Underground Favorites Parallel to the Artistry of To Honor and Obey...

Dir: Otis Turner

Tired of the life of a gunfighter, Lish Henley settles down in the quiet California town of Peaceful Hill. The town, however, doesn't live up to its name, and it's not long before Lish finds himself the unofficial "mediator" of the town, which is being terrorized by various outlaw gangs. Lish has his own style of "mediating", however--he keeps killing members of rival gangs until they agree to holster their guns and leave the town alone. However, one day Big Bill, an old enemy of Lish's, shows up in town with his gang, looking for payback.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

After a prologue which shows several aerial views of the Acropolis, the story begins. The friendship of Damon, the senator, and Pythias, the soldier, is famous in Ancient Syracuse. Because the general Dionysius is infatuated with Calanthe, Pythias' sweetheart, he sends the soldier to fight the Carthaginians at the Battle of Agrigentum. Pythias returns in triumph, and then angers Dionysius even further when he defeats Aristle, the general's favorite, in a chariot race. During the wedding ceremony for Pythias and Calanthe, Dionysius has himself proclaimed sovereign while Damon is absent from the Senate. Shocked, Damon attempts to assassinate Dionysius, but he fails and is sentenced to death. In order for Damon to say goodbye to his wife and son, Pythias leaves Calanthe and takes his friend's place in prison, offering to die in Damon's place if he does not return. Despite several tests of the strength of their friendship, they remain loyal to each other and so impress Dionysius that he allows them both Free.

Dir: Otis Turner

While working his way through college, Paul Potter acquires a flock of wealthy friends who encourage him to give up his hometown fiancée, Sylvia Castle, for Muriel Evers, a flirtatious married woman. After Sylvia releases Paul, and Muriel's husband divorces her for infidelity, Paul and Muriel marry. Meanwhile, when Sylvia's father dies after being ruined in the stock market, she goes from one job to another in the city until she tries acting in a stock company. There she befriends Henry Leamington, an alcoholic leading man, who, as he tutors her, falls in love and stops drinking because of her. When Paul discovers Muriel's unfaithfulness, he renews his acquaintance with Sylvia, who still loves him. After Muriel dies in an automobile crash, Paul's appearance in Sylvia's dressing room before an opening night causes Henry to drink, but after Sylvia refuses Paul's request to be his mistress, Henry braces himself to give a commanding performance, after which they marry.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

Balentine inherits a fortune from his father. He also inherits a fiancée. He sets out to spend the fortune and would have succeeded had not Vera Morton stepped in. Miss Morton, the fiancée, gets his money away from him, and keeps it until he settles down to earn a living. Jack changes his mind about marrying Miss Morton, when he sees Jane Billon. Vera solves the difficulty by becoming the wife of old Billon. Then she returns Jack's fortune, and he adds to it by acquiring Jane.

Dir: Otis Turner

With the help of futuristic technical inventions, a private detective investigates a bizarre murder case involving mysterious messages delivered in a small black box by the killer.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

Young Anthony March, living in London, inherits a considerable amount of money, but his crooked uncle Dr. Manuel Ceneri steals it. When Anthony gets suspicious, Ceneri's partner in crime, Macari, persuades Ceneri to kill him. However, just as they commit the murder a blind man, Gilbert Vaughan, mistakenly enters the house. Anthony's sister Pauline sees the murder, faints and loses her memory. Thinking they have gotten away with the murder, Ceneri and Macari soon find out that they're in for a shock.

Dir: Otis Turner

Jack Langdon is sent by a San Francisco company to manage its Santa Clara mine in Peru. Gov. Juan Maria Barada, who disputes the American claim to the mine, means to gain possession of it through intimidation. Barada has his henchman, Miguel Alba, try to bribe and then attempt to kill Langdon, who plans to inform his superiors about the plot. Langdon returns to San Francisco, and after six weeks in delirium in the hospital because of Alba's attack, recovers. He then is told that his aunt has died, leaving him the heir to a woman's seminary in Massachussetts, containing 250 female students. Langdon goes to the seminary, and after the commencement exercises, although he thinks that he is alone at the college except for the caretakers, he comes upon Pepita, Barada's daughter, who is a student at the seminary. She escaped from the clutches of the evil Alba and his mistress, Señorita Del Deros, who had tried to kidnap her from the college. Alba returns for Pepita but he is overcome by Langdon who then telephones Barada and informs him that his daughter is safe. In gratitude, Barada promises that Langdon's new tenure in Peru will be trouble free, and that Alba will be silenced permanently.

Dir: Otis Turner

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

Newly wealthy Isidore Lechat lives in a castle in the south of France. He believes that business is the most important thing in life, but manages to stay attached to his children, although he believes that his wife's slovenly appearance detracts from his social position, so he doesn't let her go out in public. He begins an affair with Celeste, an acquaintance of his wastrel son Xavier. He believes that this may be the beginning of a new cycle of personal and business triumphs for him, but soon matters begin to take unexpected turns.

Dir: Otis Turner

Reverend Eric Norton leaves his position in a fashionable New York congregation to preach in a poor mining town, against the wishes of his wife Cecelia. Disputes rage about the safety of the mines, which have been closed under pressure, but in spite of threats from powerful miner "Bull" Morgan, Eric uses his influence with the owner to reopen the mines. Bored with her drab life, Cecelia deserts her infant son and runs off to Paris with former lover Richard Allen, who eventually leaves her. Penitent, Cecelia decides to return home only to find that her husband, believing her dead after reading about her apparent suicide in a newspaper, has married Edith Jackson, his ward. Bull Morgan attempts to blow up the mines but is buried in the explosion instead. Sneaking into her home for a last look at her son, Cecelia accidentally sets the house on fire. After a brave rescue of the baby, Cecelia begs Eric's forgiveness, then dies.

Dir: Otis Turner

The tale is that of a curious expedition to a pearl lagoon off the South Sea Islands in search of untold treasures. The members of the party are a newspaper reporter, a degenerate Australian, who is literally seeped in gin, and a cunning Chinese, who supplies the money to fit out the vessel. When they arrive at the island, they find only a girl, Leila, who was shipwrecked with her father long before. Leila is so glad to see white men again that she eagerly shows them a bag of beautiful pearls brought up from the ocean bed by her father, who disappeared shortly afterward. The pearls are so tempting to the Australian and the Chinese that they form a combination against Leila and the reporter, Bruce Chalmers, when the latter refuses to aid them in robbing the girl. The struggle which follows for the possession of the pearls and the lagoon is very realistic.