Hidden Genre Gems In Alignment with the style of The Wildcat of Paris: Cult Guide

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

Joe Lawson, a corrupt gold miner, kills his partner, his partner's wife and his own wife for the mine, and steals his partner's child, while abandoning his own child. He starts an outlaw town. 20 years later, his son returns as does his partner, who's not really dead, but is rather unhappy.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

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

While awaiting the train to Broadway, Nell Baxter meets the leading man of a repertory company to whom she confides her ambitions. Upon arriving in the city, Nell attracts the lascivious eye of stage manager David Montieth, who eventually gives her the starring role in a play with the expectation that he will be favored with her affections. Nell, however, has fallen in love with playwright Paul Neihoff. On the afternoon that the show is to open, Montieth learns of Nell's romance and cancels the show. Nell goes to Montieth's apartment to plead with him to open the show, and he consents after setting Nell's virtue as the price of her ambition. When he attempts to collect, Nell stabs him and rushes to Neihoff's apartment. The playwright tells her to go to the theater as if nothing has happened, writes a letter confessing that he killed the manager, and then takes an overdose of a drug and dies. Word comes to Nell after the second act that Neihoff has sacrificed himself, and in the last act, she substitutes a real dagger for the fake one and stabs herself to death. It has all been a story, however, concocted by the leading man to cure Nell of her infatuation with the footlights, and no one has died.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

Nora Helmer has years earlier committed a forgery in order to save the life of her authoritarian husband Torvald. Now she is being blackmailed lives in fear of her husband's finding out and of the shame such a revelation would bring to his career. But when the truth comes out, Nora is shocked to learn where she really stands in her husband's esteem.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

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

Nenette Bisson, who dances in her father's French restaurant in New York, takes a joy ride with "Kink" Colby in a stolen car, and is shot in the shoulder by a pursuing policeman. The driver leaves her at the hospital of David Kendall, with whom she falls in love, but he, believing French women to be frivolous, does not return her affections. Nenette's parents turn her out when they learn of her trouble with the police, after which she becomes a success on the stage. David serves overseas for two years during World War I and there learns to appreciate the valiance of French women. On his return, he proclaims his love for Nenette and helps her achieve a reconciliation with her parents.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

After divorcing his first wife and marrying a more gentle natured woman, Ralph Hadley finds himself again attracted to his ex-wife, a shrewd business woman. Trouble begins when he foolishly invites her to lunch, setting gossipy tongues-wagging. The news reaches his devoted wife who has discovered she is pregnant. She confronts the ex-wife who agrees to never see Ralph again and marries another admirer. Devasted, Ralph decides to kill himself ,luckily he is found in time by the doctor with the good news of the birth of his child. Ralph regains his senses and the couple are happily reunited.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

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

A pacifist mother tries to protect her son, whose patriotism makes him want to enlist in the army. Her uncle, a doctor, has invented a heart medication which mimics heart disease. Just a drop or ten in her son's drink should keep him home.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

Louis and August Siever, twin sons of a German father and American mother, are traveling through Europe when war breaks out. August joins the Kaiser's army, while Louis, a loyal American, is trapped in Berlin for a year while he tries to prove his citizenship. After a violent confrontation with Louis, August steals his brother's passport and leaves for New York City with Gerda Anderson, a German spy. Louis also returns to the U.S., and sometime later is invited to a weekend party on Long Island by his wealthy friends, the Waynes. When August and Gerda learn of the event, they rent a nearby house and invite all of the Waynes' guests, including Louis, to a "mystery" party. Upon their arrival, the women are held prisoner and ransom notes are sent to their husbands via carrier pigeon. Shirley Wayne and Louis track down and are captured by the kidnappers. Meanwhile, Mortimer Eddington, an amateur detective, devises a method to trace the pigeons back to the house. Before Shirley and Louis come to harm, police officers arrive and demand the Germans' surrender.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

