Rare Cinematic Gems Sharing the Atmosphere of The Perfect Tribute: ...

Dir: Edward Sloman

Millionaire Jack Woodford, who loves a good mystery, seizes an opportunity to play Sherlock Holmes when he overhears pretty Alice Moreland, the daughter of Rev. Robert Moreland, discussing a jewel robbery in her home. Posing as detectives, Jack and his valet, Jasper Stride, visit the reverend's home, where Jack's suspicions are aroused first by Moreland's secretary, Harvey Faxon, and then by Alice's brother Harry. During the night, however, he sees Alice herself take a set of jewels from the safe, but when he tries to retrieve them from her room, Faxon enters and accuses him of robbery. He is imprisoned in the basement but soon escapes, and that night, he again sees Alice carrying jewels. As Jack approaches, he realizes that Alice is sleepwalking and that Faxon is waiting to take the jewels from her when she reaches her room. Jack and Stride capture Faxon, and Alice demonstrates her gratitude to the amateur sleuth by confessing that she loves him.

Dir: Edward Sloman

For advice on making money, down-on-her-luck Margery Smith visits Franklyn Smith, a lawyer who, although he appears prosperous, is equally hard-pressed for funds. Franklyn is struck by Margery's beauty and devises a plan whereby her services as a chaperoned partner at dances and teas may be purchased; however, because he believes her brainless, he forbids her to speak with the customers. The "Beauty to Let" corporation is a success, and soon two millionaires, Henry P. Rockwell and "Diamond Tim" Moody, ask to marry Margery. She has fallen in love with Franklyn and is distressed to learn that he has purchased bachelor's quarters from Tim. Diamond Tim forged the deed to the house, but when Margery sneaks into his room to retrieve Franklyn's money, her partner sees her and misconstrues her intentions. In the end, Margery and Franklyn outwit Tim, and Franklyn, realizing that his partner is bright as well as beautiful, proposes.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Money Isn't Everything perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Edward Sloman

In the parched West, Louise MacLeod works as a secretary for Robert Powell, a lawyer defending businessman John Phelan, whom ranchers accuse of monopolizing water rights. Gordon, Louise's father, is one of the ranchers, and so Louise keeps him informed of Robert's strategy, with the result that the ranchers win their case. John, however, remains determined to control the area's water, and so he hires an engineer to dynamite a river in order to divert it from the ranchers and onto his own land. Robert then realizes the unscrupulousness of his former client, and defuses the engineer's bomb. Afterward, with the ranchers victorious, Robert concentrates less on water rights and more on Louise, with whom he soon begins a romance.

Dir: Edward Sloman

Young Jeffrey Claiborne, the son of a wealthy father, comes to the aid of pretty Betty Jane Moir, who is being bothered by a lecherous chauffeur. He accepts Betty's grateful offer of employment in her mother's taxi company. Smitten, Jeffrey proposes to her, but her mother, not knowing who he really is, dismisses him as not worthy of being her daughter's husband. Determined to prove his worth, he gets his chance when he discovers that Betty's mother is being blackmailed by a criminal gang.

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

Dir: Edward Sloman

Marion Moore's sweetheart, Frank Kenyon, a young author interested in social reform, discovering that Marion's father is the owner of the worst factory in the city, pleads with her to persuade him to make better working conditions. Marion refuses. The season's society event is an entertainment for the benefit of the Belgian War Victims. Marian is to play "Humanity." That day, Mina, a child working in the factory, has her hand mangled in a machine. Frank learns of the accident from Bud and determines to bring the lesson home to Marian. He bribes her chauffeur to drive Marian to Mina's home. Marian is forced to enter the house with him. They find Mina alone and almost unconscious from an overdose of an opiate. The only hope of saving the child is by keeping her awake until he can summon medical aid. He orders Marian to walk the girl until he returns. Then he dashes away in the machine. Marian, seeing another machine approaching, leaves the child, and persuades the owner to drive her to the entertainment. When Frank returns, Mina is past saving. Wild with rage, he sets out for the entertainment. Marian has just achieved a great success when he arrives. He creates a sensation by mounting the platform and scathingly denouncing the shallow society people before him. Marian later hands him back his ring. He drives her by force to Mina's home. Marian is taken aback when she discovers that the animal mother is not weeping for love of Mina, but she wonders how she will ever pay for a cheap piano now that Mina's wages will no longer be forthcoming. Marian promises to attend to the payments. Marian laughs scornfully at Frank. Frank determines to wage a relentless war against Moore until conditions are modified. As champion of the working people, he is elected to the legislature. Frank introduces his bill for better factories. After much excitement, it is passed. Since the accident to Mina, Bud has been working to perfect a number of safety devices. With the idea of cheating the boy, Moore goes with him to a cabinet at one end of the building to look them over. Meanwhile a blaze has started. Soon the flimsy structure is ablaze. Marian escapes with the girls, hut Moore and Bud are trapped in the cabinet. From the roof of an adjoining building Frank throws a rope to the factory, where it fastens around a cornice. Then he makes his way hand over hand across the rope to the burning building, breaks through a skylight, and lowers a rope to Bud. Moore shoves the boy aside. Frank, angered, lowers the rope again for Bud. Moore rushes to the edge of the building. But as he hangs midway, the flames reach the rope, and he plunges to his death. A few weeks later the newspapers announce large gifts to charity from an anonymous source. Through Bud he discovers that it is Marian. The picture closes as she agrees to face the future with him.

