Visionary Picks In Alignment with the style of The Ploughshare: Cult Guide

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A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Aladdin's Other Lamp perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

When she was a baby, Patsy Smith's father quarreled with his wife and kidnapped Patsy. After her father died at sea, Captain Barnaby took Patsy to Mrs. Duff's boardinghouse for seafarers. Dissatisfied with drudgery, Patsy, inspired by Barnaby's tales of Aladdin, searches for her father's Oriental lamp which Mrs. Duff sold to a junk peddler. Patsy buys the lamp and after rubbing it, the Genie Jehaunarara appears. He beautifies her room, restores Barnaby's leg, and turns Mrs. Duff into a rag doll. Because love is beyond his magic, however, the Genie cannot reunite Patsy with her mother. At a masquerade ball, when the Genie's costume wins first prize, Patsy's applause unwittingly causes him to disappear. Clad only in her underwear, Patsy runs to her mother, and awakens from a dream. Disheartened, she throws the lamp out the window, and it nearly strikes her friend Harry, a grocer's boy who wants to become a lawyer, and then, like Lincoln, president. From letters found in the lamp, they locate Patsy's mother, who arrives with her brother, a distinguished judge. Taken under his wing, Harry now imagines himself president with Patsy as his first lady.

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The story of two young sisters: one a demure musician in love with a scoundrel who's no good for her; the other a wild free spirit who is the object of a shy young carpenter's affections.

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A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Girl Without a Soul perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Although she has a strong friendship with Abner, a hand on her father's farm, saucy Gladiola Bain loves only her father, until she meets vacationing Ned Williams, a self-described "idler" from the city. When their seemingly harmless flirtation develops into love, Gladiola refuses to obey her father's wishes that she give Williams up, and when Williams, after some hesitation, offers her a beautiful home and clothes, they elope to the city, where Williams arranges a mock marriage. After a few months of happiness, Williams' real wife appears. Gladiola tells Williams that she despises him and returns to her welcoming father. Amid much gossip in the town, Gladiola gives birth to a child, while Williams, whose wife has refused to divorce him, has gone abroad. When he learns that his wife has died, he returns repentantly to Gladiola's farm, but although she is touched by his concern, her love has died, and she refuses his entreaties. At the end, Gladiola and her child stroll in the gladiola fields with the faithful Abner.

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"On Dangerous Paths" Is the story of a foolish young girl who insisted upon learning the lesson of life through experience rather than take the advice of those who had already gone through the mill. It's only saving grace is that it is a story taken out of life, a story that nearly every young girl has to learn. Viola Dana in the leading role is winsomely pretty. As an unsophisticated young girl with the whole world before her, Miss Dana was eminently pleasing. Pat O'Malley playing opposite gave his usual finished performance, and the balance of the cast was good. Though the recipient of the love of a very desirable young man and though she returns this affection. Eleanor Thurston feels that she must be independent and earn her own living. She leaves for the city and obtains a position as nurse in one of the large hospitals, where one of the young doctors with a reputation as a lady killer becomes infatuated with her fresh young beauty and pays ardent attention to her. She is carried off her feet and not realizing that his intentions are not honorable, is placed in a compromising situation from which she is rescued by her country lover.

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

When Henry Clay Willard refuses to allow his athletically inclined daughter Mary to attend a prizefight, she goes to the bout dressed in her brother's clothes. Next to her sits wealthy businessman Anthony Fry, who, believing that opportunity knocks only once, decides to give the "boy" his big chance. Anthony takes Mary to his apartment, where the house detective, troubled by the "boy's" strange appearance, begins an investigation. A series of misunderstandings follows, during which Anthony's visiting friend, Johnson Bowler, nearly loses his new wife Beatrice, who arrives unexpectedly to discover a woman in the apartment, and finally, Mary's father is called. Upon his arrival, all is explained, and Anthony and Mary decide to take advantage of the strange opportunity that brought them together.

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President of the Buttonhole Makers' Union Abe Cohen, loses his job in Sam Blumenthal's East Side sweatshop when he endorses Timothy Murphy for alderman over Steve O'Roque, to whom Blumenthal is indebted. After Murphy helps Cohen start a kosher restaurant, Cohen learns that he and his former co-worker, Kitty McGee, won $10,000 in the lottery. He gives free meals to his customers, but when Kitty discovers that her purse containing half of the ticket was stolen, Cohen clears the "loafers" out. Cohen's daughter Minnie, in love with Blumenthal, secretly marries him, but Blumenthal, already married although separated from his wife, keeps Minnie's ring and their marriage certificate. Doubting the marriage, Cohen turns Minnie out, but when Blumenthal's wife appears, and Minnie's suitor, David Moss, whom Cohen likes, finds her, the marriage is invalidated and Cohen reconciles with his daughter. Mixing with the underworld, Cohen outwits the thief who stole Kitty's ticket. Despite a flood coming down from the apartment above, the ensuing celebration marks Minnie and David's engagement.

