William E. Shay

Telephone operator Kitty O'Brien can't help but get involved in the problems of her customers. Right now she is concerning herself with the well-being of Tom Blake, the honest son of crooked political boss Jim Blake.

Open details →

The overthrow of Czar Nicholas II in Russia was such big news that the then-fledgling art of cinema couldn't help but jump on it immediately and create a couple of dramatizations.

Open details →

When Marcel, a waif, saves master crook Burke from the police, Burke adopts the youngster and teaches him his profession. Years later, Marcel has become a master crook himself, working under the name of Michael Lanyard. His clever work baffles the Paris police, who dub him "The Lone Wolf". The Pack, a gang of criminals, notifies The Wolf that unless he joins them, he is marked for destruction. Lucy, an undercover agent masquerading as a crook to expose the gang, helps The Wolf escape. This inaugurates a series of adventures in which Lucy and The Wolf are pursued by the gang, finally making their escape to England by plane. The Pack follows, only to meet their death in a plane crash. Liberated from his tormentors, The Wolf vows to go straight and marries Lucy.

Open details →

Gennaro, the son of Lucretia Borgia, lives unaware of the identity of his mother, who has married the Duke of Ferrara. After Lucretia's brother is killed by five conspirators, the fathers of Gennaro's dearest friends, Lucretia tortures the old men to death. Later, Gennaro and his companions journey to Lucretia's domain, and she sees her son for the first time. The Duke, who believes him to be her lover, poisons him, but Lucretia administers the antidote in time and saves his life. Then she schemes to poison her sons' five friends for their fathers' mistake.

Open details →

A sultan agrees to help an evil witch destroy a mysterious beauty if the witch will bring his young son back to life. A lost film.

Open details →

Grace Leonard, a typical woman of the New York stage, beautiful but old in sin, seduces William Craig, who becomes a thief in order to shower luxuries upon her. He is sentenced to prison and emerges five years later as a sad-faced, gray-haired man, entirely cured of his mad passion for La Valencia. But she sees him and her old passion is stirred, meaning nothing to her that since his release from prison, he has fallen in love and married a good woman who knows nothing of his past. When William is not swayed by her fascinations, Grace threatens to expose his past life. A lost film.

Open details →

Italian peasant girl deserts her fiancé for wealthy gangster and departs for America.

Open details →

This picture is based on the same story that became D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm in 1921. This version, made by the Fox Studios, stars famous "vamp" actress Theda Bara in the role that Lillian Gish later made famous

Open details →

This was Theda Bara's third starring film, and the first which she carried all on her own, with no other name actors in the cast. Based on the Alexander Dumas story, The Clemenceau Case involves Iza, a vampire-wife (Bara), whose wicked ways scandalize her husband, Pierre (William E. Shay).

Open details →

Based -- loosely -- on Leo Tolstoy, this film starred feted stage star Nance O'Neil but is rather better remembered as Theda Bara's follow-up to the sensational A Fool There Was (1914).

Open details →

The daughter of King Neptune takes on human form to avenge the death of her young sister, who was caught in a fishing net. However, she falls in love with the king, the man she holds responsible.

Open details →

Leonard Dare, a producer, finds himself without a player strong enough to enact the part of Philip Dawany, one of the important characters of the cast. His company is temporarily dismissed and he returns home. Derwent Hall calls for an interview with Dare. Hall's wife is sick: the doctor has instructed Hall to give her better food and medical attention. Hall, desperate, takes the opportunity of urging Dare to allow him to read his play. Spellbound, Dare listens to the most absurd line of talk he has ever heard, but is very much surprised by the magnificent acting of the author. Dare writes out a check for the play and while the hungry man looks on, calmly throws the manuscript on the fire. Dare says he will make him the greatest actor living. Hall is cast in the part of PhiIip Dawany. At first Hall is treated with distinct coldness by the audience, but at last cheer after cheer rolls out as the curtain falls. In this moment, his hour of triumph, a message reaches him from home.

Open details →

Amos Bentley was up against it in more senses than one. Times were so hard with him that he had to part with the furniture of his little apartment in order to pay his debts. However, things were inclined to take a better turn for him. He was invited to be a guest of some friends of his. And between him and the daughter of the family some sort of heart interest was supposed to exist. Disinclined to accept the invitation at first, he yielded to the persuasions of his friend, the brother of the girl, and made his way to the host's house. Unfortunately his nether garment gave way in a somewhat conspicuous place and in his attempts to conceal the tear while the evening party was in progress, poor Amos suffered a great deal of torture. Finally, he was shown into the room of his probable fiancée. And while in the act of searching for a needle and thread, was discovered by her father, who had not yet made the acquaintance of Amos.

Open details →

George, a somewhat "unathletic" young man, falls for Clarice, a healthy, athletically inclined young woman. Unfortunately for George, however, a strapping, musclebound stud is also after Clarice, and she seems to prefer him to George. After reading an article by a female writer saying that women prefer the "caveman" type of man, George decides that if that what it takes to get Clarice, then that is what he will be.

Open details →

Based on JS Le Fanu's 1850 poem "Shamus O'Brien." Copies of this short film survive at the Library of Congress and British Film Institute.

Open details →

A lost film. John Crawford, an honest mechanic, and Wilbur Robinson, a young man of leisure, both love the same girl. She marries Crawford and they have a baby. Crawford is engaged in perfecting an invention and money is short leaving the wife dissatisfied. Robinson notes this fact and lures her away. She goes with him deserting the baby, leaving a note for her husband. While awaiting the train to leave the city they visit a picture house. The story thrown on the screen is identical to their own experience. Unable to witness the closing scenes and filled with remorse, Mrs. Crawford begs to leave and hurries home, hoping she may get there before her husband returns.

Open details →

A story of an only daughter of a farmer; her mother is dead and she is her father's consolation. She grows up and falls in love with the young man in her father's employ, but when they tell the father of their love affair, he orders the lover off the place. He goes, but later returns and takes the girl with him, followed by a father's curse.

Open details →

Tom Alkins, a sturdy fisherman, loves Polly Berry, the daughter of old Nat Berry, the keeper of the light. Bert Duncan also loves Polly and is insanely jealous of Tom. The course of true love runs smoothly for the happy couple with the exception of an attempt on the part of Duncan to force his unwelcome attentions on Polly. He is soundly thrashed by Tom and vows vengeance.

Open details →

An elderly woman looks back on the special times in her life, thinking especially about her now-departed husband and the things they did together. Though it is sad that these times are now gone, she is comforted by her memories and by the hope of sharing in the lives of her child and grandchildren.

Open details →

A young female boarding house tenant becomes an unwanted object of male attention.

Open details →