The Global Archive For Devotees of The Price: Cult Guide

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

A modern man not only woos one woman but masterfully woos many women.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

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

A French sailor, imprisoned for years on false charges of conpiring against the king, escapes and exacts revenge on his accusers.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Prima Donna's Husband perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

The husband is bored to death by years of association with his wife, whom he deems old-fashioned and settled. A governess, young and beautiful, comes to the house. The father, master of the house in every sense of the word, is infatuated with the governess's description of life in the city where one remains young even at four-score years. Many conversations occur between the man and the governess, and one day he tells his wife that he is tired of her and that he is going away to the city with a younger and prettier woman. Time passes and the master of the house sees the other side of the governess. Her family is a lot of parasites who live on him. The man, broken in health, his spirit revolting against present conditions, feels a longing away down in his heart for his old-fashioned wife and their three children and the old home that is a home. In a frenzied burst of anger he strikes her, casts aside the woman and the unpleasant associations with her and, older, wiser, sadder and penitent, he returns to his wife and fireside.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

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

Tom, the son of John and Mary Landers, an old-fashioned country couple is in love with a pretty country girl, who is also being courted by Walter Terry. Tom surprises the latter making violent love to her and, crazed with jealousy, strikes Walter and in the fight that ensues Tom accidentally pushes Walter over the edge of a cliff. Fearing that he had killed his rival, Tom leaves the farm for the city. Unable to secure a position there, he appeals to his mother, who sends him money. He finally secures a position with Grant and Co., stockbrokers. The Wall Street fever soon gets the better of him and he tries his luck in the stock market. Being successful in his first venture, he plans to make a fortune. He writes his mother informing her that he has an opportunity to go into a good business for himself and begs of her a loan of $1,000. The devoted mother having faith in Tom's promise of a speedy return of the money, takes the money which they had saved to pay off the mortgage on the farm. Tom loses it in speculations and is ashamed to reply to his mother's appeals for the promised return of the money. Meanwhile, Pa Landers is killed by an accidental discharge of his gun while out hunting. The poor widow is now unable to meet the payment of the mortgage and is forced to leave the old home. Miss Elsa Norman, a society girl in the city, is attacked by a thief, but is rescued by Tom and a close friendship is the result of this incident, which later develops into mutual love. Tom's mother arriving in the city visits him in his office. He is ashamed of her appearance and takes her to a boarding house in the suburbs and asks her not to call on him. Terribly hurt at the indifference of her son, she resolves never to annoy him again. Alone in her grief she is forced to move to a poor tenement house. She visits daily the lobby of Tom's office building, where she is seen one day by Elsa Norman, who in deep sympathy for the poor old woman gives her a bunch of violets, not knowing she is the mother of the man she loves. Ma Landers' money gone, she is in actual want and is overcome one day by weakness and faints in front of the building, where she is picked up by Elsa and her chauffeur and carried to her miserable lodging. There she tells her story to Elsa, who is horrified to learn that the old lady is Tom's mother; Elsa 'phones Tom to come at once and he is brought face to face with the terrible result of the neglect of his mother. Elsa touched by the heroic acceptance of the old lady's sad fate, purchases the old farm and presents it to her. Tom returns to the old homestead and in a touching love scene which follows Ma Landers forgives Tom, who wins back Elsa's love.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

Temptation to cheat comes in the way of a young couple in reward for which the wife can escape from the bitterness of life on $25 per week in a New York suburb, i.e., Staten Island. There are no "classy," well-dressed people in New York south of Thirty-Fourth Street. Jane Reynolds, the aspirant after Fifth Avenue fine feathers thought this way, when the tempter came along and persuaded her to induce her husband to pass on an inferior quality of cement for a great dam then in course of construction. "Bob" Reynolds fell for the bribe and Jane got her fine feathers. The gambling mania got "Bob" and he was financially ruined in double quick time. The bursting of the dam, due to the bad cement, completed the tragedy of "Fine Feathers." The chief culprit, the tempter, committed suicide, and the young couple resolved to commence life all over again and go straight.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

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

Senator Rivers of the State of Missouri comes to the United States Senate, and meets Silas Denman, who has been unsuccessful in the prosecution of the Denman Claim, a relic of the Revolutionary War. Denman's daughter, Mabel, who teaches music, meets Mrs. Hillary, a widow, who aids her in many ways. At Mrs. Hillary's home she meets Count von Strahl, and Armstrong, the Secretary of State, at whose home she is introduced to Senator Rivers. Mabel develops a liking for von Strahl. Her father is excited over the prospect of such valuable aid in getting his claim through, and Rivers makes a powerful speech in its favor, incited by regard for Mabel as well as by the justice of the claim. The Senator is stunned by the remark of Mrs. Hillary that Mabel is engaged to von Strahl, but in order to give her a dowry, redoubles his efforts on the Denman bill. The Senator and Mrs. Hillary are on good terms, and learn that Mrs. Armstrong and von Strahl are planning an elopement. The Senator sends Ling Ching, the Chinese Ambassador, to the Armstrong home to intercept Mrs. Armstrong, and before she can get rid of him, her husband arrives, he having been told that von Strahl's carriage had gone to his house. Senator Rivers turns the tables on von Strahl in a neat way, and hurries back to the Senate. By a neat trick he puts the Denman bill through, but is afraid of Mabel's marriage with the Count, as he knows his character. Developments satisfy Mabel as to the rascality of the Count. She realizes that she is in love with Senator Rivers, who in spite of his age, appeals to every particle of her nature. She appreciates the force of his actions regarding Mrs. Armstrong and Count von Strahl, and at the end the Senator has won the claimant as well as the claim.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joseph A. Golden

Ed Andrews, a young shipping clerk, is in love with Dora Birch, and has as rival Tom Matthews, but wins the girl, much to his mother's satisfaction. A raise in salary hastens their marriage and two years later their baby arrives. Andrews, celebrating the event, goes to the corner bar with George Gardner, his chum, and, after several drinks, Gardner gets into a fight with Jim Matthews, Tom's brother, knocking him down with a blow, Matthew's head striking the pavement, causing his death. George runs away, and Ed bends over Matthews, trying to raise him. The crowd threatens him and he starts to run, but is soon caught. In the morning he is fined for disorderly conduct, and is near freedom when word comes that Matthews is dead, and he is held for murder. Tom is a ward detective, and four months after the arrest, swears that Jim was killed while resisting highway robbery. Ed is sentenced to death, and the shock kills his wife, his mother taking the child and rearing her. She pleads with the Governor, and in view of the evidence he commutes Ed's sentence to imprisonment for life. His mother tells him of his wife's death, and, with his nerve crushed, he begins his prison life. Nineteen years later his daughter falls in love with Paul Matthews, son of the man who had sworn away his life. Ed's mother continues her efforts in his behalf, and Gardner, dying in a distant city, tells the truth about the assault. Ed is pardoned and meets his daughter for the first time in the warden's office. Ed and his daughter are having luncheon on the beach when he sees a man fall from a boat, swims out to save him and brings him to shore, but the man is dead and Ed recognized the body as that of Tom Matthews, the brother of the man his friend had killed, and on whose evidence he had spent twenty years in prison. Then he feels that while nothing can give him back his lost youth, his wasted life and the wife he loved, he has overtaken the man who was responsible for his troubles.