Maude Turner Gordon

Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

The young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of France, in a politically advantageous marriage for the rival countries. The opulent Marie indulges in various whims and flirtations. When Louis XV passes and Louis XVI ascends the French throne, his queen's extravagant lifestyle earns the hatred of the French people, who despise her Austrian heritage.

An Austrian soldier must choose between a wealthy fiancee and a new girl who takes his fancy.

A waitress falls for a wealthy young man but has to fight his mother to find happiness.

Innocent Sally Brown thinks men are only attracted to experienced women, so she poses as the wife of an unmarried businessman on a trip to Paris.

Rosalie Lawrence, a dancing star on Broadway, falls for rich Hugh Thompson. His parents disapprove and want him to marry Barbara Royce, so he and Rosalie marry secretly. However, Hugh isn't quite the man he seems, as Rosalie is soon to find out.

"Mismates" is the story of a wealthy youth who, against his mother's wishes, marries a poor girl and is disowned. At first determined to support himself and his wife, he soon craves the accustomed luxury and deserts his wife and child. On false information provided by the boy's mother and substantiated by himself the wife is sent to jail and the child kidnapped by the husband. This is where the drama kicks in.

She sought to conquer...but found Cupid her master! This is one of many lost films of the 1920s, no prints or Vitaphone discs survive, but the song with the same title and the trailer survives.

A cabaret dancer witnesses a murder and is forced to hide from gangsters by disguising herself as a male Princeton student.

Every night, Madge Dow of the Middleport Orphanage, imagines herself in the lighted room in the house across the way, being tucked into bed by a beautiful mother. After Madge and her friend Spotty escape to visit settlement worker Letty Thompson, and Letty encourages them to investigate the house, they find a grumpy, gout-ridden old Major there, still irritated over his daughter's marriage years ago without his consent.

A man meets the daughter of his lover and they begin to fall in love.

A New York fashion model finds herself being pursued by a poor but honest garage mechanic and a rich philanderer.

Aspiring newsreel camera girl Pat Clancy, is hired by her father, a publisher, to work on The Sun and causes Scoop Morgan, the paper's best cameraman, to quit in protest of the hiring of a woman. The Mercury hires Scoop, and there begins a heated rivalry between him and Pat. Pat gets a few lucky breaks and manages to get a beat on Scoop during her brief career. After she exposes the theft of a jewel from the turban of a visiting maharajah, she and Scoop are kidnapped by Clayton, the thief, and taken aboard his yacht. Rescued, she and Scoop find love and happiness.

During a lawn party at his New York home, steel magnate Theodore Morton claims he is bankrupt as a deterrent to Lord Dormer and the Duke of Medonia, two fortune hunters competing for his niece, Betty. After the suitors depart, unscrupulous Carl Gates is informed by his fiancée, banker's secretary Adele Shelby, that Theodore was lying. Carl pursues Betty, who accepts his proposal with the belief that the marriage will benefit her uncle. During a yachting expedition with Carl, Betty falls overboard and is rescued by architect Tom Waring, who is competing in a race. Tom wins with Betty on board, and a romance develops.

A well-cloistered and protected-against-reality group of college students get their diplomas in the heart of the Great Depression, and quickly learn that the piece of paper the diploma is written on is worth about eighteen-dollars-a-week in the job-market...for the lucky ones. Some of them fare even worse.

After many outrageous moments, a young girl marries her former acquaintance, not with her fiancee.

Home Made is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Charles Hines.

A PR man talks a swanky hotel into hiring his girlfriend's brother as chef.

Twin sisters Rosetta and Lola Gelardi live happily with their aging father, Professor Gelardi, until their Sicilian village is destroyed by an earthquake. Unable to find Lola, the professor and Rosetta move to New York, where she obtains employment as a stenographer to author Aubrey Hapgood. Rosetta captivates Aubrey and his friends, but Mildred Sanders, who had hoped to win Aubrey for herself, tries to ruin Rosetta's reputation. On a drive with Aubrey, Rosetta relates her life story, whereupon Aubrey, claiming he loves her, takes her to an inn. Although he promises to marry her, she later reads of his engagement to Mildred. Rosetta shoots herself, after which Lola appears to avenge her death by causing the ruin of Aubrey's sister. Aubrey fires on Lola, but Rosetta awakens in his car and realizes that it was all a dream. While the chauffeur repairs the car, she and Aubrey walk into town to find a preacher.

