Remembrance Wall

Presumed Lost

In the early part of the twentieth century, most people, even those in the film industry, considered movies to be only a cheap and disposable form of entertainment. Now we realize that a moving image is many things: a form of entertainment, an art form, an historical record, a cultural artifact, a commodity and a force for social change.

More than a reflection of society and culture, moving images are primary documents that can serve a wide range of research purposes. The director Sydney Pollack has said that cinema is “the most vivid and valuable record of who we were and what we were, and what we thought and what we believed. And it continues to be that.” As our culture is increasingly shaped by visual images in the digital age, historians may soon rely on moving images as much as on the printed word to understand 21st century culture. In a sense, by relying more and more on moving images to understand the times in which we live, society is increasingly reverting back to its roots grounded in oral tradition.

Whether it’s classic Hollywood feature films, 20th century newsreels, documentaries, classic television or home movies of Billy’s fifth birthday, it is important to preserve our visual heritage.

From home movie footage shot at the Topaz concentration camp during World War II. (Gift of Dave M. Tatsuno, Japanese American National Museum 91.74.1)

This remembrance wall is created to highlight some of the treasures from our past that are presumed lost. The majority of titles listed on the wall are silent films because the greatest loss occurs in films made before 1930. While no one knows the exact number of films that have been lost, it has been estimated that only 10 percent of the films made between 1910 and 1920 still exist and that only 20 percent of the films made in the 1920s survive today.

There are several reasons why so many films from the silent era have disappeared. Cellulose nitrate (commonly referred to as nitrate) was the standard film stock used for motion picture production until 1949, when Eastman Kodak introduced acetate-based, or safety, film. While unmatched for its vivid tones and ability to capture light and shadow, nitrate is an unstable and combustible medium. Nitrate is dangerous to store and numerous nitrate fires and explosions occurred in the first half of the 20th Century. One of the most costly to film history was the explosion and ensuing fire in Little Ferry, New Jersey in 1937 that destroyed many of the Fox Film Corporation’s silent films. In addition to its combustibility, nitrate film decomposes if not stored in optimum conditions. Decomposition begins with the film becoming brittle and shrinking, then discoloring and fading. The film then softens, becomes sticky and exudes a thick brown liquid. Finally, the film congeals into a solid mass and turns into a fine powder.

Image of nitrate deteroriation. Photo by Blaine Bartell

But the biggest cause of the disappearance of silent films was not nitrate deterioration, but the systematic destruction of films by studios. Movie studios did not foresee a reason why films would be worth the danger and expense to store. Films were considered of little value beyond their theatrical run. There were no markets for films after exhibition. Television, videocassettes and DVDs did not yet exist. Studios did not think it was worth the expense and the risk to store films. Also, because they were thought to be virtually worthless, prints were often destroyed to retrieve the silver contained within nitrate stock. Low budget producers would sell films for their silver content to finance the next project.

Studios also often destroyed prints to prevent piracy. Piracy was a concern even in the early days of motion pictures. Because the films were silent, they could easily be recut, given a new name and reissued. Release prints would be cut in half or chopped into pieces to prevent illegal duplication.

Today, film libraries are considered to be the prime assets of movie studios and media conglomerates. Film libraries can generate income in several ways, DVD releases, cable channels or pay-per-view services, and in the future downloads to the home computer.

A work-in-progress, the following list is by no means complete. It is meant to highlight a few of the treasures considered lost from the early decades of movie-making.

Please report corrections to this list.

For additional information on silent era lost films, refer to the Silent Era Web site.

Title:	The Air Circus
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Fox Films
Director:	Howard Hawks and Lewis B. Seiler
Cast:	Arthur Lake, Sue Carol, David Rollins, Charles Delaney, Heine Conklin, Louise Dresser, Carl Robinson.
Summary:	Two brash young men flirt with a pretty woman on their way to aviation school, telling her what good pilots they are. The woman shows up at their school and is a skilled pilot. On his first solo flight, one of the men panics. When he sees that his friend and the woman are in trouble because their plane has mechanical problems, he is able to overcome his fear and rescue them.
Notes:	One of Howard Hawks’ first aviation films. The film was made in both silent and sound versions because in 1928 many theaters had not yet made the conversion to sound equipment.

Title:	The Arab
Date:	1915
Distributor:	Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.
Director:	Cecil B. DeMille
Cast:	Edgar Selwyn, Horace B. Carpenter, Milton Brown, Billy Elmer, Sydney Deane, Gertrude Robinson, Park Jones, Theodore Roberts, Raymond Hatton, Irvin S. Cobb.
Summary:	Jamil’s father, the Bedouin sheik, gives jamil’s beloved white horse to an enemy because of an attack by Jamil’s followers. Jamil leaves to retrieve his horse. The Turkish governor has purchased Jamil’s horse and given it to a woman he fancies, Mary Hilbert, the daughter of a missionary. Jamil finds Mary riding his horse and falls in love with her. Jamil offers to convert to Christianity. Jamil discovers the governor has taken Mary for his harem. The governor shoots Jamil and tells the Bedouins that Mary is the one who shot him. Jamil recovers and tells the truth to the revenge-minded Bedouins, saving Mary’s life. Because his father, the sheik, has died, Jamil becomes the leader of the Bedouins. Mary leaves for America, but she vows to return.
Notes:	Edgar Selwyn’s first film.

