry beneath him. Sadie persuades Eagle Eye to show her the way to the railroad station. Leaving a note of farewell for Stoddard, she goes to the city and finds work in a restaurant, studying hard in her leisure hours to make herself worthy of the man she loves, and capable of meeting his mother. Stoddard is tireless in his search for her, and at last discovers her. He convinces her that Larry was mistaken, and the two clasp hands in mutual understanding.

Dir: Henry Otto

After a two years' stay in western mining camps James Herron returns to his Virginia home. Antonio Gaudio, a foreigner, has won the affections of Betty, Herron's sister. While Jim is playing cards Betty writes a letter addressed to her brother, in which she promises to write in a few days to explain her sudden departure. Arriving in the city, Jim tracks the eloping couple to a fashionable boarding house, where Gaudio has engaged two separate rooms, one for Betty and another for himself across the hall. Jim enters and listens at the door and overhears Gaudio trying to convince Betty that she need have no fear of scandal, as he intends to marry her the next day, while Betty insists on leaving the house, as they have not been pronounced man and wife. As Gaudio tries to prevent her Jim breaks into the room. Gaudio rushes toward the window and fires just as Betty runs into her brother's arms. The bullet hits Betty and she falls on the floor. Gaudio makes his escape, and Jim is placed under arrest. Jim is brought up for trial and on the testimony of the maid, who works in the Herron home, that she heard the brother threaten to kill his sister if she did anything wrong in eloping, the prisoner is promptly convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Three years later the Governor makes an inspection of the prison where Jim is serving his life sentence. The prisoners take advantage of the occasion and try to make their escape. Several of them make an attack on the Governor and Jim, seeing this, comes to the Governor's rescue and saves his life. As a reward for his bravery Jim is made a trusty. Ruth, the Governor's daughter, hears of his heroic action and, as a token of her regard for his bravery, she sends him a carrier pigeon to lighten the gloom of his imprisonment. While Jim is brooding in prison over a face he cannot forget, the man who murdered his sister decides to return to America, having spent the intervening three years abroad. He mingles with the smart set under the false title of Count Lorenz. The Count, as Gaudio is now known, is a notorious card sharp, and at one of the fashionable clubs he meets Larry, the Governor's "sporty" son, and cheats him out of all his ready cash at the card table. After that he gets him into his power by accepting promissory notes. Larry learns that the Count is a cheat and decides to consult the prison warden, who is a friend of his. On returning to the warden's office Jim finds Larry in conversation with the warden. Presently the warden turns to Jim and says, "At our last prison show you pulled some clever card stunts for the prisoners' entertainment." Jim replied: "It has been years since I sat in a real game, but I am sure I can catch any sharper at his own trick." Jim learns that Larry is the brother of Ruth, who sent him the pigeon. Jim immediately manifests interest in him and turning to the warden suggests a plan of coming to Larry's rescue. Accordingly, under the pretext that he requires Jim to finish an important report he tells the guard that the prisoner is not to be returned to his cell, as he will remain in his apartment for the night. The warden dresses Jim up like a gentleman of leisure, and Larry takes Jim to his house. As he is introducing him to his sister, he hesitates in regard to his name, when Jim breaks in and says, "Just call me Barrs, the man from nowhere." Jim, Ruth and Larry drive in an automobile to the club, where a ball is in progress. During the ten minutes' ride Ruth decides that Mr. Barrs is quite the man after her ideal. While looking over the assemblage Jim sees the Count dancing in the crowd and immediately recognizes him as the man who shot his sister. At the card table that night Jim catches the Count manipulating the cards and exposes him. The Count grabs a sword from the wall and makes a lunge at Jim. Jim knocks the sword of his hand and, taking two swords of equal length from the wall, throws one to the Count with a warning to defend himself, denouncing him as the murderer of his sister. Although the Count is an expert fencer, Jim proves his master and the Count falls to the ground mortally wounded. He calls for a piece of note paper and signs a dying confession, in which he admits having killed Betty accidentally while trying to kill her brother, thus establishing Jim's innocence. The Governor receives the confession and pardons Jim. Ruth learns of Jim's real name, and as the picture dissolves out there is a sympathetic understanding between Jim and Ruth that promises a bright future.

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

Dir: Henry Otto

Glory Moore, a mischievous girl who is the despair of her mother but the "angel child" of her father, is sent away to boarding school, where she continues her devilish pranks. Soon after her departure, her father discovers that he is missing an important letter containing evidence that will send a business rival to jail. Glory, who has wrapped candy in the letter, throws it on the floor, and it is picked up by the daughter of the accused man. Glory learns of her mistake, and with the help of Richard Grant, a young lawyer whom she met at school, she retrieves the letter from the businessman's home. When Richard proposes to Glory, she decides to forego the dubious pleasures of finishing school to become his wife.

Dir: Henry Otto

Jack and Blanny Wheeler live in the apartment above Laura and Billy Bartlett. Jack likes to stay out late and play poker, but covers by telling his wife that he attends meetings of the Mystic Shrine society. Laura is carrying on a dalliance with Philip Evans. One night Jack goes to play poker and leaves Blanny with the Bartletts. Laura goes out with Philip. Blanny and Billy commiserate about their loneliness, and concoct a scheme to arouse their spouses' jealousies. They taste various liquors, become intoxicated, and fall asleep. Jack, Laura, and Philip return. Jack and Laura both threaten divorce until the explanations are made, and the couples are reunited.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Mister 44 perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Henry Otto

After her mother dies, a young girl is sent with her little sister to live with their aunt and uncle, who treat her terribly. The aunt and uncle run a show at the Panama exposition and turn her into a human butterfly.

Dir: Henry Otto

King Rudolph of Rugaria sends his son, Prince Boris, to America to marry into wealth so that the country can recover from its financial difficulties. Rich Mrs. Hanway, eager to have her daughter Althea become a princess, takes her with Boris to Rugaria. Meanwhile, Rupert Danza, a Columbia University student, is told by a mysterious envoy that he is needed in Rugaria to lead a revolution. Although he laughs at first, he follows, when he learns that his sweetheart Althea has gone there. While Rupert's knowledge of democracy inspires the revolutionaries, his sword play enables him to rescue Althea from Boris. After an anarchist wounds the king, Rupert is arrested, but as a firing squad prepares to execute him, Countess Olga reveals that he is really the king's son who was kidnapped as a child and sent to America to absorb democracy for the coming revolution. After Rudolph dies, Rupert declines the crown, but is elected president of the newly-created republic. Althea then becomes his First Lady.