The House Built Upon Sand(1916)

An Adventure in Hearts(en)

American agent Captain Dieppe gets involved in the affairs of lonely Count Fieramondi in Northern Italy. Dieppe, hired to help the count reconcile with his wife who has gone to Rome to pay off gambling debts mistakenly falls in love with her cousin, Lucia, who is impersonating her. After Dieppe retrieves evidence of the debts and the real identities are revealed, he makes a final sacrifice to ensure the count and countess can reunite.

Putting It Over(en)

Jack Trevor, an automobile salesman who takes the place of the recently deceased heir, Horace Barney, after a train crash. Trevor, who has a striking resemblance to Barney, finds himself at the mansion where he falls in love with Barney's cousin and rightful heiress, Helen. He must then expose the fraudulent scheme of Barney's guardian and his accomplices to save the estate and win Helen's love.

The Medallion(en)

The story is laid in Italy, during the 17th century, and concerns itself with the love and suffering of David, a great painter. Unknown to David, his betrothed has a brother in prison, and his shame is kept hidden for the honor of the family. This brother, escaping from his cell, goes by night to his sister's room. David, coming to serenade her, sees the brother leave her window; thinking her false, casts her off, and she is too proud to tell him the truth. David, heartbroken, goes to a monastery to seek refuge from the world in seclusion. While there, he learns the truth. A great revulsion of feeling takes place in his heart. A mock sees his grief and begs him seek solace in painting a masterpiece for the altar. This he does, but is stricken to the heart. Gianetta on her way to church sees him weak and ill, crossing the plaza. She follows to his studio in the church. There they come to understand each other, but too late.

The Goat(en)

Chuck McCarthy, an intrepid young ironworker, longs to become an actor, despite the protests of his girl, Molly O'Connors, and his family. In dashing up the frame of a building to catch actress Bijou Lamour's runaway pet monkey, he attracts the attention of the studio managers, who make him a stuntman. For a time Charles is happy executing life-risking feats and strutting around in new clothes, although the company laughs at him behind his back. When leading man Marmaduke X. Caruthers refuses to perform a particularly dangerous stunt in a war film, Chuck doubles for him and is seriously injured. The studio manager, who recognizes in the incident an opportunity to promote his star, quickly wraps Marmaduke in bandages and sends him to the hospital, while Chuck is secretly removed through the back door. The next day, the Filmcraft Company sends Chuck a check for $1,000 to keep quiet about the accident. He and Molly use the money on their honeymoon to Niagara Falls.

The Brass Bottle(en)

Horace Ventimore, a young London architect, stumbles across an old brass bottle. When he picks it up a genie suddenly appears and promises Horace that he will grant every wish Horace wants in exchange for his freedom. Horace accepts the genie's offer but finds out that things aren't working out quite as well as he thought they would.

Richelieu(en)

Based on a play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Originally released in six reels, but later cut to four due to poor reviews. A lost film.

Flitterwochen(de)

Newlyweds Käthe and Max met while studying law. Trouble ensues when Max takes on his first case without telling his wife.

The Profligate(en)

Young lawyer Richard Potter and Irene Roberts are secretly engaged but Irene’s social climbing mother wants her to marry a wealthy man. To that end she schemes with banker David Winters to break up Richard and Irene and pair her with Winters profligate son Gerald Winters. They succeed temporarily but Gerald is a violent drunk who runs with a fast crowd and eventually ends up charged with murder. Though innocent Gerald has been well framed and faces the gallows until Irene appeals to Richard, now the District Attorney, for aid. At the eleventh hour a confession saves Richard, allowing Richard and Irene to reunite.

Our Daily Bread(xx)

The daily lives and struggles of a group of workers in a small German town. They face poverty, unemployment, and various hardships, but also find moments of hope and solidarity. The film portrays their efforts to survive and support each other in difficult economic conditions.

The Forecast(en)

Wealthy bachelor Forest Keene lives in a mansion with his nephew Rex Booth and housekeeper Janet. Rex and Janet are in love with each other, but Keene objects to the match threatening disinheritance in the event of a marriage. Gifted with an ancient knife, Keene nods off holding it, falling into a nightmare where he sees the ruination of them all because of his obstinacy. Awakening he realizes the folly of his objections and gives his consent to Rex and Janet’s union.

Marianna(en)

Pietro Roma, maker of plaster figures, is struggling for existence in one room in a tenement with his blind wife and their granddaughter Marianna, who markets her grandfather's products in a pushcart.

Swanee River(en)

A power company floods a sleepy Tennessee Valley for a dam to run a hydraulic power plant. Garry, a Northern engineer on the project, falls in love with Caroline, Colonel Bradford's adopted daughter.

Once a Gentleman(en)

A butler goes on vacation, where he is wrongly taken to be a wealthy man.

Say Uncle(en)

While there isn't a clear synopsis of this short it it known that it was a slapstick "Christie Comedy," a popular series of shorts from that era known for mechanical gags and situational humor.

Somehow Good(en)

The Husband Hunter(en)

Millionaire Kent Whitney is warned by Bob Harkness, one of her rejected suitors, about the fickleness of his girlfriend, socialite Myra Hastings. Together they concoct a scheme to teach her a lesson. Kent invites Myra home to meet his family, and she goes, expecting to find an atmosphere of elegance and refinement. Instead, she is greeted by Kent's eccentric father, who affronts her with crude jokes; Kent's mother is introduced reclining on a couch, surrounded by yapping dogs and Myra flees. Upon discovering that the evening was a ruse, Myra decides to retaliate. She hires a fake minister, pretends to marry Kent and then deserts him, leaving behind a message explaining that the ceremony was a farce. Kent pursues Myra and persuades her that a real marriage is in order.

The Winding Stair(en)

Paul is a fearless French Foreign Legion officer. Ordered to quell a native uprising at a far-away outpost, he discovers that the revolt is actually a subterfuge hatched by the Arabs, so that the city under Paul's command will be left unguarded and defenseless.

Dust(en)

Marion Moore, a young woman from a wealthy family, and her encounter with the harsh realities of industrial labor. Her sweetheart, Frank Kenyon, exposes the appalling working conditions in her father's factory, particularly the plight of a young worker, Mina, whose hand is mangled in a machine. Marion initially resists confronting her father, but a visit to Mina's home, forced by Frank, changes her perspective.

Cupid Angling(en)

Cupid Angling is a 1918 silent film starring Ruth Roland and Albert Morrison, with walk-on appearances by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. It was the only feature film photographed using the Douglass Natural Color process.

Romeo and Juliet(en)

Shakespeare's tragedy of two young people who fall desperately in love despite the ancient feud between their two families. A lost film.