Footlights and Shadows
Summary
Gloria Dawn, a luminary of the Ziegfeldian stage whose aspirations are tethered to the fiscal security of a mercenary betrothal, finds her moral compass recalibrated by the sudden intrusion of a tabula rasa. Into her opulent solitude stumbles an amnesiac, a man stripped of his history and social standing, providing a blank canvas upon which Gloria projects a burgeoning, selfless affection. As she metamorphoses from a cynical fortune-hunter into a devoted caregiver, the stranger’s recovery remains tantalizingly incomplete. Upon deciphering his true identity as the affluent sportsman Jerry O'Farrell, Gloria’s attempt to bridge the gap between his past and present is thwarted by his abrupt disappearance and continued cognitive fragmentation. The narrative reaches a fever pitch within the claustrophobic confines of a burning theater, where the visceral shock of a conflagration serves as the catalyst for Jerry’s mnemonic restoration. Amidst the chaos, the predatory Peter Shaw attempts to reclaim his domestic prize, but the crucible of the fire and the sudden clarity of Jerry’s recognition coalesce into a definitive reclamation of love over leverage.
Synopsis
A fortune-hunting follies star Gloria Dawn ( Olive Thomas ), begins to question her engagement to wealthy Peter Shaw after meeting an amnesiac young man who stumbles into her apartment one night. The doctor instructs that he not be moved, so Gloria nurses the stranger back to health, although his memory fails to return. Gloria falls in love with her patient and, upon discovering that he is millionaire sportsman Jerry O'Farrell, rushes home to restore his identity, only to find that he has gone. Amnesia continues to plague Jerry, and he soon forgets both Gloria's name and address. While he is attending a show at the follies, a fire breaks out, and Gloria, recognizing her lover in the audience, rushes to save him. Meanwhile, Shaw, who has discovered Gloria's feelings for Jerry, accosts her. Jerry, who has finally regained his memory, intercedes and rescues Gloria, and the two fall in love.
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