Title:	The Battle of Gettysburg
Date:	1913
Distributor:	New York Motion Picture Company
Director:	Thomas H. Ince
Cast:	No reliable cast list survives for the film. AFI Catalog draws from two sources to list the following actors who may have appeared in the film: Burton King, Joe King, Gertrude Clair, Shorty Hamilton, Mr. Hadley, Mr. Edlar, Willard Mack, Charles K. French, Enid Bennett, George Fisher, J. Frank Burke, and Enid Markey.
Summary:	A young woman’s beau fights for the North while her brother fights for the South. All three of their lives are changed by the Battle of Gettysburg, where the Confederate troops led by General George Pickett are defeated. President Lincoln delivers his famous speech.
Notes:	The first feature-length film by the pioneering producer/director.

Title:	Battle of the Sexes
Date:	1914
Distributor:	Majestic Motion Picture Co.
Director:	D.W. Griffith
Cast:	Donald Crisp, Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Mary Alden, Owen Moore, Fay Tincher, W.E. Lawrence.
Summary:	Frank Andrews begins a secret affair with his new neighbor Cleo; gradually paying more attention to her than to his family or his business. When his daughter Jane confronts Cleo, Cleo regrets the romance and the two devise a plan to end the affair. Frank reconciles with his family and Cleo moves away.
Notes:	Rudolph Valentino may have been an extra. Only a fragment of a print is known to exist.

Title:	Beau Sabreur
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Paramount Famous Players-Lasky Corporation
Director:	John Waters
Cast:	Gary Cooper, Evelyn Brent, Noah Beery, William Powell, Roscoe Karns, Mitchell Lewis, Arnold Kent, Raoul Paoli, Joan Standing, Frank Reicher, Oscar Smith, H.J. Uttenhore.
Summary:	In this sequel to “Beau Geste,” Henri de Beaujolais must decide between love and duty as he negotiates a peace treaty between France and the Sheikh El Hammel.
Notes:	Trailer exists at UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Title:	Brewster’s Millions
Date:	1921
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	Joseph Henabery
Cast:	Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Betty Ross Clark, Fred Huntley, Marian Skinner, James Corrigan, Jean Acker, Charles Ogle, Neely Edwards, William Boyd, L.J. McCarthy, Parker McConnell, John MacFarlane.
Summary:	When Monte Brewster inherits $2 million from his grandfather Brewster, his other grandfather says he will give Monte $10 million if he can spend the $2 million in one year and stay single. Monte tries to spend the money, but his schemes to lose money end up making money. In addition, his friends (including Peggy Gray) who are supposed to be helping him spend the money are actually saving it and investing it for him. Finally, Monte loses all his money on an ill-fated cruise to Peru, but he has married Peggy so he doesn’t get the $10 million and he has lost all of the original $2 million. Just when all seems lost, the salvaged yacht gives Monte a sizable sum and Peggy’s investment in a Peruvian silver mine pays off.
Notes:	Once hugely popular, Fatty Arbuckle’s film career came to a screeching halt in 1921 after he was accused of raping and murdering actress Virgina Rappe. As a result of the sensational media coverage that followed, Arbuckle’s films were pulled from distribution and many lost as a result. Despite being acquitted of any wrongdoing, Fatty Arbuckle remains widely remembered as an obese silent film actor who crushed a lady to death during an afternoon of debauchery.

Title:	The Case of Lena Smith
Date:	1929
Distributor:	Paramount Pictures
Director:	Josef von Sternberg
Cast:	Working class Lena is secretly married to Franz, a student officer. After she has his child, Franz’ father takes the baby away. Feeling guilty and powerless that he cannot intervene, Franz commits suicide. Lena steals the child and raises him in an Hungarian village. The child grows up and leaves to fight in World War I.
Summary:	Working class Lena is secretly married to Franz, a student officer. After she has his child, Franz’ father takes the baby away. Feeling guilty and powerless that he cannot intervene, Franz commits suicide. Lena steals the child and raises him in an Hungarian village. The child grows up and leaves to fight in World War I.
Notes:	In 1929, films were making the transition to sound. Many of the silent films produced during this transition were not well received by the public, including “The Case of Lena Smith.” This perceived lack-of-interest contributed to the disappearance of many of the films made during this period.

Title:	Clarence
Date:	1922
Distributor:	Paramount Pictures
Director:	William De Mille
Cast:	Wallace Reid, Agnes Ayres, May McAvoy, Kathlyn Williams, Edward Martindel, Robert Agnew, Adolphe Menjou.
Summary:	Mr. Wheeler hires war veteran Clarence as a handyman around the house and havoc breaks out in the volatile Wheeler household. Mr. Wheeler’s secretary accuses Clarence of being a deserter. A letter proves that he is actually a university professor and Clarence is able to win the heart of his beloved Violet, the Wheeler’s governess.
Notes:	Matinee idol Wallace Reid in one of his last roles. He died within a year of a drug overdose. In response to Reid’s death, his widow Dorothy Davenport made “Human Wreckage,” an exposé of the dangers of drug use, and another film considered lost.

Title:	Cleopatra
Date:	1917
Distributor:	Fox Film Corporation
Director:	J. Gordon Edwards
Cast:	Theda Bara, Fritz Leiber, Thurston Hall, Albert Roscoe, Herschel Mayall, Dorothy Drake, Dell Duncan, Henri de Vries, Art Acord, Hector V. Sarno, Genevieve Blinn. The epic story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and her romances with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
Summary:	The epic story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and her romances with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
Notes:	Film historian and author, Anthony Slide, submitted a few feet (the only known footage) to the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House film archive for preservation.