When a taxi carrying socialite Ruth Darrow drives into the middle of a gun battle between hijacker Kid Gloves and a trio of bootleggers, Ruth is injured. She is taken to a nearby apartment, and The Kid helps to care for her. John Stone, Ruth's fiance and a bootlegger with a respectable front, finds them together and blackmails The Kid into marrying the girl.

Sally Marrio, neglected wife of a prominent shoe designer, has three wishes: to be a millionaire's wife, to be famous, and to have a child.

A chorus girl gets bad advice from her fellow chorines in handling a rich suitor who assumes she is a gold digger.

A private stationed in Hawaii gets involved with the general's engaged daughter. In order to avoid a scandal, the pair break up, but meet again years later when he's at West Point producing the annual play that turns out to star her.

A longtime maid for New York socialites watches from afar as the daughter she once gave up is raised by others. Director Arthur Greville Collins' 1935 film stars Ruth Donnelly, Anita Louise, Margaret Lindsay, Warren Hull, Frank Albertson, Arthur Treacher, Ronnie Crosby, Henry O'Neill, Lillian Kemble Cooper and Gordon Elliott.

There is a big charity function at the house of Mrs. Cheyney and a lot of society is present. With her rich husband, deceased, rich old Lord Elton and playboy Lord Arthur Dilling are both very interested in the mysterious Fay. Invited to the house of Mrs. Webley, Fay is again the center of attention for Arthur and Elton with her leaning towards stuffy old Elton. When Arthur sees Charles, Fay's Butler, lurking in the gardens, he remembers that Charles was a thief caught in Monte Carlo and he figures that Fay may be more interested in the pearls of Mrs. Webley, which she is. After Fay takes the pearls, but before she can toss them out the window, she is caught by Arthur who is very disappointed in how things are turning out.

A woman's love for and devotion to a married man results in her being relegated to the "back streets" of his life.

While visiting Monte Carlo with her aunt, Rosalie Dean meets a young man, Maxfield Gray who is ready to kill himself because of his losses at the roulette wheel. She stops him from doing so, and lends him some money to win back what he's lost. He does, but they're only happy for a short while before Max is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife in the States.

Nan Carey ( Betty Compson ), a shoplifter, is caught by the police but acquitted through the influence of Lazare ( Lucien Littlefield ), a crooked lawyer, who places her with a gang of crooks. Posing as the Brockton family, they move to a seaside home, where they plan to steal the jewel collection of the Palmers, their neighbours. Nan wins the confidence of the family by flirting with Tom ( Kenneth Harlan ), who becomes infatuated and wants to go away with her, but she refuses him. Tom is caught red-handed in the Brockton mansion attempting to steal their jewels while Nan is making a success of the Palmer robbery.

John owns the largest chain of five and ten cent stores in the country. He moves his family to New York from Kansas City and their life, though grand, is falling apart due to his constant working. Wife and mother Jenny is lonely. Son Avery hates his job. Daughter Jennifer is snubbed by classmate Muriel and her friends. At a charity bazaar, Jennifer meets Berry and sparks are evident. However, he is engaged to Muriel and Muriel will make sure that she, and only she, marries Berry. After the marriage, Berry still thinks of Jennifer as Jennifer thinks of Berry. Avery laments about the state of his family since they were happy in Kansas City.

When he loses both his wife and child, Montgomery Rogers adopts his servants' little girl and raises her as his own. Completely unaware of her origins, Emerie grows up to be a first class snob. Her socially ambitious aunt takes her to Europe to become engaged to Brooks Fitzroy, an impoverished lord (Cyril Chadwick). On the voyage back she encounters a young man, Dick Clarke who is working for his passage.

A lay-about falls for his best friend's fiancee. The two of them run away from a life of privilege to one of middle-class normalcy. When an influx of money enters their life, their differences come to light.

The Hottentot is a lost 1929 American pre-Code film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Edward Everett Horton and Patsy Ruth Miller. It is based on a 1920 Broadway play, The Hottentot, by William Collier, Sr. and Victor Mapes.

