Ethel Barrymore

Franti, an organ grinder of the poor districts of New York, has a daughter, Isola, who sings to his street piano's accompaniment. Andrea, a worthless son, and a member of the notorious "Red Galvin Gang," is a great burden on his father and sister. Nathan Marden, a wealthy banker, is attracted by the wonderful voice of Isola, the street singer, as is his son Charles Marden. Andrea, the worthless son, upon refusal of his continual demand for money, is overheard complaining by the gang, who send his father a black-hand letter, threatening destruction if their demands are refused. Charles Marden, unable to forget the street singer's wonderful voice and attractive appearance, solicits his friend David Mantz, a vocal instructor, to help him find the unknown artist. Mantz locates Isola and offers her vocal training, but her father will not hear of it, and she reluctantly declines. Franti, refusing the demands of the black banders, is killed by a bomb, and Isola and Andrea left alone divide their meager inheritance. After her father's death, Isola goes to Mantz and accepts his offer, not knowing that Charles Marden is interested, and is later on sent to Paris to continue her studies with Jean De Resni. The story of her entrance to the Paris opera stage, the longed-for opportunity and her success and popularity, are cleverly told on the screen. Charles Marden is present the night of Isola's debut. Enthusiastic over her success, he arranges a dinner party in celebration, and afterward, having partaken a bit too freely, he forces his attentions on Isola, and finally brutally tells her that she owes him everything for her success. Brokenhearted on learning this, she moves, leaving no trace. Meanwhile an offer has been received for her for the Metro Opera of New York. Every nook and corner of Paris are searched and she is finally located in poverty, singing at a cabaret entertainment. She returns to America, and at her debut at the Metro Opera House, Charles Marden endeavors to see her. and meets with refusal. His efforts later on are successful, and love shows the way to a happy marriage. Nathan Marden, the father, refuses his permission, but with the coming of Nathan Marden the second, the happy grandfather forgives. In the meanwhile, the worthless brother, Andrea, goes from bad to worse, and having located Isola by chance, demands money. Later urged by Red Galvin, the gangster, they plot to rob the home of Nathan Marden, Sr., who is killed in the robbery. Galvin is arrested, but Andrea, although wounded, makes his escape. He sends for his sister, and she, while searching for a bandage, discovers a scarf pin which connects Andrea with the robbery. Charles Marden suspects the frequent absence of his wife while nursing her brother, and traces her to Andrea's room where, misunderstanding the situation, he denounces her. He takes their son and leaves home, vowing never to return. Later, he reads of the death of Andrea Franti, and learns that he is Isola's brother, whereupon their love returns to build for future happiness.

Actress Jane Carleson has three admirers: Henry Strong (a millionaire), Hamilton Ross (a chemist), and Murray Campbell (a district attorney). When Jane weds Campbell, Ross writes an anonymous letter to Campbell, warning him that Strong is after his wife. Ross smears the flap of the envelope with poison. However, Strong is the one who opens the envelope, and dies from the poison. Since Campbell and Strong had quarreled just before the arrival of the letter, Campbell is convicted of the murder. Jane must expose the true murderer and save her husband.

