The Auteur's Selection In the Shadow of The Old Homestead: Cult Guide

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

While walking along the street one day, Arthur P. Hampton, an impoverished young doctor, and his chums, Stub Masters and Johnny Stokes, are persuaded to part with their last remaining funds by tag day solicitor Mary Jane Smith, with whom the doctor promptly falls in love. Doc's friends then hit upon a get-rich-quick scheme. Knowing that his Uncle George has promised a large sum of money upon his nephew's marriage, they persuade Doc to send out fake wedding invitations naming Mary Jane as the blushing bride. Uncle George, elated at the good news, writes to Mary Jane's aunt, Angelica Burns, an old sweetheart, to invite Mary Jane and Angelica to be his guests on an ocean voyage. Meanwhile, Mary Jane pays a visit to the doctor's office and, upon seeing the wedding invitations, becomes so flustered that she trips and sprains her ankle. Doc comes to her rescue and then begs her to pose as his wife. She agrees, but at ship-side, Stub and Johnnie confess all to Uncle George, who flies into a rage until Doc announces that he and Mary Jane have chosen a wedding at sea.

Dir: William Nigh

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

Bored by her country life and misunderstood by her parents, Emma Rolfe marries Dr. Charles Bovar, an older man whose dedication to his medical practice results in wifely neglect. To alleviate her growing loneliness, Emma enjoys the company of many of the young men from the village and eventually begins an affair with Rudolph Bulwer. Despite his proclaimed love for her, Rudolph deserts Emma on the night of their arranged elopement, and in her despair she steals some acid from her husband's medicine cabinet and goes to the river to commit suicide. While standing by the water, Emma changes her mind and resolves to confess to Charles and beg his forgiveness, but the river bank gives way under her feet and she drowns in the swift current. Although he has discovered Emma's love letters from Rudolph, Charles stoutly defends her honor in front of the townspeople and forgives her in his heart.

Dir: William Nigh

The experiences of the American ambassador to Germany, James Gerard, are recounted in this semi-documentary.

Dir: Reggie Morris

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of My Four Years in Germany perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: William Nigh

Through the death of his father, Benton Cabot is left with nothing but a small mountain cabin which he has never seen. He goes to take up his property and in the mountains meets Emmy Garrett, an untutored but attractive girl, just budding into womanhood. Emmy is a child of the woods and Benton's city dress and ways amuse, her greatly. His cabin is uninhabitable so Benton goes to work for Bije Stork and lives with Bije, his brother, Si Stork, and Si's wife, Crishy, a poor creature, crushed by years of servitude. Benton takes an instinctive dislike to Bije and senses that there is something wrong with the Stork establishment. He and Emmy feel attracted to each other, despite the lack of respect Emmy feels for Benton. Emmy sends Benton a note by Jim Whitlicks, a half-witted boy, but Bije intercepts. Instead of telling Benton he goes to see Emmy and tells her that Benton is too busy to see her. Emmy sneaks away and sees Benton chatting with a party of autoists from the city. She goes back and, at her grandfather's solicitation, promises to marry Bije. Jim Whitlicks tells Benton of the intercepted note and he goes to see Emmy. She will have nothing to do with him and drives him out of the house into a furious storm. Benton finds the ford swollen by the storm and is nearly drowned. But he is saved by Emmy, whose change of heart led her to follow him. Then she realizes she loves Benton but thinks he does not care for her. Emmy wants to get all dressed up. So she and Crishy Stork send Jim to town for cloth. The money Jim tenders Hicky Price, the storekeeper, is found to be counterfeit. Hicky calls in the sheriff and they decide to hunt Bije Stork down. They find he is a counterfeiter and conceals the counterfeit money in Benton's abandoned shack. The Storks realize that the jig is up. Si gets Emmy in his team and goes for the counterfeit money. At the shack he meets Benton, who rescues Emmy after a hand-to-hand fight. Benton rides off with Emmy, pursued by the Storks in their wagon, when they meet the sheriff's posse. The Storks turn and flee. Pursued hotly they perish when the wagon goes over a cliff. Thus freed Emmy makes clear her love for Benton and the young folks are left happy.

Dir: William Nigh

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

American ambassador to Germany James W. Gerard warns that Germany will rise again to power and an attempt at world domination unless safeguards are taken, in this documentary-style propaganda drama.

Dir: Maurice Campbell

Carver Endicott, a young sophisticate, is rejected by his fiancée for being too foppish and dull. When she feigns an interest in his father, Carver attempts to disgrace his family name by working as a farmhand and later as a busboy in a hotel. However, the newspapers only praise him for his self-sacrificing principles; and finding that he cannot bring shame to the family through menial labor, he takes up with a notorious actress. But when this maneuver also fails, he returns to his former fiancée, who has no further complaint about his being an inexperienced dullard.

Dir: William Nigh

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Emmy of Stork's Nest perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The townspeople of Purity despise Martin Bradley because of his heavy drinking, but he still does his best to make life better for the town. He helps to support two women who have been socially ostracized by the townspeople, and during the election campaign for mayor, exposes the corruption and dirty tricks of candidate James Durkel, resulting in the election of his opponent Chester Thorndyke. However, the voters of Purity insist that Thorndyake disavow his ties to Bradley, whom they regard as disreputable.

Dir: William Nigh

Marian Delmar's architect father has died without an estate, though she thinks he has left her a settlement of some sort. From the time of his death, a member of his profession, Varcoe, has sent her a monthly remittance with enables her to live decently and study painting. Then Varcoe dies, leaving no instructions regarding the remittance and no reason why his son Olin should continue it. John Hartfield, whose father has been a lawyer of doubtful integrity but unquestionable shrewdness, is now the one Marian turns to when her remittance fails to arrive. He subsequently informs her that the remittance seems to have been a matter of charity on the late Varcoe's part; incidentally, his son Olin is dying from his wild dissipation and morbid excesses. Marian's independent nature revolts at having been an object of charity, and against John's pleading she decides to pay the debt by nursing Olin back to health. She offers her services as nurse, and Olin exhibits a wicked joy at engaging her. All repair to the old Varcoe home on the St. Lawrence, where lives Mrs. Varcoe, whom her supposed son has never seen; she has been an invalid for 40 years, faithfully attended by the old family physician in a house with Indian servants, and strange furnishings that must have been the expression of a morbid brain. When Olin meets Mrs. Varcoe, whose son he is supposed to be, he seems to inspire her with fear and misgiving. She is immediately impressed with Marian, whose attentions are now directed to the old lady's health. The aged doctor's jealousy of Marian in her efforts to relieve Mrs. Varcoe creates frequent friction. Through the finding of certain plans in a secret compartment, John finds that Marian's father was the real brains behind the elder Varcoe's success; hence, the remittance by agreement. Olin's morbid nature drives him to take advantage of an Indian girl in his household, and the consequence is the exposure of the secret that he himself is the offspring of such an affair on his father's part. Meanwhile, John constantly tries to dissuade Marian from continuing in this atmosphere, but a strong affection has developed between Marian and the kind old lady that furnishes the incentive for her to remain. Olin is determined to have one more big fling before he passes away, and invites a number of his dissipated city friends to spend the weekend. Olin traps Marian in a secret passage, but another Indian and John rescue her and wound Olin. Olin crawls to the Indian huts on the estate where the remainder of his mother's tribe dwelt, and dies in the arms of his Indian grandfather. Marian and John determine to travel the road of life together, while the old doctor gives evidence that his devotion to his equally-venerable patient was not purely professional interest.

Dir: Charley Chase

A young married couple volunteer to take charge of several orphans after the asylum has burned down. Of course they find their hands full with their troublesome charges.