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

Mary and Fannie Graham are forced to live with their criminal father when their mother dies. Mary flees, but Fannie remains with her father and is reared as a thief, becoming known as "Flash" Fan.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

"Coyote" Crosby, owner of the "Big Star" ranch is in a feud with "Horned Toad" Smith, an Arizona bad-man, who claims Crosby's house is on his land, "Horned Toad" draws first and kills "Coyote" The first news of the killing reaches Dorothy Stewart, "Coyote's" niece and Teddy Crosby's cousin, and she sends for Teddy to inform him that "Coyote's" will specifies that they must marry to inherit the ranch. This pleases Teddy, who now receives word from two lawyers, Teck and Kikal, executors of his uncle's will, to meet them at a hotel, These men are crooks and try to frighten Teddy so that he will sell the ranch cheap. They tell him a wild and weird take about "Horned Toad" and Teddy, all his life aching for such an experience, refuses to sell and declares he is leaving on the first train for the West. Paprika, a black-eyed, young woman, who has a claim against Teddy's uncle, comes to New York to force Teddy to settle with her. She just misses him at his apartment and goes to Dorothy*n home, where Herbert Wendling a fortune hunter and suitor for Dorothy's hand, learns enough from Paprika to allow him to intimate to Dorothy and her mother that Paprika has been mixed up in Teddy's life, Dorothy refuses to believe the story, but her mother is skeptical. When they hear from Herbert that Paprika went West on the same train with Teddy, they immediately start for the ranch to protect Dorothy's interests. Arriving in the feet, Teddy starts looking around the town, in his evening clothes, in which he was dressed when put on the train by his intoxicated friends, and wine a full outfit of Western togs from a cowboy who in turn dons the formal costume. Teck and Nikal have informed "Horned Toad" that Teddy is wearing evening clothes, "Horned Toad" finds the cowboy with the said outfit and is about to shoot, but the cowboy is too quick and Teddy barely saves "Horned Toad's" life. Neither knowing the other, Teddy and "Horned Toad" become bosom friends. Upon finding Paprika comfortably settled at the ranch, Dorothy, her mother and Herbert are about to leave for the East, when "Horned Toad's" gang raids the place. Herbert is frightened and in attempting to hide, becomes involved in a ludicrous situation with Paprika. Teddy seeing this and learning of the suspicion against himself, turns the tables on Herbert. It is the Fourth of July and Teddy insists on going to town for fireworks, ignoring the warning from "Horned Toad" that the ranch must be surrendered in twelve hours. Teck and Nikal plot to get Dorothy to sign over her interest in the ranch, and to have "Horned Toad" kill Teddy. They send a gang of Mexicans to capture Dorothy; they storm the house and, discovering the wine cellar get very drunk. Pedro, the leader steals Dorothy, while Herbert flees and goes to tell Teddy of the trouble. Teddy rescues her in a spectacular manner, but they are captured by "Horned Toad's" men, Teddy is tied to a tree and "Horned Road" heats a branding iron to brand him. Dorothy is allowed to return to the ranch where she tells the cowboys of the incident and they swoop down on "Horned Toad's" men, but are held at bay. The Mexicans go to Teck and Nikal for their money and, upon being refused because of not delivering the girl, they mob the lawyers, who take refuge in jail. At daybreak the cowboys defeat "Horned Toad's" gang and, to their surprise, find "Horned Toad" wrapped in a blanket playing poker with Teddy. Teddy has won all "Horned Toad's" clothes and his claim to the Big Star ranch. Teddy likes "Horned Toad" and gives him the job as foreman of the ranch. Teddy and Dorothy marry and also do "Horned Toad" and Paprika, who formerly were sweethearts. Herbert speeds Eastward, very glad to be out of the terrible West.

Dir: Joseph De Grasse

Dick Temple is serving a five-year prison sentence because he took the blame for a robbery his father committed. His father promises to go straight, but the old man dies two years later, before he can reveal Dick was Innocent.