Deep Archive Finds in the Vein of Turn to the Right: Cult Guide

Dir: Richard Smith

Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

Dir: Edward LeSaint

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

When famous opera singer Elinore Duane undergoes an operation on her throat, she has a series of ether-induced visions. In one, she is transported to ancient Rome where she appears as a much-admired woman in love with Paul, a young heretic, and at odds with Lutor, the high priest. To save her love, she poisons Lutor with her ring. After several other visions which involve variations on this love triangle, Elinore awakens to discover that Lutor is actually her doctor, Sascha Jaccard, and that Paul is the son of a friend who has come to visit the recovering prima donna.

Dir: Unknown Director

The Judge needs a present for his wife's birthday, so Harry suggests a new corset. They go to the shop, but he's so embarrassed to ask the saleslady he hides in a phone booth.Harry goes in, but finds a GUY wearing one, and runs out.They both dress as women to get back in, but Mrs. Rummy gets there and chases him out.

Dir: Rex Ingram

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

When millionaire John Saunders threatens to disinherit his son Wallace if he marries circus rider Queen Tina, Wallace elopes with Tina and becomes a trapeze performer. They lead a happy life until Tina dies giving birth to their daughter Alice. Years later, when the circus passes through Wallace's hometown, John, regretting his action, attends and witnesses Wallace's death by trapeze accident. Alice, now a circus rider herself, goes to live with John, who, despite Alice's antics involving her pet pig Rudolph, sliding down the stairs on a tray, and vaulting over the furniture, grows fond of her. When John tries to marry Alice to his sister's sissified son, she uses Rudolph to frighten him and his mother. After Alice and George Reynolds, whom she knew from the circus, fall in love and elope, John, thinking that George is after her fortune, is furious, but George proves his ability as a cartoonist and earns $1,000 a week to win John's admiration.

Dir: Rex Ingram

Melodrama of a young Italian lady induced to emigrate to New York where her patron abandons her. Her brother then follows, to avenge her dishonor, using a dagger belonging to an artist, who is incriminated.

Dir: Reggie Morris

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Rex Ingram

Bill Carson is sentenced to 12 years for housebreaking. He vows that he will, upon ending his term, have vengeance upon George Devereaux, the prosecuting attorney whose speech swayed the jury to conviction. Carson's little daughter Peggy is being raised by his pal Skinny McGee; the mother died of shock after Carson's conviction. When Skinny dies, the girl Peggy turns to picking pockets for a livelihood, Skinny having brought her to proficiency in this line as her only education. There is a scene pictured in the board rooms of a reform organization. Devereaux accepts a challenge that he cannot take a criminal and reform him by improved and beneficial surroundings. Peggy is brought into a police station on charge of picking pockets, and is chosen to be the one upon whom Devereaux shall practice his experiment. Taking her to his palatial home, Devereaux seeks for two years to train Peggy in the better way. His efforts are variously successful, and finally a young man proposes marriage to Peggy and is accepted. Upon arriving at the church Peggy discovers that she is in love with Devereaux, and flees from the wedding party in consternation. She decides to return to her old life, and departs from the Devereaux home without making her intentions known. About this time Carson ends his term of imprisonment. He seeks to conclude his vengeance by shooting Devereaux, and for that purpose waits for him to come from his house. Carson is hiding behind a tree, when he is recognized by Peggy and when, on the instant that Carson is about to fire a revolver at Devereaux, the girl throws herself before her father and receives in her own body the bullet intended for Devereaux. The story acquires its ending in the recovery of Peggy, the avowed reformation of her father, and the final picture shows Peggy once more established happily in the home where we are led to believe she will, in legal and ceremonial form, eventually become a permanent resident.

Dir: Alexander Butler

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

In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.

Dir: Rex Ingram

Hector Brown, affectionately nicknamed "Humdrum" by the residents of Norwalk because his life is so monotonous, wants to marry Alicia Boothe. Humdrum's brother-in-law Ed Danforth spends all of his money on get-rich-quick schemes, however, so the young bank clerk is forced to support the entire Danforth family. After Danforth and bank president Carlos Tanner rob the bank in which Humdrum is employed, the bank is forced to close, and Humdrum goes to San Francisco to look for a job. In his absence, Alicia inherits a large sum of money and travels to the city to find her fiancé. There she meets Tanner, who takes her money, promising to invest it for her. Having been double-crossed by Tanner, Danforth tells Humdrum the truth about the bank robbery and goes to the police. Humdrum catches the steamer on which Tanner is about to depart, holds the crook until the police arrive, and returns to the Norwalk bank with the stolen funds. He and Alicia marry following his appointment as president of the bank.

Dir: Edgar Jones

A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.