Rare Cinematic Gems Sharing the Atmosphere of The Little Gypsy: Cul...

Dir: Oscar Apfel

Daniel Esmond, an English writer, discovers he has a half-sister who is a gypsy. He joins a gypsy clan to find her, and eventually becomes chief of the clan.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

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

While traveling incognito through his kingdom, Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Tholberg becomes infatuated with Katrina, the daughter of innkeeper Hermann Ardelheim, but their idyll is interrupted by the arrival of a courier bearing the news that Austrania has threatened war. Katrina is heartbroken to discover the identity of her sweetheart whom she can never hope to marry. After Ludwig's departure, Katrina overhears the plotting of two spies and with the help of her brother Raolf, she confronts them. In the ensuing struggle, Katrina kills one of them, who turns out to be the Austranian ambassador. Although Katrina admits her crime, Marshal von Trump plans to execute Raolf in order to pacify the Austranians. Katrina appeals to Ludwig, who pardons Raolf over the advice of his counselors causing Austrania to declare war. A crucial battle is fought near the Ardelheim inn, during which Katrina becomes a heroine by signaling the advance of Ludwig's troops. She is fatally wounded by the Austranians and is then brought to the inn where she dies with Ludwig at her side. He then eulogizes both Katrina and Raolf, who has also died in battle.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

Ted Ewing, a young New Yorker, is the guardian of Nora Hildreth, with whom he is in love. He invests her fortune of $50,000 and an equal amount of his own money (constituting almost his entire property) in a stock exchange speculation. When this speculation apparently fails he seeks to reimburse the girl by taking out a life insurance policy in her favor and then killing himself. But, as the policy has a clause invalidating it in case of suicide, he has to arrange an "accidental death" for himself, and, to this end, enters into an arrangement with the chief of the S.S.S., a blackmailing society which has already threatened his life. The humorous complications really begin when it develops that the money has not been lost but doubled, so that Ted, instead of wishing to die, has every reason imaginable for wishing to live. It is, however, almost impossible to break his sworn pact with the S.S.S. and his own Japanese valet, to whom he gave the money to pay for his death, refuses to divert the money from the one use to which it has been pledged. The manner in which Ted manages to escape from his own plots against his own life, and the details of his romance with Nora form the concluding episodes of this highly amusing photodrama.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

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

David Jenison, accused of a crime which he did not commit, escapes his guards and joins a traveling circus. Mrs. Braddock, wife of the circus owner, takes an instant liking to David and prevails upon her husband to give him a job as clown. Mrs. Braddock's daughter Christine, falls in love with David. All the performers become friends of the new clown except Ernie Cronk, a hunch-back who, himself admires Christine, takes a violent dislike to David and tries to kill him. David later saves Ernie from a bad beating at the hands of a gang of rowdies and Ernie thanking David, promises to help him clear his name of the crime charge. Ernie's friendly feeling, however, is short-lived, for in a jealous rage, he writes a note to the detectives informing them that David disguised as a clown, will take part in the afternoon performance, but Dick Cronk, Ernie's brother, learning of the latter's treachery toward David, takes David's place as a clown, while David escapes. Dick Cronk, who has learned to love Dave like a brother, goes to Jenison Hall. David's former home, and there confronts David's Uncle Frank, who he feels quite certain is the man who committed the crime David is charged with. Dick returns to the circus and tells David of his experiences at Jenison Hall. A few days later they learn that David's uncle and a notorious colored attorney have quarreled, dueled and killed each other, and in his dying confession, the uncle had completely exonerated David. David, before leaving the circus, confesses his love for Christine and asks Mrs. Braddock's permission to marry her, but Mrs. Braddock, fearing them too young, promises David that in five years, he may marry Christine if he still loves her, so David leaves, pledged to return. Col. Grand, infatuated with Mrs. Braddock and who has been following the circus about, finally through his clever scheming and the lending of money to Braddock, secures control of the circus and places Mrs. Braddock and Christine in his power. Col. Grand becomes abusive when his treatment is no longer tolerant to Mrs. Braddock and Christine. They leave the circus and return to their home in New York. Later, in New York, Braddock and Col. Grand meet and in a street fight, Braddock is arrested, accused of attempting to kill Col. Grand, and is railroaded to the penitentiary for five years. Five years have now passed and David comes to New York to claim Christine. Arriving at Christine's home, he learns that she will arrive later, from a trip to the country, and goes to the railroad station to greet her, but seeing her in the company of another young man, postpones his errand. He later meets Mrs. Braddock at a telegraph office and she gives him a wire she was just about to send him in which she tells him it is time for him to redeem his promise and he agrees to call that evening. Braddock released from prison, has sworn to kill Col. Grand on sight, and takes up a position outside the Braddock residence, and is about to enter, when Dick Cronk interferes and together, they go to a low resort where they can talk in safety. Col. Grand and Braddock meet face to face and Mrs. Braddock pleads with her husband to spare Col. Grand. Braddock does so and walks out of the house, telling them he is going to the river to end it all. During an altercation between Col. Grand, Dick and Ernie, Ernie shoots Col. Grand and when the police arrive blames it on his brother Dick, who at the trial is sentenced to death. Ernie later confesses his guilt and Dick is saved from the death chair. Braddock, instead of suiciding reforms and returns a better man. while Dave and Christine, learning of the re-union of father and mother, once again don their circus attire and together in the sawdust ring, live over in memories the days of their early love.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