Title:	The Conqueror
Date:	1917
Distributor:	Fox Film Corporation
Director:	Raoul Walsh
Cast:	William Farnum, Jewel Carmen, Charles Clary, James A. Marcus, Carrie Clarke, William Chisolm, Robert Dunbar, Owen Jones, William Eagle Shirt, Chief Birdhead, Little Bear.
Summary:	Raised in the country among the Cherokee Indians, Sam Houston becomes a politician in order to win the hand of Eliza, the daughter of Nashville aristocrats. When he learns that she married him only so she could be the first lady of Tennessee, an angry Sam goes to Texas. After her father is killed by Sidney Stokes, a remorseful Eliza searches for Sam. In danger from marauding Mexicans, Eliza is rescued by Sam and his friends, the Cherokee Indians.
Notes:

Title:	Damaged Goods
Date:	1915
Distributor:	American Film Mfg. Co.
Director:	Thomas Ricketts
Cast:	Richard Bennett, Adrienne Morrison, Maud Milton, Olive Templeton, Josephine Ditt, Jacqueline Moore, Florence Short, Louis Bennison, John Steppling, William Bertram, George Ferguson, Mrs. Lester, Charlotte Burton.
Summary:	Law school graduate George Dupont is seduced a married friend of the family. The experience awakens him sexually. George begins a romance with a seamstress, but his family pushes him into proposing to Henriette Locke, the daughter of a prominent politician. After he becomes a partner in his future father-in-law’s firm, George catches syphilis from a prostitute he bedded after a night of drinking with friends. Despondent, George is about to kill himself when the prostitute comes to him. When she caught syphilis from a well-to-do man, she decided to infect other upper class men until she got help from Dr. Clifford. George sees Dr. Clifford, who warns George not to marry during the two years of treatment. Pressured to marry, George goes to a quack who promises a quick cure. George and Henriette marry and have a child who has syphilis. Henriette leaves and George walks into the sea.
Notes:	Some scenes were shot in a Los Angeles hospital, showing actual syphilis patients.

Title:	The Devil’s Pass Key
Date:	1919
Distributor:	Universal Film Mfg. Co.
Director:	Erich von Stroheim
Cast:	Sam De Grasse, Una Trevelyn, Clyde Fillmore, Maude George, Leo White, Mae Busch, Jack Matheis, Ruth King, Al Edmondson, Ed Reinach.
Summary:	Even though she is married to struggling playwright Warren Goodwright in Paris, Grace Goodwright still enjoys the finer things in life. When she falls behind in payments to dressmaker Madame Malot, Malot suggests that wealthy Rex Strong might provide a solution. Strong offers Grace money in exchange for sexual favors, but Grace turns down the offer. Warren reads an account of the scandal in which no names are mentioned and writes a play based on the story. His play is a hit, but he is the laughing stock of Paris because he does not realize that the main character is his wife. When he learns the truth, Warren aims to kill Strong, but sure of his wife’s innocence, he changes his mind.
Notes:

Title:	The Divine Woman
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Director:	Victor Seastrom
Cast:	Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson, Lowell Sherman, Polly Moran, Dorothy Cum John Mack Brown
Summary:	Marianne is raised by peasants in Brittany when her Parisian mother does not want to give up her lifestyle. When she is grown, she moves to Paris and falls in love with Lucien, a soldier. Marianne becomes an actress with the help of the producer Legrande, a former lover of her mother. Seduced by fame, wealth, and Legrande, Marianne forsakes Lucien. Ultimately she gives up her career for Lucien, and the couple settle down in the country.
Notes:	One reel exists in the MGM/UA film archive.

Title:	Dry Martini
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Fox Film Corp.
Director:	H. D’Abbadie D’Arrast
Cast:	Mary Astor, Matt Moore, Jocelyn Lee, Sally Eilers, Albert Gran, Albert Conti, Tom Ricketts, Hugh Trevor, John Webb Dillon, Marcelle Corday.
Summary:	American expatriate Willoughby Quimby lives in Paris since he divorced his wife ten years ago. When his daughter Elisabeth comes to visit, Quimby gives up his martinis and his mistresses. Elisabeth falls for Paul, an artist and playboy. Quimby’s young friend Freddie Fletcher saves Elisabeth from this dangerous relationship. Elisabeth and Freddie marry and return to the United States and Quimby goes back to his martinis.
Notes:	Director D’Arrast’s last silent film.

Title:	Flaming Youth
Date:	1923
Distributor:	Associated First National Pictures
Director:	John Francis Dillon
Cast:	Colleen Moore, Milton Sills, Elliott Dexter, Sylvia Breamer, Myrtle Stedman, Betty Francisco, Phillips Smalley, Walter McGrail, Ben Lyon, George Barraud, John Patrick, Geno Corrado, Gertrude Astor, Michael Dark.
Summary:	Fearing an unhappy marriage like those she has seen in her family, Patricia Fentriss turns down the proposal of Cary Scott. Instead, she joins Leo Stenak on a yachting party in the Caribbean. When Stenak tries to have his way with her, Patricia escapes by jumping overboard. Once rescued and back home, Patricia marries Cary.
Notes:	One reel exists at the Library of Congress film archive. UCLA Film & Television Archive has shots from the film as part of the “Movie Lovers' Contest” series, which has been preserved. Thanks to Jere Guldin for providing the update on the surviving fragments.