After Jim Barston is mysteriously killed in Australia, his wife, Helen, lays claim to the estate of Gerald Mortimer Barston in England, asserting that her husband was the missing son and heir. In reality, Jim was the cousin of the true heir, who is also named Jim Barston. Despite having no legal proof, Helen convinces the trustees to accept her claim and is installed as mistress of the manor. Jim Barston appears and proves his identity, although Helen initially believes him to be an impostor.

Wealthy but unhappy Patricia Belmont meets fun-loving insurance salesman Bill Smith (and his fun-loving friends Sam Ragland and Betty Harkness)on a ship cruise and falls in love, much to the annoyance of her high-society, fortune-hunting fiance Barrington Thorne.

Madame Vervier, a sophisticated woman, sends her daughter Alix to live with Owen Bradley's parents in London.

An Englishwoman misbehaves in Canada, driving a traveling companion to suicide and bearing a secret child whom she whisks away. When she returns to England to receive an inheritance, her bad deeds catch up to her. The film is presumed lost.

Chronic liar Berenice Somers and her friend Alice, skip school to see a matinee, however, the two girls must think quickly when they see Alice's parents, Judge and Mrs. Altwold. Trying to escape, they run into the hotel room where young diplomat Cleverley Trafton is staying. Alice's parents find them, however, and are shocked that two young women would be in a man's room. Undaunted, Berenice says that she is Cleverley's wife, and that Alice simply had been visiting. Going from hostile to hospitable, the Altwolds then insist that Berenice and Cleverley stay with them. Cleverley is unable to argue his way out of the situation, and both he and Berenice are embarrassed at having to spend the night together. They soon realize, however, that they have come to like each other, and so, deciding to change Berenice's lie into the truth, they begin making plans for their marriage

Sports-loving inventor Richard Shelby develops an "Elasto-Tweed" golf suit then hits the road in hopes of making a few sales. Along the way, he meets Alice Elliott, who mistakes Shelby for millionaire sportsman Timothy Stanfield (Claude King). Forced to go through with the masquerade, Shelby ends up spending what little money he has, and then some.

When Tom Redding's wealthy father dies and it turns out that all he left Tom was a mountain of debts, all of his "friends" desert him--except young Mary Austin. Determined to get out from all his debt, Tom heads west and eventually strikes it rich with an oil well. Now wealthy, he hatches a plan to get even with his "friends" in his hometown--by pretending to return home broke but having a colleague secretly buy up as much property in town as he can.

Sally is an orphan who was named by the telephone exchange where she was abandoned as a baby. In the orphanage, she discovered the joy of dancing. Working as a waitress, she serves Blair (Alexander Gray), and they both fall for each other, but Blair is engaged to socialite Marcia. Sally is hired to impersonate a famous Russian dancer named Noskerova, but at that engagement, she is found to be a phoney. Undaunted, she proceeds with her life and has a show on Broadway, but she still thinks of Blair.

A safecracker poses as a French maid in order to gain access to wealthy homes. In the midst of a nocturnal search for a cache of valuables, she is interrupted by another safecracker. Narrowly escaping arrest, they decide to pool their talents, but she gets the urge to reform and encourages him to do the same.

High Stakes is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy drama produced and released by RKO Pictures. The picture was directed by Lowell Sherman who also stars and marks the last starring screen appearance of silent screen diva Mae Murray. It is based on a 1924 Broadway play that starred Sherman playing the same role he plays in this film.

A wealthy society girl must live on $150 a month to prove to her father that she can stand being married to a poor man.

A society gigolo goes after a rich mother and her daughter, but tries to find true happiness with his girlfriend, who is neither rich nor in "society."

A Navy pilot gets involved in a romantic triangle while stationed in Hawaii.

When a Hollywood producer is murdered, the most likely suspect is a man who is smitten with the victim's fiancee.

A mad doctor sews human head onto gorilla's body.

When Marion Corsey's husband, Andrew, is conned out of a small fortune by Vivian Hepburn, she dedicates herself to recovering the money.

A vaudeville magician team is broken up when Carlee, an ex--circus performer, becomes infatuated with socialite Hilda Schmittlap. Meanwhile his vaudeville partner, Claire, has chosen a new partner, but her "heart isn't in it" because she is disconsolate over Carlee. Curious about her new act, Carlee attends a performance and sees Claire nearly killed when she fails to substitute fake bullets for real ones. Rushing to her aid, Carlee realizes how much Claire means to him.

