The Fates and Flora Fourflush

Summary

A delirious three-reel carnival of cliff-hangers, celluloid delirium, and dime-novel delirium, The Fates and Flora Fourflush straps its viewers to a runaway carousel: orphan heiress Flora Fourflush, whose cash-stuffed reticule is matched only by her aptitude for peril, inadvertently mows down Frank Goodheart—litter-collecting knight in tarnished armor—beneath the brass-bound wheels of her 1892 Combustible. Convalescence breeds gallantry, yet gallantry breeds vendetta: Sir Simon Blackheart, whiskered gargoyle of thwarted desire, answers rejection with stamped dynamite and grand theft aeronautica. A trans-Atlantic sky-race becomes a dragonfly death-spiral when the villain makes off with the engine mid-air; Frank, astride a patchwork balloon, plucks Flora from gravity’s maw only to be shot down again, the sky itself coughing them back through the greenhouse glass like overripe fruit. Undeterred, the odyssey ricochets from pirate-infested high seas—where Frank promenades across the ocean floor shouldering a cannonball necklace—to the Rajah of Chutneypore’s bejewelled catacombs, where stone elephants crush and alligators gnash. Ruby heists, railroad ties, dynamite cottages, and a locomotive duel at ten heroic miles-per-hour culminate in Blackheart’s explosively karmic dismantling, leaving the street-sweeper and the millionairess to pocket both love and gemstone, their fortunes now inseparably fused.

Synopsis

Episode 1: "Treachery in the Clouds" This picture is a parody on the numerous thrills, perils and mysteries recently perpetrated and must not be taken too seriously. After being run over by a ponderous four-horse-power "1892 Combustible," belonging to Flora Fourflush, an orphan millionairess, Frank Goodheart, a poor but true-hearted young street-cleaner, is carried home in her car. While Frank is recuperating, Sir Simon Blackheart, a ferocious villain and a persistent suitor for Flora's hand, calls, and when his love is scorned, seizes Flora in his arms and endeavors to kiss her. Frank hurls himself upon the rascal and throws him out the door, while she exclaims. "My Hero," but he refuses her hand in marriage, until he has first made his fortune. Sir Simon then sends a dynamite bomb through the mail to the unsuspecting Flora, but Frank is "on the job" and again the villain is foiled. Blackheart carries out a dastardly plan, shortly afterwards, breaks into Flora's hangar, where her trans-Atlantic flier is housed, and steals the aeroplane's engine. On the day of the big race across the ocean, Flora seats herself in her machine and the great ship wobbles up into the air, acting like a dragonfly with a broken wing. Sir Simon enters the grounds, laughing grimly. Flora, meanwhile, now 3,000 feet in the air, suddenly discovers that her engine has been stolen. Frank, watching her through his glasses, realizes the awful truth, and jumping into a balloon, soars upwards to the rescue of Flora. Brave Frank, "steering" his balloon nearly under the falling air machine, grabs the heroine as she passes him and drags her safely into the balloon. Sir Simon witnesses this, and boiling with rage, loads his deadly rifle. With one fatal shot, he bursts the balloon's gas bag, hurling our hero and Flora to earth. Episode 2: "The Treasure Temple of Bhosh" At the finish of the first installment of this series, Frank, the honest young street cleaner and Flora, the beautiful millionairess, were hurtling through the air towards the earth, after being thrown from a balloon burst by the arch-fiend. Sir Simon Blackheart, their hated enemy. By an odd coincidence the balloon basket containing Flora and Frank drops through the glass conservatory of Flora's house, arriving just in time for tea. Flora then decides to take a trip to India to see the Rajah of Chutneypore. Frank accompanies her and on the way they are attacked by pirates, the chief of whom proves to be none other than Sir Simon. Frank is captured, but Flora escapes in the yacht. By the villain's orders, poor Frank, with a cannon tied to his neck, is thrown overboard. Holding his breath, the brave youth picks up the cannon and walks along the ocean bottom to shore and safety. Finding a small boat, he gets into it and rows out to sea. The pirates see him coming and fire upon him. The shell, with fuse burning, drops into Frank's boat. He nonchalantly picks it up and hurls it back to the pirate ship, where it explodes and kills all but Sir Simon. Later, Flora arrives in India, and while visiting the Rajah, is seen by the rascal Sir Simon, disguised as an Indian fakir. The Rajah shows her the famous treasure house of Bhosh, which is in a vault beneath the figure of a huge elephant. While she is inside Sir Simon creeps up and pulls the elephant's tail, causing the ponderous roof to slide down, slowing crushing the helpless Flora. She screams for help, and Frank, who has just arrived at the palace, breaks through a stone wall with his bare hands to rescue her. Sir Simon then prevails upon the Rajah to have the foreigners thrown into the alligator pit. and the terrible vengeance is carried out to the bitter end. The next installment shows what occurred in the alligator pit. Episode 3: "A Race for Life" By performing prodigies of valor, Honest Frank, our hero, rescues himself from the alligator pit where he and the beautiful heroine, Flora Fourflush, have been thrown by order of the Rajah of Chutenpore, unduly influenced by Sir Simon Blackheart, the villain. Safely out of danger himself, brave Frank then rescues Flora by stealing the giant ruby from the treasure-house elephant, and is tracked by his human bloodhounds. Unsatiated by his villainies, Blackheart commands his thugs to capture Frank, and the long-suffering hero is tied upon a railroad track. Flora is warned of his terrible plight and hastens in her racing car, good for ten miles an hour or more, to the rescue of her lover. Sir Simon steals a locomotive and is soon speeding towards the helpless Frank. The poor street-sweeper is struck and run over, but miraculously escapes injury, springs into the engine cab and heaves Sir Simon down the bank. The arch-villain then disguises himself as a child, hunts up our unsuspecting hero and tells him that Flora awaits him in a deserted cottage. Sir Simon little knows that the Rajah and his men are on his track. Flora, meanwhile, has arrived too late to save her lover from the engine. She learns of his escape, and meeting the Rajah, is told that Sir Simon has tied Frank to several cases of dynamite in the cabin and is even now lighting the fuse. Brave as a lioness, Flora rushes to help Frank, followed by the Rajah and his High Priest. They overcome Blackheart, rescue Frank from his perilous position and tie Sir Simon in his place, beside the explosive. All depart to a safe distance and see the villain blown to atoms. Frank and Flora embrace and the Rajah adds to their happiness by presenting them with the huge ruby as a wedding present. END