Dir: Edward Sloman

When the unruly drinking party at "Big Bill" Darcey's hunting lodge runs out of liquor, they move to the lodge of Darcey's agent, Enoch Foyle, and finding attractive Nora Farnes waiting alone, harass her. Bill, who previously was interested only in pleasure, with his consumptive friend Sammy Goode, protects Nora, who, armed with a revolver, intends to confront Foyle for swindling her mother. When Foyle returns, Nora wounds him slightly. Bill brings her to his lodge for the night, and falling in love, convinces her to marry him to protect her name. As he is preparing to leave on his honeymoon, Bill learns that Foyle fleeced him of his fortune. Finding Nora at Foyle's lodge, he loses faith in her, and leaves with Sammy for the desert because of Sammy's illness. Lost and exhausted, Sammy makes a dying request that Bill return and listen to Nora's explanation. After Bill's rescue, he finds Nora dining with Foyle, but upon learning that she has hidden detectives to overhear Foyle's confession, Bill is reconciled with Nora, and they finish the dinner.

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

Dir: Edward Sloman

Anxious to see the world, Nick Fowler boards a train bound for New York. On board he meets Jimmie Keen, a motion picture director, and sees a mysterious beautiful girl who leaves her purse behind. Nick retrieves the purse and inside it discovers a photo of the girl, inscribed with the name Gwendolyn Van Loon. After arriving in New York, Nick pays Keen a visit, but an impertinent office boy prevents him from seeing the director. After a series of similar disappointments in the big city, Nick continues to write glowing accounts of his life to his family back home. While he's writing a letter to his father one day, a guest at an adjoining desk drops a photo of Gwendolyn. The stranger introduces himself as Lord Boniface Cheadle, and Nick becomes an unwitting tool of the man who is in reality Steve Diamond, a crook. Under Cheadle's instructions, Nick goes to the Van Loon house and presents himself as Steve Diamond, which initiates a train of events that culminates in the escape of the real Lord Cheadle while Nick grapples with the crooks until the police arrive. It is then revealed that the whole adventure was invented by Nick to impress his dad, but when Keen reads the story, he is so impressed that he offers Nick a job as a scriptwriter and introduces him to the leading lady: Gwendolyn Van Loon.

Dir: Edward Sloman

A gray-gowned woman at a masked ball entices wealthy society man Philip Greycourt, who is bored with easy conquests, to a hotel, then leaves without unmasking. Later, Philip visits the country home of John Villiers with a friend, and although Philip thinks that Villiers' second wife Helen, who flirts with him, is the masked woman, she denies having met him earlier. Helen's stepdaughter Catherine falls in love with Philip, but he scarcely notices her. When Villiers leaves for town one evening, Helen invites Philip to her sitting room and admits that she was the masked woman. Villiers returns unexpectedly, and seeing shadows of figures in a window embracing, he runs inside. The maid warns Helen, and Philip enters another room, where Catherine lies in bed. As Villiers pounds on the door, Catherine accepts Philip's proposal. They marry the next day; later, after Villiers dies, Helen attempts to seduce Philip, and jealously tells Catherine, whom Philip now loves, of their past. When Philip learns that Catherine has left to board a steamer, he follows, and they enjoy a honeymoon cruise.

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

Dir: Edward Sloman

Episode 1: "Fate and Death" Arthur and Esther Stanley and son, little Arthur, en route from Virginia to England, are victims of a train wreck. Father and mother are killed but the child escapes death. Quabba, the gypsy, now the king of the band, learns of the accident from his followers. He hastens to the wreck and finds the bodies of Arthur and Esther Stanley but finds no trace of their son. De Vaux, the conspirator, who has been shadowing the Stanleys, is also present at the wreck. He finds little Arthur and discovers The Diamond From the Sky suspended from his neck. He transfers the jewel to his pocket and disappears into the night carrying off little Arthur. Later Quabba sees De Vaux carrying the child into an orphanage, temporarily used as a hospital. Quabba awaits his chance and steals the child.

Dir: Edward Sloman

To maintain order aboard the Southern Cross, Bull Dorgan, its fierce captain, beats Pedro, a trouble-making sailor, who swears revenge as he steers the boat toward the wild Barbary Coast. While on shore, Bull hears the cries of Emily Gordon coming from a saloon, rescues her from the owner, and drags her and Hugh, a minister, to his departing ship. Bull refuses to believe that Emily came to the cabaret to visit a dying friend, but overcome with desire for her, he forces Hugh to marry them. Nine months later Emily gives birth, but Pedro, still bent on revenge, insinuates that the baby actually belongs to Hugh. When Bull goes to confront Emily with this accusation, he finds her in a compromising position with the minister. Taking advantage of Bull's confusion, Pedro foments a mutiny, but Bull and a devoted shipmate defeat the traitors. Eager to compensate Emily for her hardship, Bull allows her to return to land, but seeing his love for their child, she chooses to remain with the sea master.