The frothy experiences of a vain little flapper. Her father induces an actor friend to become a gentlemanly cave man and the film becomes another variation of the 'Taming of the Shrew' theme.

Refusing to marry her stepmother's choice, Gail Prim leaves her life of luxury, after cutting her hair, dressing in her butler's clothes and stealing money and jewels from her father's safe. Spending the night in a barn, she introduces herself to the thieves already there as the Oskaloosa Kid, a wanted criminal, and barely escapes their struggle to get her loot. Meanwhile, the real Oskaloosa Kid kills Reginald Paynter and throws Nettie Penning, whom Reginald was trying to seduce, onto the highway.

A group of seven people find themselves on a ship in the middle of an endless ocean, with no recollection of how they got there. (lost film)

A delightful pre-code cocktail recipe. Take three couples (add gin and tonic), their several divorces and the seven children/stepchildren of their intermarriages and blend thoroughly, and you have a mixture a too-young-to-believe Frederic March will try to straighten out.

Scott Seagrave and his sister Geraldine are left the family estate when their wealthy alcoholic father dies. Unfortunately, they've also inherited his problems with alcohol, so they stay at the estate in seclusion. When Geraldine reaches "coming-out" age, Scott throws her a coming-out party. However, one of the men after her hand in marriage, Jack Dysart, tricks her into taking a drink, and she winds up embarrassing and humiliating herself in front of an old family friend, Duane Mallett, whose daughter Sylvia is in love with Jack, even though he's treated her shabbily.

During the First World War, Captain Sam McGinnis marries Florence Lanham, a Salvation Army worker in France. When she mistakenly hears that Sam has been killed, she returns home to her wealthy family without mentioning her brief marriage. But Sam turns up, alive but poorly dressed, and Florence is happy to see him but appalled at his clothing.

Based on the 1907 play 'Lady Frederick' by W. Somerset Maugham, this tells the story of Betsy O'Hara in her pursuit of romance and love.

Theodore Whitney, Sr. asks his son Theodore, "Ted" Jr., to search for a missing stock certificate. During his search Ted meets and falls in love with Betty Blake, the niece of Major Blackburn, whose home was recently robbed. When a detective disguised as British nobleman Lord Roxenham arrives to investigate the case, Ted bribes the officer to let him play the role for one night so that he may be near Betty. As the love-struck young man is romancing his sweetheart, Lady Roxenham suddenly arrives, alienating Betty and throwing Ted into a panic. Lady Roxenham agrees to participate in the deception, but later Ted spies her breaking into the major's safe. After he alerts the household, she and the butler are revealed as notorious thieves. As the dust settles Ted and Betty confirm their love for each other.

Immediately after Susan Lane becomes Mrs. Richard Greer, she grows jealous when she sees her husband talking to Marion Starr, one of her bridesmaids. Susan's brother Phil wishes to marry Marion, but is entangled with actress Maizie Middleton. Consequently, Dick Greer agrees to see Maizie, whose troupe is playing Niagara, and attempts to buy her off.

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).

Even though society debutante Vivian Tyler (Pauline Frederick) is engaged to Count Belloto (Frank deRheim), she finds herself attracted to Dr. Robert Keith (Thomas Meighan). Keith works amongst the poor, and his wealthy benefactors include Vivian's father (Charles Wellesley). But when Vivian meets streetwalker Aggie May (Alice Hollister), she mistakenly believes that Keith is responsible for the woman's downfall.

When a wealthy young lady leaves the US to visit her aunt in France, her husband falls in love with a "flapper". When the wife returns home, she finds out about her husband's affair. In order to make him jealous, she leads him to believe she has fallen for a jazz musician. However, instead of making him jealous it drives him into depression and he takes refuge in booze and even more affairs.

Elinor Shale's happiness at being engaged to Gerald Forster is interrupted by the arrival of her sister Lucy, who confesses that she will soon give birth to an illegitimate child. Elinor goes into seclusion with her sister until the baby is born and then tries to find a foster mother. Seeking to estrange Gerald from Elinor so that she may marry him herself, Lucy convinces him that Elinor is the child's mother. After Lucy and Gerald's marriage, Elinor learns of her sister's perfidy and resolves to tell Gerald the truth, but at the sight of their happiness, she relents and returns home.