June Madness

Now We're in the Air

October 1927 •English

Wally and Ray are cousins intent upon getting the fortune of their Scots grandad, an aviation nut. They become mixed-up with the U. S. flying corps and are wafted over the enemy lines in a runaway balloon. Through misunderstanding they are honored as heroes of the enemy forces, and sent back to the U.S. lines to spy. Here they are captured and almost shot, but everything ends happily. Only 20 minutes of this 6 reel comedy are extant.

Once and Forever

October 1927 •English

Silent romantic drama starring Patsy Ruth Miller who suffers along with her beloved after he loses his sight during WWI.

A Virtuous Vamp

November 1919 •English

A flirtatious young woman takes a job in a busy office, where her presence is terribly disruptive. None of the men in the office can concentrate on their jobs while her charms are on display. Of course, she sets her eye on the one man who seems oblivious to her.

Arkasha Is Getting Married

January 1917 •Russian

Tough Luck

December 1919 •

A comedy short featuring Sunshine Sammy Morrison.

The Smugglers

July 1916 •English

While honeymooning in Paris, wealthy John Battleby Watts is persuaded to purchase a $20,000 necklace for his capricious young wife. When the jeweler refuses to accept his check, John heads to the bank for the necessary funds. En route, he passes a little shop specializing in imitation jewelry. Figuring his wife will never know the difference, he buys a cheap duplicate of the 20-grand bauble. Later on, however, he reconsiders and purchases the genuine article. But before he can reach his hotel, John is detained by saucy chorus girl Rita Bori, whom he presents with what he thinks is the imitation necklace.

Don't Rock the Boat

July 1920 •English

Snub Pollard and Sunshine Sammy Morrison are on a storm tossed ship that soon sinks leaving the pair stranded on a nearby island where comic situations ensue.

The Enemy

December 1927 •English

Carl Behrend, son of a wealthy businessman, marries Pauli Arndt, daughter of a pacifist professor. When World War I breaks out, Carl is drafted. Pauli and her family and friends are left behind to experience the suffering which befell civilians during the war. Her luck worsens when her father is dismissed from his professorship for teaching that war is evil. Her father argues violently with Carl's father, and degradation and despair descend on Pauli and her family as they await Carl's return from the front.

Beware of Married Men

January 1928 •English

A press sheet printed in Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World in 1928 put forth the suggestion that “people in the need of a good hearty laugh should take this opportunity of getting it” by seeing a newly released comedy by Warner Bros., suggestively entitled Beware of Married Men. Since director Archie Mayo (The Petrified Forest) helmed this feature during the dying days of the silent era, the studio sought to enhance its commercial viability by embellishing the shot-silent picture with a synchronized music and effects soundtrack using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. Ultimately, these efforts went for naught, as the picture failed at the box office and quickly disappeared from theaters.

The Greater Glory

May 1926 •English

A story of Vienna following World War I, in which the butchers became millionaires and the aristocrats became beggars, told against a background of mother-love and sacrifice.

A Star Is Born

October 1954 •English

A movie star helps a young singer-actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Ravished Armenia

January 1919 •English

A Hollywood biographical film about a survivor's experience of the Armenian Genocide. Arshaluys (Aurora) Mardiganian plays herself in the film which is based on her published memoirs. It is thought to be the first film about made about genocide. All known complete copies of the film have been lost. A restored and edited 24-minute segment of the historic motion picture was released in 2009 by the Armenian Genocide Resource Center of Northern California. It is based on a rare surviving reel of film edited in Soviet Armenia.

Love's Devotee

January 1914 •Danish

Two friends, Fritz and Theodor, make the acquaintance of Christine and Mizzi, who are also friends. Fritz is immediately captivated by Christine, who is bashful and modest as opposed to the eager, effervescent Mizzi. But even though the love between the two grows, Christine is not the only woman in Fritz’s life. His affair with a married woman will prove to have fatal consequences. (stumfilm.dk)

Thomas Graal's Best Film

August 1917 •Swedish

Thomas Graal's a screenwriter, is very fond of his secretary Bessie. Overtaken by a kiss by Thomas she runs away. In his misfortune Thomas writes a screenplay inspired by Bessie. But she has not been really honest with him. 31 minutes of runtime are missing and presumed lost.

La falena

March 1916 •Italian

Thea is a sculptor who is diagnosed with tuberculosis before she marries Filippo. After abandoning him, her health begins to decline. She organizes a final party, inviting along her estranged husband. The film is considered to be lost, with only a fragment surviving in the film archive of the Cineteca Italiana.

Learning to Love

January 1925 •English

A 1925 film directed by Sidney Franklin.

A Daughter of the Poor

March 1917 •English

A young girl, Rose Eastmen lives with her lazy Uncle, who works as a janitor in a publishing house. Lacking education, both Rose and her Uncle are susceptible to the socialist ideas of writer Rudolph Creig. One day Rose encounters Jack Steven's the wealthy son of the publishing house, working on his car. She believes he is a common laborer, and begins seeing him. Through her exposure to Jack, Rose begins to realize the rich are not such an abominable people. Rudolph has also reached this conclusion after learning Steven's has published his book. Now with a hefty royalty check and success, Rudolph is able to marry Rose.

Betsy's Burglar

March 1917 •English

Betsy Harlow is a hard-working maid in a boarding house. Her dream. however, is to be a detective, a dream she shares with her boyfriend Oscar, a delivery boy for a local grocer. One day a mysterious character named Harry Brent takes a room at the boarding house. Harry, seeing that Betsy is falling for his rather shady charms, persuades her to help him get a box of jewels owned by the Jaspers, an elderly couple who lives across the hall. It turns out that Harry is not quite who he seems; neither, however, are the Jaspers.

Beggar on Horseback

June 1925 •English

Neil McRae, an impoverished composer, loves Cynthia Mason, but, fearing poverty, proposes to wealthy Gladys Cady. Can he compose himself and find the courage to seek love over comfort?

Redheads Preferred

December 1926 •English

In order to land an important client, Morgan is obliged to escort a beautiful redhead to a costume ball. Finding out about this, and suspecting that some hanky-panky is involved, Morgan's wife Angela dons a mask and a red wig and offers herself as the companion of her unwitting hubby. Angela's jealousy-motivated subterfuge works to everyone's advantage when she manages to cinch the deal for Morgan.