The More Excellent Way

The Panther Woman

1918

Orphan Patience Sparhawk grows up poor until she becomes the ward of the wealthy Miss Tremont. Eventually out of gratitude Patience marries Miss Tremont's nephew, Beverly Peale, out of gratitude only to discover he is a drug user, making their marriage unhappy. When Beverly is found dead from a drug overdose Patience is accused of murder, put on trial and sentenced to die in the electric chair but is saved at the eleventh hour.

John Barleycorn

1914

Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name. Jack London has struggled with alcoholism most of his life. At age five he was instructed to bring a pail of beer to his father and drank some to prevent it spilling over, getting drunk for the first time. As an adult, he goes through cycles of abstinence only to return to hard drinking.

Some Mother's Boy

1929

When two young tearaways are fleeing from the scene of a crime one is shot and the other escapes. He makes his way to the home of his companion's mother, who recognizes him as the son she has been separated from for fifteen years.

The Hands of Nara

1922

Nara, the daughter of a wealthy Russian killed by the Bolsheviki, flees to America and meets Adam Pine, a sculptor, who marvels at the beauty of her hands. Through him she meets Mrs. Vanessa Yates, a patroness of the arts, and Dr. Emlen Claveloux, who is completely absorbed in science. Connor Lee, a fake spiritualist, persuades her that she has a God-given power to cure ill people, and profits financially by her success in this work. This brings her into conflict with the physician, whom she loves, but her faith in the power of will and her beauty of character finally teach him that faith is at least an important adjunct to medicine.

The House of Glass

1918

Margaret Case seeks to live down the errors of the past, and in marriage finds happiness and security until her enemy again crosses her path and she realizes that life is like a house of glass where there is neither security nor seclusion.

L'Étoile de Valencia

1933

Because a sailor once told Pedro Savedra his wife, Marion, cheated on him, he left her. Learning later that it was nothing but a practical joke, Pedro decides to find her and win her back. He finally traces her in Palma de Mallorca, where she has become a cabaret singer. To set her free, he needs money and accepts a job. But Palesco, the nightclub owner, does not agree to let Marion go and will not shy about throwing a wrench in the gears.

The Cinema Murder

1919

Aspiring actress Elizabeth Dalston, after rehearsing a murder scene for a movie, is fired by her director at the request of the company's Wall Street backer, Sylvanus Power. Although married, Power plans to make Elizabeth his mistress and offers the unsuspecting girl a dramatic education in England, to be followed by his building a theater for her. Traveling across England after school, Elizabeth witnesses a fight between two brothers, Philip and Douglas Romilly, which ends in Douglas' supposed death. On the steamer to America, Philip, disguised as Douglas, confides in Elizabeth that he was fighting to persuade Douglas not to leave his pregnant lover. Elizabeth believes him and in New York they fall in love. After she convinces Power to produce Philip's play, both the play and her acting are hits. When Power propositions Elizabeth and discovers her passion for Philip, he summons Scotland Yard detectives, but Douglas reappears and clears Philip. Power then graciously admits his defeat.

Nailed

1913

London After Midnight

2002

A reconstruction, made from still photographs, of the lost 1927 Tod Browning film London After Midnight (1927) starring Lon Chaney.

Deep Waters

1920

Henry Sanford, contracted to build a lighthouse at Keyport, is attracted to Kate, the wife of wealthy Morgan Leroy, who becomes jealous of Henry.

The Spurs of Sybil

1918

Heiress Sybil Drew is told by her Aunt Annabelle she must earn her own living for a year or be disinherited. Setting out for New York she finds many adventures and toils, including being mistaken for a thief before true love and success come her way.

Captain of His Soul

1918

At the suggestion of his sons Horace and Henry, aging Ebenezer Boyce turns over control of his pistol factory to Martin. However, when Ebenezer discovers the extent of Martin's dishonesty and corruption, the shock gives the old man a heart attack and he dies. Soon afterward Martin is discovered dead, and the brothers begin to suspect each other of the murder.

The Devil's Apple Tree

1929

Unable to pay for her passage upon setting sail to the tropics to meet her mail-order husband, Dorothy Ryan assumes the identity of a wealthy passenger who is presumed dead. Enjoying the preferential treatment she receives; Dorothy continues the masquerade when she arrives at her destination. She forgets all about her husband-to-be and falls for local aristocrat John Rice (Larry Kent). The party ends when the woman whom Dorothy is pretending to be suddenly shows up, very much alive and incredibly angry. Disgraced in the eyes of John's family, Dorothy wanders into the jungle only to be captured by natives and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Will true love John be able to rescue her in time?

Enemies of Children

1923

A street waif of questionable parentage through circumstances is taken into a wealthy home where she is adopted and cared for until her marriage, which follows the successful attempt to expose the mystery of her birth.

A Case of Libel

1968

Based on the real-life lawsuit of journalist Quentin Reynolds against columnist Westbrook Pegler, portraying the courtroom battle where Reynolds sues Pegler for calling him a communist; stars Van Heflin as the lawyer and Jose Ferrer as the bigoted columnist, dramatizing how they slowly trap the writer in his own lies, ultimately leading to a win for Reynolds and highlighting McCarthy-era politics, with the story adapted from Louis Nizer's book My Life in Court.