Nicknamed "Wild Olive," Miriam Strange learns that her mother was an Indian, she moves to a hut near an Allegheny lumber camp. Norrie Ford, fresh from college, visits his uncle, the bullying boss of the camp, and meets Miriam. After his uncle is murdered with a knife found hidden under Norrie's mattress, Norrie is sentenced to die. He escapes a guard and, after staying a night in Miriam's hut, leaves for Buenos Aires with her letter of introduction for employment. Although he vowed to marry her, after his letters to "Wild Olive" return undelivered, Norrie, sporting a beard and an assumed name, becomes engaged to Evie Wayne, Miriam's stepsister. When Norrie is sent to be his firm's New York manager, he meets Miriam again. She sacrifices her love and agrees to marry lawyer Charles Conquest, if he will prove Norrie's innocence. After Evie learns about Norrie's past and breaks the engagement, the murderer makes a deathbed confession. Conquest releases Miriam when he sees that she loves Norrie.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

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

Robert Brewster, scion of a well-to-do family, elopes with Louise Sedgewick. Peter Brewster disinherits Robert and refuses to be reconciled to the marriage, and later drives the young couple from their home. A little son, "Monty," blesses the union. When Monty is a full-grown man, Peter Brewster dies and bequeaths a million dollars to him. The newly-acquired wealth staggers young Monty Brewster, and he is about to launch into the new life as one of the predatory rich when he receives a communication from an attorney in the West, advising him that his uncle, George Brewster, has left him $7 million, contingent upon his getting rid of the million dollars left him by Peter Brewster. "Peter Brewster mistreated your mother and father and I do not want you to touch a dollar of his money. If you spend the million left to you by him and can, at the end of a year, show by receipts that you have judiciously spent, not squandered this million dollars, my attorneys will turn over to you my worldly possessions, aggregating seven millions. You must own nothing of value at the end of the year," said George Brewster, and Monty, learning for the first time that Peter Brewster had mistreated his parents, begins to spend the million. He invests the money in a sure losing proposition in Wall Street in an effort to dispose of some of his unwelcome money, and the proposition turns out a winner. He backs a flabby fat pugilist, hoping to lose, and wins. There is a clause in the will of George Brewster which says that Monty must not tell anyone of his desire to spend the million and his friends think he has suddenly lost his mind. Everything Monty touches with the hope of losing some of his money, turns out just the reverse, and he wins. He has a most terrible time disposing of the undesired millions. Finally, in a desperate attempt at magnificent spending, Monty hires a palatial yacht, invites several dozen friends to accompany him and goes on a long cruise. The friends mutiny in mid-ocean, thinking him suddenly insane the way he is squandering his wealth, and threaten to lock Monty up, but Monty, to frustrate them, runs up a signal of distress. It costs him two hundred thousand dollars to be salvaged by a passing steamer, and the end of the year rolls around with Monty flat broke. He has squandered the entire million dollars, possesses a room full of receipts to show for every dollar spent, and his sweetheart, Peggy, believing him to be a pauper, consents to marry him. His friends, believing him broke, endeavor to press money and jewelry upon him, all of which he must not have in his possession or he loses the seven million. He dodges his friends, is met by the attorney and presented with seven million dollars, and everything turns out happily.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