Title:	Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Paramount Famous Lasky Corp
Director:	Malcolm St. Clair
Cast:	Ruth Taylor, Alice White, Ford Sterling, Holmes Herbert, Mack Swain, Emily Fitzroy, Blanche Frederici, Trixie Friganza, Ed Faust, Eugene Borden, Margaret Seddon, Luke Cosgrave, Chester Conklin, Yorke Sherwood, Mildred Boyd.
Summary:	Lounge singer and gold digger Lorelei Lee sails for Europe with girlfriend Dorothy and sets her sights on rich bachelor and moralist Henry Spoffard.
Notes:	The first screen adaptation of the popular novel by Anita Loos.

Title:	The Great Love
Date:	1918
Distributor:	D.W. Griffith
Director:	D.W. Griffith
Cast:	Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Henry B. Walthall, Gloria Hope, Maxfield Stanley, George Fawcett, Rosemary Theby, George Siegmann.
Summary:	American solder James Young falls in love with Susie Broadplains in London during World War I. Her father disapproves of their relationship and convinces Susie to marry Sir Roger Brighton, a cad who is only marrying Susie for her money. Jim foils a plot by Brighton to aid the Germans. Brighton kills himself and Jim and Susie are reunited.
Notes:

Title:	The Greatest Thing in Life
Date:	1918
Distributor:	D.W. Griffith
Director:	D.W. Griffith
Cast:	Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Adolphe Lestina, David Butler, Elmo Lincoln, Edward Peil, Kate Bruce, Peaches Jackson, Ernest Butterworth.
Summary:	Much to his chagrin, Edward, the son of a wealthy New York family, finds himself falling in love with Jeanette, a cigar shop salesgirl. She doesn’t like his condescending attitude. Fighting in World War I, a black soldier offers Edward his last bit of water. When the soldier is shot, Edward kisses him on the cheek as he dies. Moved by all he has seen during the war, Edward is reunited with Jeanette.
Notes:	Lillian Gish considered this to be one of D.W. Griffith’s best films. The scene with a white soldier kissing a dying black soldier may have been Griffith’s attempt to make amends for the racial controversy that surrounded “Birth of a Nation.”

Title:	Hollywood
Date:	1923
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	James Cruze
Cast:	Hope Drown, Luke Cosgrave, George K. Arthur, Ruby Lafayette, Harris Gordon, Bess Flowers, Eleanor Lawson, King Zany, Roscoe Arbuckle. A number of screen celebrities appear as themselves in the film.
Summary:	Angela Whitaker and her grandfather Joel move to Hollywood. She hopes to be a movie star and he hopes the climate will help restore his health. To Angela’s dismay, her grandfather is the one who gets the parts. When Lem, Angela’s boyfriend from home, and the rest of her family come to Hollywood to rescue Joel from the evils of Hollywood, they, too, become actors.
Notes:	One of the first satires of Hollywood. At the time he made this film, James Cruze was the world’s highest paid director.

Title:	The Homesteader
Date:	1919
Distributor:	Micheaux Book and Film Co
Director:	Oscar Micheaux
Cast:	Charles D. Lucas, Evelyn Peer, Iris Hall, Inez Smith, Vernon S. Duncan, Charles S. Moore, Trevy Woods, William George.
Summary:	Jean Baptiste, a black man, and Agnes Stewart, a Scottish girl, fall in love in South Dakota after she rescues him during a blizzard. Fearful of the many obstacles to their relationship, Baptiste moves back East to his family and marries Orlean, a preacher’s daughter. Orlean’s father tries to discredit Baptiste. Unable to stand up to her father, Orlean goes insane, killing her father and herself. Baptiste returns to South Dakota and finds love again with Agnes, who has learned that she is black.
Notes:	The first film by the pioneering African-American filmmaker. Based on Micheaux’s autobiographical novel.

Title:	Human Wreakage
Date:	1923
Distributor:	Thomas H. Ince Corp.
Director:	John Griffith Wray
Cast:	Mrs. Wallace Reid (Dorothy Davenport), James Kirkwood, Bessie Love, George Hackathorne, Claire McDowell, Robert McKim, Harry Northrup, Victory Bateman, Eric Mayne, Otto Hoffman, Philip Sleeman, George Clark, Lucille Ricksen, George E. Cryer Mayor of Los Angeles), Dr. R.B. von Kleinsmid (President of the University of Southern California), Benjamin Bledsoe (U.S. Judge, 12th Federal District), Louis D. Oaks (Chief of Police, Los Angeles), Martha Nelson McCan (Los Angeles Parks Commissioner), Mrs. Chester Ashley , John P. Carter (former U.S. Internal Revenue Collector), Mrs. Charles F. Gray (Parent Teachers Assn.), Dr. L.M. Powers (Health Commissioner, Los Angeles), Brig. C.R. Boyd (Salvation Army).
Summary:	An attorney suffers a nervous breakdown and becomes addicted to morphine. He cannot give up the drug until he sees his wife take up the habit because she is no longer able to cope with his addiction
Notes:	Mrs. Wallace Reid made this film in response to the drug overdose death of her husband, matinee idol Wallace Reid, who died the year before.

