Franklyn Starr, a talented and wealthy young musician, suffers a double misfortune in the sudden loss of his hearing and in the death of his Mother to whom he is deeply attached. He loses his generous, joyous nature and transforms into a gloomy and despondent misanthrope.
One day Coventry Petmore leaves his wife and child to go out in the world and fight the social evils of divorce and loveless marriage. Circumstances lead him to the home of Judge Mitchell, where the judge's son, a minister, and his wife Beatrice reside. The minister does not believe in expressing affection to his wife, and Beatrice becomes enamored of her chauffeur Larry Price.
Waldo and the baby went on an outing to the beach with the nurse, but it mattered little to Waldo, who consumed much learning from his book, wherever he went or wandered. Nurse went off with the auto driver and left the studious one in charge of the baby. That gave Bob and Tilly a chance to make their innings. Bob was a pirate chief and his crew was Tilly and two black slaves, Rastus and Dave, thrown in. Waldo would not think of playing pirates, but he became part of the game all right. They bound him in their pirate cave and sailed away for the sea with the baby. But the pirate brig was a leaky motor boat that ran away out to sea. Bold pirates became frightened ones when the runaway boat also began to leak, but when the nurse returned and found what her neglect had led to, assistance was soon sent to the pirates.
The Purple Dawn is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film that was produced, written, and directed by Charles R. Seeling. Starring Bessie Love, Bert Sprotte, and William E. Aldrich. The film is presumed lost.
St. Elmo is a man who killed his romantic rival in a brawl. Traveling the world as a confirmed misogynist, St. Elmo returns to home and hearth only to fall in love with the daughter of the local blacksmith. The film is based on the 1867 novel of the same name written by Augusta Jane Evans. Today, St. Elmo is a lost film.
It is hubby's birthday and the wife wishing to surprise him, surreptitiously interviews the jeweler's clerk to order a gold watch as a present. Her mysterious action arouses suspicion in the husband, who follows her at a distance and witnesses the meeting between her and the clerk. The hour arriving for the delivery of the watch, wifey goes to the door to meet it, and while standing outside, the door closes and locks on her skirt, holding her captive. Having no key, she induces the clerk to climb through the second story window and come down to unlock the door. All would have been well, but the clerk encounters the husband and it looked had for the clerk for a while.
Hubby is anxious to get away for a little time at the beach with the boys, and works up a quarrel with wifey over a new hat, the bill for which he is asked to pay. Making this excuse, he goes off with his chums. The wife is an expert swimmer and diver and is invited to attend a meet of the ladies' swimming club, of which she was formerly a member. Her husband's treatment induces her to accept the invitation. The affair takes place at the very beach to which the husband hied himself. One may imagine that hubby has not only plunged into the cooling waters of the surf, but into domestic hot water as well.
The deacon's daughter, Betty, is in love with Harold Price. The deacon wants to buy a horse from Harry's father, but because Mr. Price will not give it to him at his own figure the deacon quarrels with Price, and forbids his daughter to see Harry. A troupe of minstrels, stranded, are walking back to New York, and Harry and Betty meet them. They make up as actors, and, accompanied by their new-found friends, rush to the deacon's home and tell him they are an eloping couple who wish to be married. The deacon ties the knot, and after the ceremony the make-up is removed, and he finds he has officiated at his own daughter's wedding. He finally sees the humor of the situation, and his charitable spirit is shared by Harry's father, who makes him a present of the horse he coveted.
Upon the arrival of a young girl from the city, Zeke and Jake, brothers, each determine to win her. For a time these rival brothers are amusing to her, but when her real sweetheart appears, she is at a loss to know how to get rid of them. Her city beau, however, wants to have some fun with them, so is introduced to the rubes as her brother. He pretends to be interested in the condition of affairs, and decides they must prove their love by chancing fate for her sake. He places three chocolates on the table, stating that one of the candies contains deadly poison. To the amazement of all they take a chance, but for naught.
