The Definitive Guide Inspired by the Vision of The Servant in the H...

Dir: Jack Conway

When bachelor friends David Clark, Dick Porter and Jerry Mathers agree to adopt Belgian war orphans, David unexpectedly finds himself the guardian of a little girl, Rene Lescere. After David is pursued by Mrs. Hardwick, a divorcee, Rene is determined to find him a more suitable wife and introduces him to Emmeline Warren. David and Emmeline are engaged, but the engagement is broken after Emmeline meets Jerry, her old beau, and their romance is rekindled. David, sad but resigned, sends Rene to boarding school and retires to his hunting lodge with Dick Porter. Later, Emmeline and Jerry, now married, visit the lodge and suggest that Rene accompany them on a trip abroad. At the moment of parting between Rene and her guardian, both realize that they love each other and Rene becomes David's wife.

Dir: Jack Conway

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

Upon learning that the parents of "Little Red" have died, the cowboys of Colonel Ferdinand Aliso's ranch adopt the boy. Parson Jones and his church committee protest that the child should be brought up in more refined surroundings, but the cowboys, particularly Duck Sing, Aliso's Chinese cook, are so enamored of Little Red that they donate their poker money to the church in order to placate the congregation. After Little Red catches pneumonia and nearly dies, however, Dr. Kirk insists that the boy either live with the minister or acquire a mother through the marriage of one of the cowboys. While Little Red is recuperating at the parson's home, ranch hand Tom Gilroy courts the only marriageable women in town -- a widow and two spinsters -- but much to his relief, they all turn him down. In the end, Duck Sing, whom the child much prefers to the parson, kidnaps Little Red, after which the colonel legally adopts him.

Dir: Jack Conway

Widow Martin struggles to rear her little daughter Nora amid the squalor of the slums yet imbue her with the refinement to which she had been accustomed in her girlhood. Fearing that she is losing the battle, Mrs. Martin decides to turn to her wealthy father, who had disowned her upon her marriage years earlier. To raise funds for the trip, she pawns Nora to Aaron Levovitch, an aged pawnbroker with a heart of gold under his gruff exterior. Upon reaching her father's house, Mrs. Martin falls ill and dies before she can relate her story, and Nora is raised by the pawnbroker until a reporter prints her human interest story of a "jewel in pawn." The girl's grandfather reads the article and claims Nora, then sends her to a fashionable boarding school. Nora longs for her home in the slums and her sweetheart Jimmy, however, and so returns to marry Jimmy in an elaborate traditional Jewish ceremony at the pawnbroker's home.

Dir: Jack Conway

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

Judge of the Circuit Court, Camden McClure is a extremist advocate of law enforcement until he kills his brother during a fight. Fleeing from his crime, the judge hires Cal Nelson as his guide through the Western badlands. While crossing the desert, they meet Mary Jackson, who is lost and exhausted. Mary recovers, but the judge suffers heat stroke and, in his delirium, confesses his crime to Mary. To ease his guilt, Mary admits that she is a murderer, too, and the couple decide to get married. However, when the judge reads that his brother is alive, he once again adheres to the letter of the law and denounces Mary to the authorities. Cal, who has fallen in love with Mary, carries her to the desert to escape the sheriff, and there Mary admits that she fabricated her crime to relieve the judge. The judge then discovers that his brother is actually dead, and follows the fugitives into the desert, but is killed in a sandstorm, thus freeing Mary to wed Cal.

Dir: Jack Conway

John Fairmeadow has been expelled from a theological seminary because of his evident unfitness for the ministry. He goes West and finally winds up in a lumber camp. Pattie, the pet of the woodsmen, is praying for a parson to come perform her father's burial service--he was killed by a falling tree. Fairmeadow's clerical appearance makes his arrival seemingly providential, for Pattie declares when she beholds him that her prayers have been answered, so Fairmeadow is compelled to conduct the burial service and thereafter pose as a parson. Having gone to the woods to fight out his own battles, Fairmeadow gains help for himself in helping others. The "parson's" reputation as an exhorter has traveled to a nearby camp and he is urged to go there and conduct revival services. Jack Flack, the "boss" of the neighboring camp, objects to Fairmeadow's activities and undertakes to physically expel him from the community. In this encounter Flack comes off second best, and Fairmeadow's record is enhanced. Flack is living with a girl he has enticed from the camp where Fairmeadow makes his headquarters. This girl is moved by Fairmeadow's sermons to leave her environments and return home. She leaves her baby where Fairmeadow will come upon it in the woods, and when the "parson" takes it in his arms and carries it to his home camp, she follows. Going directly to Pattie's home, Fairmeadow is arranging for the care of the child when its mother is discovered by Pattie looking in at the window. Thus mother and child are reunited and Fairmeadow and Pattie go with her to her father's home, where a reconciliation is effected. Flack comes to the camp to find the girl and have vengeance upon the "parson." One of the converts Fairmeadow has made kills Flack in a fight, and the "parson'" witnesses that the deed was committed in self-defense. While Fairmeadow has been at the neighboring camp, his congregation has built him a church and cabin to live in, and soon after his return the "parson" is called upon to perform a marriage. Then it is that he makes clear his standing; that he has studied for the ministry but has never been ordained. When one of the lumbermen leaves the woods to visit his mother, he goes to Fairmeadow's father, who is a Bishop, and explains how matters stand with his son. The Bishop hastens to the lumber camp, ordains his son and performs two marriages, one of which unites Fairmeadow and Pattie.

