Author Archive: Retro

Producer Joe Schenck reportedly paid seventy-five thousand dollars (an immense sum in those days) for the film rights to the stage play written by Jane Murfin and actress Jane Cowl (as a vehicle for herself). But it was money well spent, because it was a success for his wife, Norma Talmadge, who starred. On the wedding day of Moonyeen (Talmadge) and John Carteret (Wyndham Standing), her former suitor, Jeremiah Wayne (Harrison Ford), kills her. Carteret, as a result, grows into a bitter old man. He winds up raising his niece Kathleen, who grows up to look exactly like Moonyeen (because she’s also played by Talmadge). When she falls in love with Kenneth Wayne, the nephew of the hated Jeremiah (Ford once again), Carteret does everything he can to oppose the match. But love wins out in the end, both in real life with the young people, and in the spirit world, when Carteret’s dead sweetheart [...]

Russian peasant becomes a soldier, and rises quickly through the ranks, but harbors a secret love for the daughter of a commanding officer.

Captain Wynnegate leaves England, accepting the blame for embezzling charity funds though knowing that his cousin Sir Henry is guilty. Out West he and the Indian girl Nat-U-Rich save each other from the evil cattle rustler Cash Hawkins and marry. Lady Diana shows up to announce Sir Henry’s death. After Nat-U-Rich’s suicide Wynnegate takes his half-breed son and Lady Diana back to England as the new Earl of Kerhill.

In this western, Hoot Gibson arrives in town to meet with San Francisco banker Burr McIntosh, who hopes to renovate a rundown ranch. The banker and the cowboy dislike each other on sight, complicating Gibson’s romance with Ethel Shannon, the banker’s daughter.

Young man becomes romantically involved with a performer from the famous Parisian dance hall, who also happens to be the mother of his girlfriend.

The Tramp wanders into and disrupts the filming of a go-kart race.

The story to this sea melodrama was written by Byron Morgan. Morgan was best known for the fast-paced auto tales he wrote for Wallace Reid, so this was quite a departure for him. When Bruce McDow (Rod LaRocque) refuses to go aloft to fix a rigging during a storm, and he is branded a coward. McDow believes his lack of courage is hereditary because many years before his father had taken his lightship into harbor during a storm instead of aiding a passenger liner; as a result, the liner wrecked. Because of this, Captain Hayden (George Fawcett) hates the name McDow. Hayden’s daughter, Jenny (Jacqueline Logan), however, has faith in Bruce. She helps him get a job as mate on a lightship and once again a storm blows. Captain Hayden loses a propeller while bringing his ship in. Jenny, meanwhile, has come to meet him in a yacht which goes on the rocks. Both Bruce [...]

Railroad station agent Dan Kurrie is fired from his job by his rival in love, Joseph Garber. Believed false by the girl he loves, Margaret , Kurrie must prove himself by unmasking a gang of bandits preying on the trains.