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Mother Love and the Law Synopsis
Desiring the best for his little daughter Marion, impoverished farmer George Leyden agrees to allow her to become the ward of Mrs. John Marshall, a wealthy woman who has taken an interest in the child. Exposed to all the privileges in life, Marion grows into a well educated, beautiful woman and a loyal companion to Mrs. Marshall, who is now an invalid. Marion falls in love with Jimmy Harwood, a wealthy young man, but when Mrs. Marshall's death leaves her husband bereft of companionship, Marion agrees to marry her benefactor. Heartbroken, Jimmy goes abroad where, joined by the formerly brilliant criminal lawyer George Straight, he enters a life of dissipation. Meanwhile, Marshall dies suddenly and his scheming relatives accuse Marion of murder. Pregnant, she goes away to another city where her baby is born. At the time of its birth, another baby is born in an adjoining hospital room, only to die of suffocation. Fearing that the birth of the child may rob them of Marshall's fortune, the relatives maintain that it was Marion's boy who died and that she had gained possession of the other child to assure her fortune. Learning of the situation, Jimmy returns, accompanied by Straight, and after many tribulations, Marion's integrity is established and she is granted her baby and her fortune.
The Spitfire of Seville Synopsis
As he lies dying, Don Salvador, the leader of a political outlaw band in the mountains near Seville, tells his daughter Carmelita to marry the best man in the band. After Pedro and Leonardo duel, Carmelita agrees to marry Pedro, the winner, at the Fiesta of Roses, and saves Leonardo. American artist Kent Staunton, painting in the mountains, poses Carmelita, who is dressed as a boy to compete with a friend. After she spends the night in Kent's cabin to avoid a storm, Pedro, misunderstanding, fights Kent and gets arrested. Although attracted to Kent, Carmelita vows revenge when Pedro says that Kent is a spy who killed her father. In Seville, she poses for Kent, but an impulse stops her from stabbing him. After learning that Pedro was lying, Carmelita refuses to marry him when he escapes from jail. Pedro slashes her portrait and, threatening to kill Kent, forces a marriage ceremony. Leonardo, however, learns of this and shoots Pedro. Kent and Carmelita then marry.
"Mother Love and the Law" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Spitfire of Seville" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Mother Love and the Law