Title:	The Knickerbocker Buckaroo
Date:	1919
Distributor:	Douglas Fairbanks Picture Corp
Director:	Albert Parker
Cast:	Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, William Wellman, Frank Campeau, Edythe Chapman, Albert MacQuarrie, Theodore “Ted” Reed, James Mason, Ernest Butterworth
Summary:	Wealthy Fifth Avenue bon vivant Teddy Drake decides to stop being selfish and to do something good for a change. He takes a train to the Southwest and ends up helping Manuel Lopez and Rita Allison escape the clutches of a corrupt sheriff. Teddy proposes to Rita and takes her with him to New York.
Notes:

Title:	Ladies of the Mob
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Paramount Famous Lasky Corp.
Director:	William Wellman
Cast:	Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, Helen Lynch, Mary Alden, Carl Gerrard, Bodil Rosing, Lorraine Rivero, James Pierce William Wellman
Summary:	Yvonne’s father was electrocuted when she was young and her mother raises her to be a criminal and to avenge her father’s death. Yvonne loves Red, her partner in crime, and fears that jail and/or the electric chair will separate them. When her attempts to reform him fail, she shoots him in the shoulder to prevent him from taking part in a robbery. They surrender to make amends for their crimes and to start a new life.
Notes:	The actors sustained minor injuries from the ricocheting real bullets used during the making of the film

Title:	The Last Moment
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Samuel Freedman-Edward M. Spitz
Director:	Paul Fejos
Cast:	Otto Matiesen, Julius Molnar, Jr., Lucille La Verne, Anielka Elter, Georgia Hale, Isabelle Lamore, Vivian Winston.
Summary:	This experimental drama opens with a shot of man drowning, his hand reaching out of the water. After a series of very quick shots, the film shows the highlights of the man’s life from childhood until the day he walks into the pond to end his life. He wades in until only his hand is visible. Then the hand sinks below the surface and only bubbles rise to the surface.
Notes:	Considered the first American avant-garde film. Was shot for only $5,000 and with no explanatory titles.

Title:	Legion of the Damned
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Paramount Famous Lasky Corp
Director:	William A. Wellman
Cast:	Fay Wray, Gary Cooper, Barry Norton, Lane Chandler, Francis McDonald, Voya George, Freeman Wood, E. H. Calvert, Albert Conti, Charlot Bird, Toto Guette.
Summary:	Gale Price joins the French Air Legion after finding his girlfriend Christine with a German officer. When he is ordered to drop a spy behind enemy lines, he is surprised to discover that the spy is Christine. The pair are captured by the Germans and rescued by Gale’s unit. Christine and Gale reconcile.
Notes:

Title:	London After Midnight
Date:	1927
Distributor:	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Director:	Tod Browning
Cast:	Lon Chaney, Marceline Day, Percy Williams, Henry B. Walthall, Percy Williams, Conrad Nagel, Polly Moran, Edna Tichenor, Claude King
Summary:	The story concerns Scotland Yard Inspector Burke (Chaney) who believes that a criminal under hypnosis will re-create his crime. His theory is put to the test in the unsolved murder case of Roger Balfour. The inspector also uses the mystery of vampires to help catch his man, and at the end of the film, the vampire turns out to be none other than the inspector himself. When Burke removes his make-up at the end of the film, Chaney's own make-up case can be seen in the shot.
Notes:	“London after Midnight” was made under the working title of “The Hypnotist” and marked the only time Chaney's make-up case ever appeared in a motion picture. At the end of the film, Burke is taking off his make-up for the Man in the Beaver Hat (the false vampire) as Lucy and Hibbs come to see him. Chaney's make-up case (according to production stills) can be seen sitting on a table. Tod Browning remade “London After Midnight” in 1934 at MGM under the title “Mark of the Vampire,” with Lionel Barrymore and Bela Lugosi playing the two roles Chaney essayed. Considered the most sought after of all silent films, “London after Midnight” was reconstructed in 2002 entirely from stills by Rick Schmidlin in honor of the film’s 75th anniversary. The last print known to exist was destroyed in a vault fire at MGM in 1967. Thanks to Michael Blake for providing the notes and synopsis.

Title:	Madame Sans-Gene
Date:	1925
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	Leonce Perret
Cast:	Gloria Swanson, Emile Drain, Charles De Roche, Madelaine Guitty, Warwick Ward, Henry Favieres, Renee Heribelle, Suzanne Bianchetti, Denise Lorys, Jacques Marney.
Summary:	Catherine Hubscher is a carefree young laundress in Paris. Among her customers are two young soldiers, Napoleon and Lefebvre. Napoleon becomes emperor and Lefebvre becomes the Duke of Danzig. Catherine marries Lefebvre but her common ways disturb the court. Napoleon orders the duke to divorce Catherine, but when she reminds him of his unpaid laundry bills, he relents.
Notes:	The film was shot in France. Swanson was the only American in the cast. Director Perret was French, but he had studied filmmaking in New York before World War I. Two versions were shot, one for France and one for the United States.