This ill-tempered gentleman accompanies his wife to the seashore, but being so insanely jealous of her makes the stay there rather unpleasant. First of all, he refuses to go bathing in the surf with her, and she, despite his command not to, goes in alone. Towering with rage at his wile's defiance, he gets himself into several embarrassing positions. In fact he makes a fool of himself generally.
The girls are down on their luck when they run into a wealthy playboy who has been sent out into the world by his father with just $10.00 to earn a living for himself, starting at the bottom by selling magazine subscriptions.
To get over a breakup with his actress girlfriend, a playwright goes on holiday to a lakeside resort, where he meets a strangely mismatched couple, a man and his much younger wife. He and the wife begin an affair, during which she introduces him to some of the darker aspects of romance.
Qi can't stand the family she's been married into tries to escape. On the day that she escapes, her sister-in-law is killed by her nephew. Qi becomes a suspect and is arrested. After being released from prison, Qi decides to take revenge on society. She makes a living betraying her lust and hangs out in various places with unconventional people. She meets Zou Wenlan, and the two fall in love and plan to start a new life together. However, the Zou family strongly opposes the marriage, and the two are separated. Qi jumps into the sea and commits suicide. Facing Qi's tombstone, Zou Wenlan and and his family are full of sorrow and repentance.
Coddled by his maiden aunts and apparently unable to make decisions, Oliver Wendell Blaine signs up for a mail-order course in "Success." Oliver follows the instructions step by step, builds his self-confidence, and proves himself a hero when a log jam threatens the town. He is made river boss and marries Phyllis Thorpe, daughter of the owner of the lumber-mill.
Lawrence Hallor's plans to build model tenements for the poor are wrecked by his sweetheart's father, John Hamilton, a tyrannical political boss. He revives his plan under another identity, and Hamilton orders him crushed; but when Alice reveals his true identity, Hamilton revokes his order and sanctions the housing plan as well as his daughter's marriage
Michael Frazer, newly rich from his invention of a can-opener, has drifted away from Jane, his wife, who persists in her old-fashioned ways. He advises his daughter Marcia to marry "someone congenial so that when love goes you will have common interests." Neighboring architect Jack Ballard obtains the contract to design Frazer's house through the friendship of his attractive wife, Emily, with Frazer. Emily and Frazer become intimate friends, arousing the concern of Mrs. Frazer and Jack Ballard. Determined to teach his wife a lesson and win her back, Jack asks Marcia Frazer to run away with him. She consents but later reconsiders and they return home. Frazer realizes that Mrs. Ballard meant nothing to him, and Jack is reunited with his wife.
Belle Bennett plays as the widowed mother of seven children living in Sioux City, Iowa. She moves with them to Cambridge, Massachusetts in order to educate her children with culture and give them every advantage. Bennett, who is unversed in financial matters, soon faces poverty for herself and her children. She takes out a loan from an unscrupulous lender (played by Richard Tucker), who is so impressed by the charm and valiant spirit of Bennett than he neglects to ask her for collateral. Bennett, however, is only able to partially pay her creditors. Marion Nixon, Bennett's eldest daughter, is shocked by her mother's actions and attempts to sacrifice herself to Tucker in order to clear her mother's obligations, even though she is engaged to marry a well to do Harvard undergraduate, played by Rex Bell. This film is believed lost.
Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Young Victor Jones of America is discovered to be an exact lookalike for England's Earl of Rochester, a circumstance which results in Jones deciding to replace the Earl after an unfortunate accident.
Robert, a young steelworker, lives with his family and George, a good friend who has invented a new method of refining steel and promises Robert that they will split the proceeds if they sell the process to their employer. Robert goes to the company's board of directors and receives what he considers to be a good offer, but his wife June doesn't think it's enough. She talks to the board and persuades them to make George the company president. Now that he's rich, Robert becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair with George, and he embarks on his own affair with a sophisticated, attractive--and ambitious--woman.