Dir: Jack Conway

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

Genuinely sweet natured, Ambrosia Lee loves to help everyone, soothing their sorrows with her cheerful spirit. Her charms are put to the test, when she tries to save her own Aunt Charlotte's marriage. Happily, all ends well, when her Aunt and Uncle are happily reunited.

Dir: Jack Conway

Tito Lombardi a Fifth Avenue dress designer, causes his business to suffer by his generous dispensation of credit to clients, one of whom, Max Strohm, the manager of a musical review, has promised payment for his girls' lavish costumes as soon as the show makes money. To the dismay of Norah Blake, Lombardi's faithful assistant, who loves him, Lombardi proposes to Phyllis Manning, one of the showgirls, and presents her with his finest creations, while not even attempting to kiss her, as she puts off setting a wedding date and also accepts the attentions of wealthy bachelor Bob Tarrant. After Strohm's show fails and Phyllis leaves with Tarrant for California, Lombardi's establishment nears bankruptcy. Daisy, one of Lombardi's models, accepts the proposal from Lombardi's friend, Rickey, a chauffeur. When she discovers he is the son of "Riccardo the vermicelli king" and quite rich, she convinces Rickey to help Lombardi. Under Norah's direction, the business is revitalized. Lombardi finally sees Norah's value, and they marry.

Dir: Jack Conway

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

Chattfield Bruce, In China to buy goods for an American firm, Chattfield Bruce is impressed by the conduct of Wong Lee, a pirate who plies his occupation solely for the purpose of giving to the poor the rice and treasures he steals from the rich. The Chinese pirate has been particularly active in his depredations against the rich shipowner, Fong Wo Chong. The merchant offers a reward for the pirate's apprehension and Caglioni, one of Wong Lee's henchmen, betrays his master. Bruce discovers the fact in time to notify Wong Lee. In gratitude, the pirate gives the American a ring guaranteed to give the wearer the allegiance of Chinamen in any part of the world. When Bruce returns to America he resumes his position in good society and becomes noted for his generosity to the poor. He is reputed to receive large incomes from his estates, but in reality Bruce has adopted the Wong Lee method of equaling the wealth of the world. Wong Lee's son comes to New York and opens a store in Chinatown, as the base of operations for Bruce's activities. To provide himself with an occupation that will give him wider scope for his practicing his peculiar style of philanthropy, Bruce retains his position with Nathan Goldberg, a merchant with social aspirations for his daughter. Marjorie Woods, a schoolmate of Miss Goldberg, arrives from Europe with Sir Archibald Bamford, a bankrupt nobleman, following closely in her wake, his eyes upon the fortune Miss Woods is reputed to possess. Goldberg has purchased for his daughter a string of pearls of great value. There is arranged a lawn party by the Goldbergs as a welcome to Marjorie. To this the Goldbergs invite everybody listed in the social register. Goldberg hires detectives to guard the pearls. Unknown to Bruce, Wong Lee's betrayer has come to America and Caglioni is now a member of the local detective force and in charge of the arrangements for protecting the Goldberg pearls. Bruce has arranged that Wong Lee's son shall act as one of the waiters at the garden party. At an opportune time Bruce gets the Goldberg pearls into his hands, and clumsily drops them to the ground, when, in picking them up, the young Chinese man substitutes worthless imitations for the string of expensive pearls and slips the real ones into his wide sleeve. The Goldberg pearls were intended to be subsequently disposed of through the Chinese man's source of distribution, Bruce to use the proceeds to build a hospital for the infirm and afflicted poor. Bruce and Marjorie have been invited to spend the night at the Goldbergs. Bruce wanders into the Goldberg drawing room in time to witness the burglary of the wall-safe where Goldberg deposited the spurious pearls for safekeeping. Caglioni is concerned in the burglary and has also recognized Bruce as the man who, in China, warned Wong Lee of his danger. Marjorie, restless, wanders into the drawing room and is another witness to the burglary. The girl is mystified by Bruce's strange conduct. Bruce confesses to Marjorie that he is a social buccaneer. Miss Woods induces him to abandon his peculiar pastime and become a good, dutiful husband.

Dir: Jack Conway

Patricia Reynolds, the belle of the summer resort she is visiting with her friend, Amy Powellson, attracts the attention of Arthur Kirby, whom Amy loves. On an evening drive, Arthur tries to kiss Patricia , whereupon she leaps from the car and walks home. While Amy, disguised in Patricia 's clothing, accompanies Arthur to a roadhouse, Patricia , walking near the beach, sees her invalid friend, Jim Wheeler, jump into the ocean intending to kill himself. After rescuing him, Patricia persuades Jim to visit a specialist, but when she later is accused of spending the night with Arthur, she refuses to defend herself in order to conceal Jim's attempted suicide. Hastings Carson tries to save her reputation, but he subsequently attacks her, and she is forced to swim from his yacht to shore. Cured, Jim returns to remove Patricia from this social quagmire by marrying her.

Dir: Jack Conway

Inheriting his father's alcoholism, Lawyer Tom Gallatin goes into the woods to rehabilitate himself. Once there, he loses his way and then meets Jane Loring, who is also lost. They are attracted to each other, but when Jane offers him a drink from a flask, Tom takes more than just a few sips, and then tries to rape her. A search party rescues Jane, after which, sobered by the seriousness of his attempted crime, Tom cures himself of his drinking problem. Later, in the city, Jane and Tom meet again and she forgives him. However, Coleman Van Duyn, who loves Jane, and Nina Jaffray, who wants to marry Tom, decide to make sure that no romance develops. They convince Jane that Tom is already engaged to Nina, but then, guilt-ridden, the alleged fiancee confesses everything to Jane, who quickly goes to Tom and tells him that she loves him.