Title:	The Miracle Man
Date:	1919
Distributor:	Mayflower Photoplay Corp.
Director:	George Loane Tucker
Cast:	Thomas Meighan, Betty Compson, Lon Chaney, J.M. Dumont, W. Lawson Butt, Elinor Fair, F.A. Turner, Lucille Hutton, Joseph J. Dowling, Frankie Lee.
Summary:	Four con men plan to take advantage of the Patriarch, a blind faith healer. One of the men contorts his body so he appears crippled. When he is “healed,” the crooks plan to steal the all the donations this “miracle” will inspire. The plan is spoiled when a truly crippled boy throws aside his crutches and runs to the Patriarch. Seeing a true miracle, the con men give up their life of crime.
Notes:	Lon Chaney was so effective in the part of Frog that many thought he was double-jointed or a contortionist in real life. In fact, he was neither. He got the idea of the twisted legs from a habit he had as a child of double-crossing his legs. The director originally wanted to cast a contortionist in the role, but none of the men he interviewed could act. Two scenes exist, including the miraculous healing scene, in a small short called “Movie Memories.” The short, released in the early 1930s, was a compilation of clips from several Paramount films, including “Blood & Sand,” “The Covered Wagon,” and “Old Ironsides.” Kevin Brownlow used the healing scene as part of a TCM documentary on Chaney broadcast in 2000. Thanks to Michael Blake for providing the notes and update on the surviving fragments.

Title:	The Nature Man
Date:	1915
Distributor:	Universal Film Mfg Co.
Director:
Cast:	John Knowles (himself)
Summary:	In August of 1913, John Knowles, naked and weaponless, entered the woods of Northern Maine near Spencer Lake. For two months, he survived by his wits. This re-enactment takes Knowles, two reporters and a cameraman back into the woods (with Knowles wearing pants and a shirt) to provide a sampling of Knowles’ exploits, including his battles with wild animals.
Notes:	It is uncertain whether the locale for the documentary re-enactment was shot in Maine or in the Southern California mountains.

Title:	One Glorious Day
Date:	1922
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	James Cruze
Cast:	Will Rogers, Lila Lee, Alan Hale, John Fox, Emily Rait, Clarence Burton.
Summary:	Professor Ezra Botts is a shy and timid psychology professor who is secretly in love with Molly, his housekeeper’s daughter. During a meeting of the spiritual society that he chairs, Botts goes into a trance and Ek, an aggressive spirit, enters his body. Ek fights and defeats Ben Wadley, a no-good suitor of Molly’s. When Ek leaves the professor’s body, Botts has no memory of what happened during his trance. Botts discovers that Molly loves him and he is nominated for mayor.
Notes:	A nitrate print may exist in a European archive.

Title:	One of millions
Date:	1914
Distributor:	Dryeda Art Film Corp
Director:	J. Searle Dawley
Cast:	Laura Sawyer, Maximillian Jurgens, Gertrude Norman, Robert Broderick, Arthur Evers, Lillian Buchanan.
Summary:	In the prologue, Death and Glory stand on either side of a cottage. Blood oozes from beneath a stage curtain, forming the word “war.” In the main story, Gladimir Kubelow leaves his wife on their wedding night when he enlists at the sudden outbreak of war. Naively, Maria happily bids him farewell, while her mother-in-law, Mother Kubelow, realizes the dangers of war. When Gladimir is killed during an attack led by General Bucher, Maria and Mother Kubelow find his body on the battlefield and take it to the bridal chamber. Her grief causes Maria to lose her mind. General Bucher forces his way into the way and Mother Kubelow poisons him with the sleeping potion she made to calm Maria. After taunting Bucher as he dies, Mother Kubelow goes insane and sets fire to her house. In the epilogue, as fire engulfs the cottage, Glory cringes and Death smiles.
Notes:	The first film of the Dryeda Art Film Corp.

Title:	The Patriot
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Paramount Famous Lasky Corp
Director:	Ernst Lubitsch
Cast:	Emil Jannings, Lewis Stone, Florence Vidor, Lewis Stone, Vera Voronina, Neil Hamilton, Harry Cording.
Summary:	Count Pahlen is the only aide Czar Paul trusts. Pahlen knows his friend the Czar is mad and reluctantly plots to remove the ruler from power because of his horrific acts against the Russian people. The Czar is killed and Pahlen shoots himself. As he lays dying, he tells his mistress, “I have been a bad friend and lover-but I have been a patriot.”
Notes:	The Patriot earned five Academy Award nominations (with Hanns Kraly winning an Oscar for his screenplay) and was the last silent film to be nominated for Best Picture. A synchronized musical score and sound effects were added in after production, both against the wishes of director Ernst Lubitsch. A trailer of “The Patriot” has been restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. UCLA also holds excerpts from the feature and a 2500 ft. sound reel that was transferred from the original Vitaphone disks. More recently, about 6 minutes worth of the film was discovered, preserved, and exhibited in Europe. Thanks to Jere Guldin for providing the update on the surviving fragments.

Title:	The Queen of Sheba
Date:	1921
Distributor:	Fox Film Corp.
Director:	J. Gordon Edwards
Cast:	Betty Blythe, Fritz Leiber, Clare De Lorez, George Siegmann, Herbert Heyes, Herschel Mayall, G.Raymond Nye, George Nichols, Genevieve Blinn, Pat Moore, Joan Gordon, William Hardy, Paul Cazeneuve, John Cosgrove, Nell Craig, Al Fremont, Earl Crain.
Summary:	Sheba travels to Jerusalem to see if reports of Solomon’s wisdom are true. She and Solomon fall in love, angering his wife, Amrath. Amrath’s father, the pharoah, threatens war if Solomon leaves Amrath for Sheba. Sheba returns to her homeland with Solomon’s son.
Notes:	Film made a star out of newcomer Betty Blythe. Cowboy star and former rodeo rider Tom Mix supervised the chariot race sequence.