When Count Peter Turgeneff, his daughter Nadia, and his generous-hearted son Paul came to live in the Governor's palace in the Russian province of Valogda, there was rejoicing among the oppressed race whose home was in the Ghetto. Turgeneff was known as a just and merciful man who had done much to make the hard lot of the Jews bearable in the districts under his charge. Hence his coming was hailed with joy by Isaac, prophet of Israel, and his people. Quite other feelings did his arrival create in the breast of Michael Orzoff, the grim Prefect of Police of Valogda, who sat in his office in the fortress and received the reports of the secret agents of the Czar. It was known that Orzoff was the secret power behind the dreaded "Yellow Jackets," the dire organization whose avowed object was the extermination of the people of Israel. There seemed no help. The Prefect's influence reached far, even into the high places in far-off Petrograd. Even women, provided they were fair to look upon, found their sex no protection from his infamy. For all these reasons the coming of Count Turgeneff to Valogda was not at all to Orzoff's liking. Soon after his coming Orzoff learned two things: one was that the new governor had pledged his help to the Jews, and the other that his daughter Nadia was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen and quite as ardent as her father in her support of the oppressed race. To think was to act with Orzoff. The governor was strong, but not more strong than he. In the high places in Petrograd, whence both received authority, the Prefect held the more power. In Russia the police are all powerful. The Count menaced Orzoff, for already word had been brought to the Governor, as Orzoff well knew, that the Prefect was the secret driving force behind the evil "Yellow Jackets." So Orzoff laid his plan. With his countless agents provocateurs and secret minions in the "Yellow Jackets," daring as that plan was, he felt it could not fail. On the night of the grand ball at the Governor's palace, the plan was consummated. Thither had come, at Nadia's urging. Isaac, chief of the Jews of the Ghetto, and Leah, the lovely daughter of old Samuels the cobbler, whose honor had been stained by the rude lust of Orzoff, with many others, there to accuse the Prefect face to face of the wrongs with which he had burdened them. But they did not reckon with the Prefect's plan. Suddenly there had been a cry without a rush of many feet and a frenzied mob had burst in among the guests of the Governor. "Death to the Jews," was their rallying cry. Then came Orzoff's own uniformed men and dispersed the rioters, but not before an assassin's bullet had found a resting place in the heart of Count Turgeneff. Nor did Orzoff stop there. Secure in his influence at Petrograd, he directed his men to seize the weeping Nadia, her brother Paul, and Isaac the Jew, and imprison them in the fortress under a charge of treason. And there on the day following he found a way to wreak his evil will upon the girl. The Prefect came to her in the cell, where she passed the night. He bent over her menacingly as she sat on the stone seat that had formed her couch. "You will give yourself to me," he said abruptly, "or your brother shall suffer the torture by fire ere he goes to Siberia." The as Nadia, in contempt and loathing, struck at him in the half-darkness he added, "Listen, and you shall hear for yourself; only your promised work can stop this pain."

To the village of Old Chester comes Helena Richie in search of balm for a broken heart. Her dissolute husband, in a drunken rage, has killed their little child. This tragedy induces Helena to listen to the pleadings of Lloyd Pryor to leave Paris, where the Richies are living, and come to America with him. Pryor makes frequent visits to Helena in the little home he establishes for her in Chester, and the townspeople accept the statement that he is her brother. Old Benjamin Wright, however, has his own suspicions as to the relations between the two. His interest is more than a casual one, for his grandson, Sam Wright, a young poet, is in love with Helena. The old man tells him his belief with regard to Mrs. Richie. Sam asks her whether the suspicion has any foundation, and when she admits that it has he kills himself. Dr. Lavendar, the kindly old minister, has in his charge a child who needs a home. He has decided to send the little boy, David, to Mrs. Richie for a trial visit. She welcomes the boy, who fills the place in her heart left vacant by the death of her own child. Her heart becomes bound up in the boy, though she is torn by conflicting emotions by the thought of her own false position. Helena's husband has been in such feeble health, owing to his dissipations, that she has constantly expected his death to release her so that she and Pryor may be married. Finally the long-expected event happens, but Pryor has tired of her. His promise of marriage has been nothing but a ruse to get her to elope with him. Looking about for an excuse to break the bonds which have become irksome to him, he tells her that she must give up David. She refuses and he says she must choose between the child and himself. Realizing Pryor's unworthiness, she clings to the child, and Pryor leaves her. Helena goes to Dr. Lavendar, tells him the truth about her past relations with Pryor, and asks him to let her keep the child with her always. The old man's answer is: "Can you teach him to tell the truth, you who have lived a lie? Can you make him brave, you who could not endure? Can you make him honorable, you who have deceived all?" Helena is silent in the face of this accusation. She decides to give David up and to leave Old Chester. She tells Dr. Lavendar that on her way to the station next day she will come to bid David goodbye. Next day at the rectory Dr. Lavendar asks her to take with her a parcel which she will find wrapped up in the coach. She promises, and in the coach finds the package to be little David, all wrapped up for traveling. Her willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for the boy has proved her worthiness to keep him, and Helena and little David leave Old Chester to find peace among new surroundings.

