The Hand That Rocks the Cradle(1917)

A Romance of the Underworld(en)

Convent raised Doris Elliott moves to New York to live with her brother Richard not knowing that he is part of a drug trafficking ring controlled by unscrupulous ward boss Michael O'Leary. At first Doris remains ignorant of the pervasiveness of crime and corruption in the Lower East Side until her friend, Mamie Bronson, whose brother, "Dopey Benny," has fallen victim to drugs, confesses that O'Leary has raped her. When O'Leary breaks into their home and attempts to rape her as well, he is shot when Richard unexpectedly arrives. Finding O'Leary dead and Richard unconscious, the police arrest Doris, and she is tried for murder. Defense lawyer Thomas McDonald, who has been working to expose the politician, is losing his case when Dopey Benny testifies that he killed O'Leary to avenge his sister's assault. Acquitted Doris is now free to marry Thomas.

A Little Volunteer(en)

Wealthy widower Richard Sinclaire's 12-year-old daughter Joyce has everything she desires except the companionship of other young people.

The Chimney Sweep(en)

Jimmy, a waif chimney sweep, sees Joyce while cleaning a chimney in Colonel Wynne's magnificent home, and believes that she is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. He clips a curl while she sleeps and leaves note explaining that he "Tuk the kurl bekawse yure the purtiest gurl I ever saw." Donaldson, the colonel's close friend, adopts Jimmy, who grows up into a well-educated young man. Joyce likes him immediately, but he has a rival, Carl Bellou. Jimmy writes a note to Joyce informing her that one of her suitors is the little chimney sweep who has striven ever since to make himself worthy of her. He tells Bellou about it and the latter hurries to announce himself as the chimney sweep. "I had hoped it was Jimmy," she tells him, and Jimmy enters in time to hear her words. He has the ring with him.

Orphan Joyce(en)

The day after the funeral of their beloved daughter, Mrs. Mason unexpectedly meets young orphan Joyce and is struck by her resemblance to her lost child. She and Mr. Mason adopt her and for a while all is well until Joyce begins to suspect Jenks the new butler. Her instinct proves correct: Jenks is the tool of Jim Vaughn, notorious leader of a burglary ring. One night while Mr. Mason is out trying to resolve some business difficulties, Jim Vaughn breaks into the house. Joyce, awakened, hears him removing valuables, aided by Jenks. Desperate, she grasps her foster father's revolver holding them at bay while phoning Mason. Arriving with the police, Vaughn is captured. Joyce is presented the $5,000 reward which she turns over to Mason, solving his problems.

The Little Samaritan(en)

On the morning of her 11th birthday, Joyce reads in one of her gift books that she should perform a good deed. After giving the $5 gift to an old man in the park her mother reprimands her and warns her that old men steal little girls. She goes to the park the next day to see if this is true. Her old friend assures her it isn’t, and she invites him to come to her home. Hiding him in the attic she hears the story of how he left his little girl with friends’ years before, and when he returned, all trace of her had been lost. When Joyce’s parents return the old man recognizes Mrs. Farley as his long-lost daughter much to the delight of all except Joyce, who pouts that she can have nothing of her own without others sharing it. So, she invites a host of human derelicts in to dine, insisting that they too have lost their little girls.

The Victim(en)

A priest is trying to help a poor family when nearby the father is hit on the head by a criminal who then throws him off a bridge into the water below. The priest administers Last Rites then seeks to help the family and find the murderer.

Over the Hill(en)

The spread of yellow journalism in a small town almost destroys the lives of several people and threatens the livelihood of the hamlet itself.

A Son of the Sahara(en)

As a boy, Raoul is reared by an Arab tribe in Algerian Sahara. Years later, as a refined Europeanized gentleman, he falls in love with Barbara, an officer's daughter, who rejects him when she discovers his background. Affecting a raid, he captures her and then secretly buys her at a slave auction. When she is rescued by French troops, however, his ancestry is established and they find happiness together.

My Lady's Slipper(en)

In France during the reign of Louis XVI American naval officer Francis Burnham escapes from a British convict ship. He flees to Paris to see Benjamin Franklin only to find him away. At loose ends he becomes indebted to the Marquis de Tremignon who under threat of imprisonment involves him in an intrigue to compromise the Countess De Villars to force her into marriage. While unwillingly purloining one of her slippers the lady catches him, and they realize he had saved her at one time from highwaymen. After many contretemps, the Marquis is disgraced, and the Countess and Burnham are united.

The Square Root(en)

Photographer Peter Christiansen, University of Miami student, does a picture story at an LSD party on the beach.

Prinz Kuckuck(de)

The niece and nephew of an eccentric millionaire try to get a share of the now deceased millionaire's inheritance from his adopted son who delights in squandering it. Considered lost.

The Glory of Yolanda(en)

A Russian peasant girl becomes a member of the Imperial Ballet.

An Orphan’s Cry(zh)

The Cave Girl(en)

Margot Sperry, who keeps house for her guardian, a professor who wants to revert to primitive modes of living, finds it difficult to find food in the winter wilderness and resorts to pilfering from the Bates's winter camp. Divvy, engaged to a girl he does not love, meets Margot on one of her raids and falls in love with her. Baptiste, a half-breed employed by the Bates family, is discharged for stealing and burns the camp, driving the family to refuge with Margot. Elsie, hoping to regain Divvy's affections, dresses in boyish clothes similar to Margot's. Joining forces with Baptiste, they capture Margot, and Baptiste takes her in a canoe downstream. Realizing her mistake, Elsie warns Divvy, who bests the half-breed and then rescues Margot from the falls. A lost film.

Not So Long Ago(en)

Against the backdrop of New York City of the early 1850s, a young woman -- naively seeking to win the love she reads about in the romance novels she devours -- finds one prospect in an earnest denizen of the Bowery, and another in an elegant young aristocrat. Focusing on the bygone era's fashions, the novelty of the bicycle-built-for-two, and an inventor's quest for the horseless carriage, the film gently stirs the audiences' nostalgia for simpler times.

April Showers(en)

Danny O'Rourke is the son of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Eager to join the police force, Danny fails his exams. The failure causes him to neglect his sweetheart Maggie, whose father is a police lieutenant. His attentions turn instead towards society girl Miriam Welton. When Danny’s sister, Shannon, is arrested for shoplifting, Danny turns to boxing to save her. He works his way towards the championship but discovers the final bought has been rigged. Danny fights anyhow and he is beaten, but it is discovered that a mistake had been made on his exams and he actually was eligible to join the police force after all. Considered a lost film.

The Brute(en)

The brute is a gambler, boxing manager and underworld boss who mistreats a young woman. She is forced into marriage with him for money after her original fiance is thought dead. When that man returns, he attempts to rescue her.

The House Behind the Cedars(en)

Rena is a young woman of mixed race. Although she is romantically pursued by an upwardly mobile African American named Frank, Rena does not decide in his favor. Her appearance allows her to pass for white, as she is of majority European ancestry, although she has grown up in the black community. She meets and falls in love with George Tryon, a young white aristocrat. But as their relationship deepens, Rena believes she has to acknowledge her African ancestry. Considered a lost film.

Марионетки рока(ru)

The Melting Pot(en)

The wide-ranging storyline of The Melting Pot takes its characters from the Jewish ghettoes of Russia to the Lower East Side of New York.