Title:	The Rogue Song
Date:	1930
Distributor:	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Director:	Lionel Barrymore
Cast:	Lawrence Tibbett, Catherine Dale Owens, Nance O’Neil, Judith Vosselli, Ullrich Haupt, Elsa Alsen, Florence Lake, Lionel Belmore, Wallace MacDonald, Kate Price, H.A. Morgan, Burr McIntosh, James Bradbury, Jr., Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy.
Summary:	Yegor, the singing leader of a band of mountain bandits, meets Princess Vera at an inn and they fall in love. When Yegor learns that Vera’s brother raped his sister Nadja, Yegor kidnaps Vera and forces her to live a life of servitude. Vera is able to plot her rescue and Yegor’s capture, but as Yegor is flogged he sings to her. She realizes his love for her is real. Though they still love each other, Vera and Yegor part, hoping that someday they can be together
Notes:	UCLA Film and Television Archive in association with Warner Brothers has restored a trailer for “The Rogue Song” as well as a surviving fragment discovered by Northeast Historic Film of the Swan ballet choreographed by Albertina Rasch with the Albertina Rasch Dancers and a three minute segment featuring Laurel & Hardy and a bear in a cave. In addition, Czechoslovak Film Archives has a reel of Lawrence Tibbett singing. Thanks to Jere Guldin, Karan Sheldon and Rob Stone for updates on the surviving fragments.

Title:	The Sea Wolf
Date:	1913
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky Corp.
Director:	George Melford
Cast:	Noah Beery, James Gordon, Raymond Hatton, Eddie Sutherland, Walter Long, Fred Huntley, Mabel Julienne Scott, Tom Forman.
Summary:	Humphrey Van Breyden and Maud Brewster are rescued at sea by Wolf Larsen, the cruel captain of The Ghost. Instead of sending them ashore, Larsen forces Humphrey to become part of his short-handed crew. Maud finds the iron-fisted Larsen to be a contrast to Humphrey, whom she has always considered to be weak. Maud and Humphrey escape to an island. Some time later, The Ghost drifts in and they find Wolf alone and blind. He attacks Humphrey but is overcome by a seizure and dies. When at last they are rescued, Maud realizes that her idea of manhood was wrong and she declares her love for Humphrey.
Notes:

Title:	Siege
Date:	1925
Distributor:	Universal Pictures
Director:	Svend Gade
Cast:	Virginia Valli, Eugene O’Brien, Mary Alden, Marc McDermott, Harry Lorraine, Beatrice Burnham, Helen Dunbar.
Summary:	Aunt Augusta, the strong-willed head of the wealthy Ruyland family, breaks up the happy marriage of her nephew Kenyon and his bride Frederika by raising suspicions about Frederika’s faithfulness. Frederika wins Aunt Augusta’s love and approval when she risks her own life to save that of the elderly woman. Frederika and Kenyon happily reunite.
Notes:

Title:	The Story of a Nobody
Date:	1930
Distributor:	Cinemacrafters of Philadelphia
Director:	Lewis Jacobs, Louis Hirshman, Jo Gerson
Cast:
Summary:	Avant-garde short film.
Notes:

Title:	The Street of Sin
Date:	1928
Distributor:	Paramount Famous Lasky Corp.
Director:	Mauritz Stiller
Cast:	Emil Jannings, Fay Wray, Olga Baclanova, Ernest W. Johnson, George Kotsonaros, John Gough, Johnnie Morris, John Burdette.
Summary:	“Basher Bill,” a former prizefighter turned burglar, lives with his fiancee Annie. He meets Elizabeth, who takes care of abandoned children in the Salvation Army shelter. Touched by her goodness, Bill confesses to Elizabeth and decides to reform. Jealous, Annie gives him up to the police. He is shot trying to protect Elizabeth and the children when the gang uses them as a human shield against the police. As he dies, he tells Annie to save her soul by joining the Salvation Army.
Notes:	The film was completed by Ludwig Berger after Mauritz Stiller returned to Sweden in November 1927, where he died shortly thereafter. Stiller was one of many foreign filmmakers who came to Hollywood and found it difficult to adjust to the Hollywood studio system.

Title:	Taxi! Taxi!
Date:	1927
Distributor:	Universal Pictures
Director:	Melville W. Brown
Cast:	Edward Everett Horton, Marian Nixon, Burr McIntosh, Edward Martindel, William V. Mong, Lucien Littlefield, Freeman Wood.
Summary:	Peter Whitby, a young draftsman in an architectural firm, takes the boss’ niece, Rose, out to a rather notorious nightclub. When they see her uncle there, they leave. It is raining and the only way Peter can get a cab is to buy one. Unfortunately, the cab he purchases was the get-away car in a robbery and he is arrested for the crime. Peter is fired and loses Rose. In time Peter manages to clear his name, get his job back, and marry Rose.
Notes:

Title:	That Old Gang of Mine
Date:	1925
Distributor:	Kerman Films
Director:	May Tully
Cast:	Maclyn Arbuckle, Brooke Johns, Tommy Brown.
Summary:	Longtime friends Tom Pierce and Senator Jim Walton become embroiled in a bitter dispute that threatens to divide their political party just before an important primary. Walton’s speech at a political meeting infuriates Pierce and the two almost exchange punches. When a musician starts to sing “That Old Gang of Mine,” the two men recall growing up together on the East Side and decide to work together to defeat the opposition party.
Notes:	Suggested by the song by Billy Rose, Ray Henderson, and Mort Dixon