William Baldwin, ruined in business by his partner John Blaisdell, implores Blaisdell's aid and receives in answer a five-dollar bill inscribed with "Spend this for a gun and use it on herself." Hopelessly, Baldwin and his daughter Nan go to the Yujon, where the father dies and Nan earns a living in a rough dance hall where as "Nightingale Nan" she is the miners' idol. When she discovers that the little claim on Bear Creek, the only thing her father has left her, is worthless, at first she collapses; then she becomes defiant and tells the miners who have been forcing their attentions upon her that they may have her, the lucky man to be the winner in a card-game, she to take the money won in the game and go away to seek fame and fortune. A bearded stranger wins the game with a pair of deuces and pays her $1,000 a card, and she leaves with him for her cabin. Once there, however, she repents her rash bargain, and implores him to release her, offering the money in return. He makes her sign an I.O.U. for herself, promising to pay the debt at any future time that he sees fit. "You'll win success," the stranger tells her, "but in the hour of your greatest triumph I shall claim you, and you must return." She leaves on this condition. Nan's voice wins success for her all over the world. Five years later, as Mlle. Nanon Boldini, she is the reigning operatic queen at La Scala, Milan, then comes to the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, to make her American debut in "Lucia di Lammermoor." Her success is instantaneous. Two of the most important patrons of the opera house, business rivals John Blaisdell and James Van Brunt, are united in their admiration of Mlle. Boldini, and obtain an introduction. When Nan discovers the identity of Blaisdell, the man who ruined her father, she quietly plans his downfall. She encourages his attention, even at the risk of displeasing a young stranger with whom she has fallen in love. She refuses an offer of marriage from the man who won her heart, telling him of her promise made under amazing conditions to a man in Alaska five years ago. That promise, she tells him, must be fulfilled, no matter how great the sacrifice she makes in doing so. Inviting Blaisdell to her apartment to dinner, she has a telephone connection so arranged that James Van Brunt, at his downtown office with the receiver at his ear, hears Blaisdell's answers to the carefully prepared questions Nan asks, betraying all his business secrets. As Blaisdell falls across the table in a drunken stupor, after having told everything, Nan's triumph is complete. It is at this moment that two fateful cards, the deuces with which the Alaskan won his game, are thrust under the door, and Nan falls fainting. The next day she prepares for her journey to the Northland, ready to pay the price of her five years' freedom. The man she loves insists on accompanying her. Going to her little cabin, she finds it sumptuously furnished. As she turns to her lover in surprise, he places on the table a crumpled "I.O.U." then tears it in two, giving her the pieces. As the realization slowly dawns on Nan that the man she has learned to love is the bearded stranger of so long ago, she fits the two pieces of the "I.O.U." back together, presents them to him, and creeps into the arms of her stranger-lover.

Faro Black, the chief of the Gypsies, finds out that his son Faro and his girlfriend Egypt have gotten married. Infuriated, he tells that their marriage isn't valid, since Egypt is actually the daughter of wealthy Gordon Lindsay, who is on his way to the gypsy camp to claim her. The two promise to remain faithful to each other, but as time passes and she never hears from him, her love turns to bitterness. What she doesn't know is that Faro is being held prisoner by his father who, on his deathbed, tells him a secret that changes everything.

Miriam Monroe and John Conrad are two young scientific workers who, independently of each other, have discovered a chemical called exonite. Miriam discovered it while searching for a cure for cancer, while Conrad used it as a basis for a powerful explosive. When Conrad points out to her that its use could bring about world peace, Miriam works with him to perfect the formula. After Miriam's father, the head of a great corporation, receives news that the country is threatened by war, he and his partner, Albert Bernard, consider exonite for government use but Conrad, still professing peace, refuses to give up his formula for the purposes of war. Miriam, refusing to take no for an answer, steals into the lab to procure the formula, where she finds Bernard, actually a German spy, attempting to obtain the chemical for his government. After a struggle, Bernard is captured by secret service agents, and Conrad agrees to give the formula to his country.

Overcome with guilt after having an affair with her best friend's husband, Clorinda hopes to escape her past by moving to Europe, where she meets Malcolm, a decent man who falls in love with her. Unable to accept his love, she returns to America and confides her sin to Rev. Bainbridge. Malcolm has followed her, but when she discloses her past, he turns his back. Rev. Bainbridge proposes and before the marriage takes place, Malcolm returns, begging Clorinda's forgiveness. Preferring the worldly man over the minister, Clorinda marries Malcolm and they begin their new life together in France.

