Underground Favorites Mirroring the Impact of The Lemon Drop Kid: C...

Dir: Marshall Neilan

Melanie is captured by a Northern soldier while she is carrying secret Southern messages. She falls into the hands of her father's former superior, who attempts to compromise her. She is saved by a successful Confederate attack.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

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

Little one-armed waif Freckles (Jack Pickford), who lives at the orphanage, has no remembrance of his parents. The object of other children's jokes, he finally runs away and after many struggles he meets lumber-camp boss John McLean, who admires the boy's spunk and selects him to be the watchman of Limberlost, a valuable timber swamp. There Freckles meets Angel (Louise Huff), who is spending the summer with the Bird Woman, an enthusiastic naturalist. Angel falls in love with Freckles, but he believes that her feelings for him spring from pity. While they are in the swamp one day, a huge tree topples, endangering Angel's life. Freckles throws himself in the path of the tree, which falls across his chest. Thinking that he is just a waif and therefore unworthy of Angel's love, Freckles does not care to live. As he lies near death, his English grandfather dies, leaving a portion of his estate to his grandson. Solicitors finally trace the lost child to Freckles in the hospital. The news of the good fortune is told to Angel, who goes to tell the dying boy. The realization that he is now on the same social level with Angel brings back his dwindling life, and the two face a happy life together.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

A Belgian countess escapes to America to avoid a loveless marriage and finds romance and adventure in a mountain village in Tennessee.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

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

Lopaka, a poor Hawaiian fisherman, falls in love with Kokua, a young girl of royal blood. Her irascible father refuses her hand until Lopaka can bring him two feather cloaks, an impossible stipulation, as no one not of royal blood can touch a cloak under penalty of death. Rollis, a drunken sailor, tries to steal the girl, but is driven away by Lopaka. He then concludes to go to Devil's Mountain and snare the bird from which the feathers for the cloaks are obtained. He goes to the volcano but finds no bird. He encounters an old dying priest of Pele, who agrees to give him a wishing bottle in which Kono, a brother of Pele, is confined. Kono will grant any wish to the bottle's owner, but anyone dying with the bottle in his possession will go to hell and the bottle must be sold for less than paid for it, otherwise it will come back with its menace. Lopaka wishes for wealth and servants and his humble hut turns into a beautiful palace. Kokua and her father join the crowd in front of the palace and the father readily gives her in marriage to Lopaka. Lopaka sells the bottle to his friend, Makale, but angers the Bottle Imp and is stricken with leprosy so that he cannot marry. He finds Makale has sold the bottle and it passes through many hands, but he is unable to secure it again. Each time the bottle is sold for less, being sold for the smallest coin. Rollins gains possession of the bottle and is about to steal Kokua when Lopaka rushes to her aid and the two men fight and fall from a high cliff into the sea, where Lopaka strangles the sailor. With the death of Rollins, the last owner of the bottle, the Imp is freed and goes back to his mountain and the dead volcano gushes forth lava and flames. The gorgeous raiment of Lopaka and Kokua fade into their old rags; the wonderful palace vanishes, but the two are happy together in the fisherman's little hut.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

Three men, disillusioned in love and intent on getting away from all women, rent a cabin and retreat there. But the young woman who owns the cabin, unaware that it has been rented, is on her way there to escape from an unhappy engagement.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

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

The manager of the American oil company quits out of fear of El Jaguar, the bandit who is terrorizing the Mexican countryside, Phil Jordan is sent in his place. Phil arrives with his younger sister Nancy, when the bandit makes a unwanted pass towards the girl, Phil beats him, causing El Jaguar to vow revenge. Waiting until Phil's bride Beth arrives, El Jaguar captures all three Americans and sadistically forces Phil to choose between leaving with his sister or his wife. Beth volunteers to remain as a sacrifice, and Phil and Nancy ride off, soon to encounter a troop of rangers. They all rush back to rescue Beth, but before they arrive, the bandit is killed by a woman whom he had abducted and violated on her wedding night.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

Amarilly comes from a large family in a working-class neighborhood. She is happy with her family and her boyfriend Terry, a bartender in a cafe. But one day she meets Gordon, a sculptor who comes from a rich family, and she begins to be drawn into the world of the upper class.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Three Men and a Girl perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Little Sara Crewe is placed in a boarding school by her father when he goes off to war, but he does not understand that the headmistress is a cruel, spiteful woman who makes life miserable for Sara.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

Wealthy orphan Jean Hilton is in love with Jimmie Dexter, with whose mother she lives. Mrs. Dexter is about to send her son to college when she loses her small income, so Jean induces Mrs. Dexter to accept money from her guardian, Squire Padgate, and Jimmie goes off to school. There he meets young cabaret singer Diana Parish, becomes infatuated with her, and writes her a check for $25. Diana adds another zero to the amount and the check bounces due to insufficient funds. As Diana implores Jimmie to save her, Mrs. Dexter and Jean arrive and inform him that he has been squandering Jean's money. Enraged at being treated like a child, Jimmie vows to make it on his own. After working at hard physical labor, Jimmie returns home and all is forgiven.

Dir: Marshall Neilan

Two young women - a paraplegic girl sheltered by her wealthy guardians and a more experienced orphan - fall in love with a man separated from his violent wife.