Title:	“That Royle Girl”
Date:	1925
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	D.W. Griffith
Cast:
Summary:	Carol Dempster, W.C. Fields, James Kirkwood, Harrison Ford, Marie Chambers, Paul Everton, George Rigas, Florence Auer, Ida Waterman, Alice Laidley, Dorothea Love, Dore Davidson, Frank Allworth, Bobby Watson.
Notes:

Title:	Treasure Island
Date:	1920
Distributor:	Fox Film Corp
Director:	C.M. Franklin and S.A. Franklin
Cast:	Cast – Prologue: Francis Carpenter, Eleanor Washington, Virginia Corbin, Herschel Mayall, Elmo Lincoln, Charles Gorman, Ed Harley. Cast: Francis Carpenter, Virginia Corbin, Violet Radcliffe, Lloyd Perl, Lew Sargent, Buddie Messinger
Summary:	Seaman Bill Bones is attacked by some sailors looking for a map showing the whereabouts of a buried treasure. In the scuffle, young Jim Hawkins finds the map. Jim and Louise Trelawny charter the Hispanola and set out for the island location. When they reach the island, Jim and several pirates go ashore, leaving Louise on board. Louise and the captain fear a mutiny and go ashore, taking refuge in a stockade. The pirates and the honest crew members fight. Jim and Louise find each other and the treasure and set sail for home.
Notes:

Title:	We Can’t Have Everything
Date:	1919
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky Corp
Director:	Cecil B. DeMille
Cast:	Kathlyn Williams, Elliott Dexter, Wanda Hawley, Sylvia Breamer, Thurston Hall, Raymond Hatton, Tully Marshall, Theodore Roberts, James neill, Ernest Joy, Billy Elmer, Alvin Wyckoff, Charles Ogle, Sylvia Ashton.
Summary:	Just when Charity Coe Cheever divorces her unfaithful husband Peter, Charity’s true love, Jim Dyckman, marries actress Kedzie Thropp. Jim knows he made a mistake when Kedzie flirts with the Marquis of Strathdene, who says he will marry Kedzie if she divorces Jim. Jim takes charity for a drive one night and the two are stranded by a storm. Even though nothing happens, Kedzie sees this as her opportunity to get her divorce. World War I breaks out and the Marquis leaves for the front. Jim becomes an officer and is reunited with Charity when he finds her serving at a base.
Notes:

Title:	The World’s Applause
Date:	1923
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	William De Mille
Cast:	Bebe Daniels, Lewis Stone, Kathlyn Williams, Adolphe Menjou, Brandon Hurst, Bernice Frank, Mayme Kelso, George Kuwa, James Neill.
Summary:	Successful Broadway actress Corinne d’Alys is famous both for her acting and her private life. She doesn’t listen to warnings from her manager, John Elliott, that the public attention she craves can also destroy her. Corinne is linked to the artist John Townsend and his wife (Elliott’s sister) stabs him in a jealous rage. Elliott takes the blame to protect his sister, but when she discovers that he is love with Corinne, the sister confesses to her crime. Corinne and John clear their names and find happiness together.
Notes:

Title:	The Young Rajah
Date:	1922
Distributor:	Famous Players-Lasky
Director:	Philip Rosen
Cast:	Rudolph Valentino, Wanda Hawley, Pat Moore, Charles Ogle, Fanny Midgley, Robert Ober, Jack Giddings, Edward Jobson, Josef Swickard, Bertram Grassby, J. Farrell MacDonald, George Periolat, George Field, Maude Wayne, William Boyd, Joseph Harrington, Spottiswoode Aitken.
Summary:	Believed to be a descendant of Arjuna, the mortal brother of the god Krishna, a young rajah is sent to America for safety. Raised as Amos Judd, he becomes a popular student at Harvard and falls in love with Molly Cabot. Amos can see the future in his dreams and on the day before his wedding with Molly, he dreams that he will be attacked. He enters a sanatorium for protection, but still Amos is attacked. He is rescued and told he must return to India and his people. Amos reluctantly leaves Molly to fulfill his duty, but he is hopeful because he dreamed that he marries Molly in a Hindu ceremony.
Notes:	Survives incomplete in private hands from a single 16mm print struck from the Italian release version. The UCLA Film & Television Archive preserved an ersatz trailer from a 16mm diacetate print enlarged to 35mm that contains a short section of surviving footage. Thanks to Robert S. Birchard for the update on the Italian release version.

Title:	The Zeppelin’s Last Raid
Date:	1916
Distributor:	Thomas H. Ince Productions, Inc.
Director:	Irvin V. Willat
Cast:	Enid Markey, Alfred Hickman
Summary:	When an innocent man is publicly executed for being a spy, the commander of a zeppelin turns against the Kaiser and pledges his allegiance to a revolutionary party. His fiancee is a recruiter for the party and helps spread the party throughout the country. On a mission to bomb a British town, the commander refuses to attack and asks his crew to join him in his crusade for peace. When the crew continues to prepare for the bombing raid, the commander blows up the zeppelin in mid-air, killing himself and his crew, rather than kill civilians.
Notes: