Rare Cinematic Gems Exploring the Legacy of The Northern Trail: Cul...

Dir: Unknown Director

The Judge needs a present for his wife's birthday, so Harry suggests a new corset. They go to the shop, but he's so embarrassed to ask the saleslady he hides in a phone booth.Harry goes in, but finds a GUY wearing one, and runs out.They both dress as women to get back in, but Mrs. Rummy gets there and chases him out.

Dir: Richard Smith

Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

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

Dir: Bertram Bracken

Architect John Chance, before building a "Dream City" for a religious cult leader, Prophet Stein, visits Paris and rescues an American girl, Cynthia Grey, from riotous masqueraders at a carnival. After they part, Cynthia returns home. Meeting Stein aboard a ship, and having an idealistic nature, she becomes a follower of Stein, who thinks her beauty will attract others. Chance builds the city, agreeing to say it was made by the "comrades" so that Stein's motto, "Beauty Through Toil," will seem to be true. Cynthia and Chance fall in love and when Stein, a married man, attempts to seduce Cynthia, Chance tells the newspapers, which expose Stein and his financially fraudulent practices. The "comrades" burn the "Dream City" and Chance saves Cynthia, while Stein, attempting to leave with his ill-gotten money, dies when a burning beam falls on his head.

Dir: Bertram Bracken

Harry Larrabee, a young playwright, lives in the same studio apartment house with Carolyn Vaughn, a painter of miniatures, with whom he falls in love. "The Wolf," a famous criminal, supposed to be dead, returns and communicates with his wife, a friend of Carolyn's. He forces his wife and her brother to aid him in a plot to rob Carolyn of her valuable jewels. Harry, by one of his famous "inspirations," discovers that a crime is being committed, rescues Carolyn and bears her away in a taxicab. He is himself suspected of the crime, but, undisturbed by the web of circumstance by which he is entangled, his wonderful inspirations give him the key to the conspiracy which led up to the crime. In an unusual and powerful finale the guilty parties fight among themselves and justice triumphs in an exciting climax.

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

Dir: Bertram Bracken

In a prologue set in ancient Rome, the pagan Valerain attempts to abduct St. Cecilia to his debauched birthday feast, but her spiritual beauty stops him, and he kneels before her. In the main story, Conchita Cordova sings in the cathedral choir in her village of San Miguelito near the Rio Grande. Millionaire oil man John Rannie, whose oil fields have displaced the peasants, desires Conchita, and when he learns that her fiance, Juan Mendoza, has been employed by Adolf Wylie, a German spy, Rannie threatens to expose Juan unless Conchita gives herself to him. Although disillusioned, Conchita decides to save Juan, but as she removes her cross, Rannie is moved by her sacrifice, and begs forgiveness. Meanwhile, the villagers, incited by Wylie, set Rannie's fields on fire. When Juan, thinking that Conchita loved Rannie, throws her cross in the fireplace and places it on her breast as a brand of shame, she rebukes him. After Conchita saves Rannie from being burned by the villagers, he kneels beside her in church. In Rome, Valerain kneels before St. Cecilia.

Dir: Bertram Bracken

Gambler Dave Garrison has caused the fury of James Riddle and Mary Ballard by seducing the former's sister Bessie and by deceiving the latter's brother Billy out of thousands of dollars. As a result, Mary and James join forces and come up with a plan to outsmart Dave. In effect, Mary bets herself against Dave's money, agreeing to sleep with the gambler if his horse, the favored Shooting Star, wins a race, while Dave must pay her $10,000 if the horse loses. To make the odds more in her favor, Mary switches horses, putting the lumbering lookalike May Belle in place of Shooting Star. As a result, Mary and James gain their revenge on Dave, after which, made confident by their good fortune at the racetrack, they decide to try their luck as husband and wife.

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

Dir: Bertram Bracken

Dave Scott, a wealthy mine owner, is killed. His daughter, Marie, goes to her father's old friend Richard Clark, knowing that he will take care of her interests. Clark and his grown son, Ted, become attached to Marie. Innocent in manner, she sees no necessity for concealing her preference for the elder Clark. In time, Ted's attachment culminates in a proposal, which is rejected. Ted accuses his father of standing in his way and the father makes Marie promise that she will accept Ted. A few minutes before the time set for the ceremony, a note from Ted explains that he realizes the love that exists between Marie and his father, and rather than exact the sacrifice, he has left his father's home, leaving them free to marry.

Dir: Bertram Bracken

To escape the title-hunting suitors with whom her mother and aunt have surrounded her, Barbara Chichester disguises herself as a gypsy, and after buying a gypsy wagon, roams the countryside "in search of Arcady." Meanwhile, the Earl of Chamboyne, beset by title-hunting women, has attired himself in the outfit of an itinerant peddler and set off for the country. After a gypsy tells Barbara that she will marry a traveling man, she meets the Earl when they both seek refuge from a sudden storm in an abandoned hunting lodge. They have a series of adventures together, and fall in love before they reveal their true identities to each other.

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

Dir: Bertram Bracken

In Paris, wealthy young American Horace Martinache takes a young flower girl to a hospital after knocking her down in his auto, and leaves money with friends to pay for her education. Years later, when Horace's nephew Eric plans to bring home a young actress whom he met in Europe and wants to marry, Horace's mother and sister ask for his help in breaking up the romance. Horace, an unmarried colonel, indulges them and agrees to court her to make her lose interest in Eric. The actress, Sara St. Ypriex, recognizes Horace as her benefactor and encourages him. Horace, unaware that Sara was the flower girl, falls in love with her. After Eric fails to respond to Sara's cries of alarm when one of her other suitors, Roscoe Vandercourt, tries to attack her, Horace protects her, but Vandercourt escapes. Sara accepts Horace's marriage proposal and Vandercourt, really an international crook, is trounced by Sara's father, who earlier served a prison term because of Vandercourt's treachery.

Dir: Bertram Bracken

A woman leaves her husband and children for mistaken reasons. After being thought killed in a train crash, she returns in disguise to be the children's governess.