Esther Carey, who has spent her youth caring for her invalid father, is left alone at his death. Soon after, Esther marries John Martin, a cold, heartless man. Prior to the marriage, John's household had been run by his sister Ruth, who now resents Esther's intrusion. Between John's neglect and Ruth's vindictiveness, Esther is miserable, her only joy being the birth of her baby. Consequently, when Esther meets an old suitor, Dr. Henry Grey, their old love is rekindled, and Henry, realizing the gravity of the situation, leaves for the battlefields of France. Later, he sends Esther a letter, which Ruth intercepts and shows to her brother. In a rage, John drives Esther from the house. Meanwhile, Dirk Kanst, a farmer whom John has ruined and who is now insane with rage, enters the house and strangles John to death. Ruth casts suspicion upon Esther, and she is arrested for the murder. Esther is acquitted, however, when detective B. J. Hendrix finds Dirk's battered hat near the library window, traces its owner to a nearby village and obtains his confession to the crime. Esther's happiness is then made complete when Henry returns and they are reunited.

Maris, having married Lynch, a worthless man who deserts her, taking their daughter Felice with him, marries mill owner Dwight Alden after receiving notification that her husband and child are dead. Discovering that Alden employs child labor, Maris, assisted by the village minister, tries to persuade him that this is wrong, but he will tolerate no interference in his business. After violently denouncing Alden from the pulpit, the minister dies and Maris becomes interested in a child who has been injured while working overtime at the mill, only to discover that the child is her daughter and her first husband is still alive. She leaves, taking Felice, and Alden, after having a fight with the first husband, discovers that Lynch had secured a divorce. Alden seeks out Maris, tells her that he has abolished child labor and made other improvements affecting the welfare of his workers, and a reconciliation occurs.

Wealthy American widow Elizabeth Carter plans to marry the Earl of Dettminster when lawyer Augustus Tucker informs her of a codicil in her late husband's will. The Carter fortune will go to nephew Pitney Carter, who is in love with Elizabeth, if her second husband is not an American. Elizabeth therefore pays penniless playwright Jasper Mallory $50,000 to marry her and schemes with actress Mme. Albani to provide grounds for divorce so that she may then make the earl her third husband. The plan backfires when Jasper's play is a success and Elizabeth finds herself falling in love with him. Tucker admits to forging the codicil to enhance Pitney's chances with Elizabeth. As Jasper and Elizabeth announce their plans to remain married, a telegram arrives with news that Mme. Albani and the earl have wed.

The National Red Cross Pageant (1917) was an American war pageant that was performed in order to sell war bonds, support the National Red Cross, and promote a positive opinion about American involvement in World War I. This pageant was a production put on in support of funding for America's participation in World War I, also known as the Great War. It was also an all-star revue silent film, now considered a lost film.

Mrs. Emma McChesney is a determined and successful traveling saleswoman for T. A. Buck's Featherbloom Petticoat Company. When Buck dies and his son, T. A. Buck, Jr., takes charge, the company suffers and Emma nearly accepts a job offer from Buck's rival, Abel Fromkin. On her last sales trip, however, she learns that her son Jack has married chorus girl Vera Sherwood, and because Buck demonstrates such concern for the boy, Emma decides to remain with him. Distraught that Jack has married so young, Emma sends the bride away to boarding school while Jack takes a job with the company. Later Emma discovers that the firm is approaching bankruptcy, so she invents a new skirt which, as modeled by Vera and promoted by Jack, rocks the fashion world and saves Buck's company. Having fallen in love with Emma, Buck proposes and she accepts.

Based on the 1907 play 'Lady Frederick' by W. Somerset Maugham, this tells the story of Betsy O'Hara in her pursuit of romance and love.

A home movie version of the Dumas play: a young woman becomes a courtesan and tragedy befalls her.

A prince plots to kill the mad monk Rasputin for the good of the czar, the czarina and Russia.

Silent home movie aboard Chaplin's boat, the Panacea, of the three stars sailing around Catalina.

When an itinerant reluctantly returns home to help his sickly mother run her shop, they are both tempted to turn to crime to help make ends meet.

In 1916, a shadowy serial killer is targeting women with "afflictions"; one night during a thunderstorm, the mute Helen feels menaced.

After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the city, a young woman finds herself on an unexpected path towards politics.

Set in turn-of-the-century London, a woman trying to solve the mystery of a friend's murder finds that she may be the next victim.

When a beautiful socialite falls in love with an embittered composer who is blind, she feigns blindness herself in order to get closer to him.

A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.

Danny is despised by his schoolmates because his father was accused of killing another man and sentenced to death.

In Depression-era New York, an impoverished painter has a chance encounter with an enigmatic, old-fashioned little girl in Central Park who inspires him and changes his destiny.