A chivalrous British officer takes the blame for his cousin's embezzlement and journeys to the American West to start a new life on a cattle ranch.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

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

Steve Baird travels West, and with miner Mike Reardon, buys an abandoned mine called The Skyrocket. Hoping to raise money to cover his notes, Steve goes to New York where he meets forger Jackson Ives. Ives gives Steve $50,000 in counterfeit money for stock in the mine just before the notes are due. When Grace Tyler and other wealthy friends see the money they also buy stock, believing that Steve is a success. Meanwhile, neighboring mine owner James Morgan discovers that The Skyrocket contains gold, and he sets off an explosion, hoping to kill Mike before he discovers it. Instead of killing Mike, the explosion uncovers the gold and everyone becomes wealthy, including Ives who now has the money to make his forgeries good. At the end, Steve and Grace are married with Ives as best man.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

The treasure of the Aragon family has never been found or any trace of it, until one day, while Princess Maria Theresa is looking over her jewels, she drops the casket and a secret compartment flies open, disclosing an old parchment which tells of a locket that contains the diagram describing the location. The Princess goes for the locket and finds it has been stolen. Carmencita, her maid, has stolen it and, being jealous of her rival, Juanita, for Jose's affections, has sold it to Gaines, an American art collector. Juanita, during a fit of jealousy, stabs Carmencita, and Carmencita, on her death bed, tells the Princess and her brother she sold the locket. The Duke D'Alva overhears the conversation and starts in search of it, as does the Princess and her brother. In a southern town a feud has existed between the Jarvis and Markam families, and Markam kills Judge Jarvis. Warren Jarvis, his son, follows Markam to New York. Markam goes along the street and sees the locket brought from Spain by Gaines, the collector, and buys it. The Princess enters and finds the locket has been sold. She starts to find Markam. The Duke enters the store and asks about the locket, and he also starts to find Markam. The Princess gets the locket from Markam, who is at the same hotel that she is staying at. Jarvis, in search of Markam, finds him and kills him. While trying to escape he enters the Princess' room and tells her the story. Her trunk is nearly packed to go on the boat for her return to Spain. She hides Jarvis in trunk and he is taken on board the boat. In the meantime, Jarvis has telephoned to Rusty, his colored servant, to procure tickets. Two detectives enter and search for Jarvis, but fail to find him. He goes to Spain to help the Princess recover her treasure. Before the Princess goes to America, her father, who enters the castle which is supposed to be haunted, but in reality the ghosts are only the tools of the Duke dressed in armor and as ghosts, is killed by the Duke's men who also capture her brother and hold him prisoner. Jarvis, upon his arrival in Spain, starts with Rusty, his servant, to explore the castle. While at the inn near the old castle, the Duke steals the locket from the Princess' bag and tells Robledo, his tool, to keep Jarvis away from the castle. The Princess learns that the locket has been stolen and tells Jarvis. Jarvis starts to go out, when Robledo appears with drawn gun. He and Jarvis both fire. Jarvis seriously wounds Robledo who, on his death bed, tells the Princess about the castle and also about her brother. The brother, who has escaped by diving into the same place where the Duke's tools killed the Princess' father, swims the moat and escapes on the horse Jarvis rode to the castle. He notifies the police, who come to the castle. They are about to seize the Duke when he jumps down the trap and is killed. Jarvis and the Princess then each discover a mutual desire to possess the other and the story ends with the pair pledging their troth.

Dir: Oscar Apfel

Trader Ned Stewart's father Graehme was unjustly accused of adultery and killed. Ned sets out to avenge his father but is captured and send on "la longue traverse," the long journey to death. Virginia saves Ned, and the villain confesses Graehme's innocence on his deathbed.