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

Krishna Dhwaj, the son of the Maharajah of Rhamput, is in love with Lakshima, the daughter of the Maharajah of Bhartari, but their fathers will not allow them to marry. Krishna is then sent to Harvard to get an American education. Lakshima, determined to kill herself when her father orders her to marry an old man, jumps into the ocean. She does not drown, however, but is rescued by George Morling, a Bostonian, who smuggles her on board his ship dressed in boy's clothing. George, the son of a minister, is engaged to a proper Bostonian woman. Although he has not behaved improperly, George fears that his fiancé and her father will not understand the situation, and so he hides Lakshima in a trunk. Once back in Boston, George's fiancé discovers Lakshima and is horrified, but after several misunderstandings, George and his fiancé are reconciled, and Lakshima is able to find and marry her Indian sweetheart Krishna.

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Dr. Claude Drummond, a young English doctor in India, saves Ameia, a young girl, from being sacrificed to the priests of the temple of Krishna by buying her as his wife. Returning to England upon the death of his elder brother, who was the heir to the estate, Claude finds that his father has arranged a marriage between himself and Olive Dennison, the daughter of the Major-General. To please his father, Claude is about to submit to the marriage, although neither he nor Olive love each other, when Ameia arrives from India. Discovering that her existence is a barrier to her husband's advantageous alliance, Ameia takes poison but is saved by an antidote administered by Claude. It is then discovered that Ameia is actually the daughter of Major-General Dennison, by a native wife whom he had deserted. Thus, Claude finds it possible to be true to his love and to his father's wish that he marry the general's daughter.

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George Anderson, a struggling author, works in the daytime as a clerk in the office of Emmet Standish, the publisher, and at night writes on his novel, "The Mortal Sin." "The Mortal Sin" deals with a wife's sacrifice of her honor in order to enable her sick husband to go to a western sanitarium to ward of the tuberculosis which threatens him. The husband, returning unexpectedly, learns the truth, but forgives his wife when he realizes that her sacrifice was made for him. Anderson plods on at his writing. His wife worries over his weakened condition. The doctor tells him that a trip to the west is the only thing that will save him. Worrying over this, he continues to work feverishly, but he collapses, and is obliged to leave at once. In order to make both ends meet, since he has saved only enough to pay his railroad fare, Jane goes to take her husband's place in Standish's office. The publisher is considerate of her, and she is encouraged to show him her husband's novel and ask him to publish it. Standish says that it is untrue to life, since no man would forgive his wife for having been unfaithful to him, no matter what her motive. Standish refuses to publish the novel, but tells Jane that she need not depend on the sale of her husband's book for money. In anger she leaves his employ. She tries to place the novel with other publishers, but fails, and poses for Rambeau, the artist, for his painting of the Madonna. When the work is over she takes refuge in a cheap lodging house where Standish finds her. Letters from her husband indicate that he is in actual need. He is too ill to do any work, and thinking that Jane is still in Standish's employ, he appeals to her for money. She makes a bargain with Standish. She will go with him to his home if he will accept her husband's novel. He accepts and Jane changes the ending of the book in order to make it salable. The husband of the story, returning, kills his unfaithful wife. The book is printed and has a phenomenal sale, and Jane sends regular remittances to her husband. Another publishing house make Anderson an offer for his next novel, and having regained his health he decides to return east and give his wife a surprise. He goes to the address she has given and asks for Mrs. Anderson. The maid says she knows no Mrs. Anderson, but that Mrs. Standish is at home. Suspicious, Anderson hides and watches developments. Standish returns from his club to escort Jane to a party, but she asks to be excused. He rebukes her and leaves the room angrily. Anderson leaps from his hiding place and upbraids his wife for her infidelity. She tells him that her desire to aid him has been her only motive, and that she still loves him. Anderson will not listen to her pleadings, but rushes forward, grapples with her and deliberately chokes her to death in cold blood. Anderson is led away to a cell, tried and sentenced to die. As he is being led to the death house the chaplain shakes and arouses him, and Anderson, waking up, sees his wife bending over him. He has been asleep and incidents connected with "The Mortal Sin" have woven themselves into his dreams. He puts away the novel, promising Jane to conserve his health in the future so that no such events as those contained in his dream can come to pass.