alcohol addiction. The former took us into haunts where opium, cocaine and
morphine (the drugs of choice during these years) dominated the lives of some
New York City inhabitants, and the latter served as a rallying cry for contempo-
rary anti-drinking organizations. The High Road ( 1915) reminded us of the real-
life Triangle shirtwaist factory fire that occurred in New York City in 1911, re-
sulting in the deaths of many workers, and Those Who Toil ( 1916) examined the
conflicts between capital and labor. Some dramas portrayed impoverished im-
migrants undergoing experiences of unrelenting heartache and disappointment.
They only intensified the disparity between the opportunity these newcomers ex-
pected to find and the exploitation and poverty they actually encountered. Many
of these dramas were acerbic critiques of contemporary society, politics and
manners that subverted the conventions of mainstream "feel-good" movies.

The cycles about divorce, the courtroom and political corruption often de-
pended on newspaper headlines and stories, with sensational trials a particularly
favorite topic which motivated audiences to flock to their local theaters. The
Governor's Boss ( 1915) concerned the real-life impeachment of ex-Governor
Sulzer of New York State. The People vs. John Doe ( 1916), an attack on capital
punishment in cases of circumstantial evidence, was based chiefly on the cele-
brated Stielow case of the period. Should She Obey? ( 1917) showed important
political figures and state officials from Nevada and Illinois commenting upon
such issues as the rising divorce rate and "poisoned marriages." The Caillaux
Case ( 1918), set during World War I, was based on an actual contemporary trial.
Films dealing with political corruption exposed various social and political ills --
child labor abuse in The White Terror ( 1915), corrupt lobbyists in The Man
From Oregon ( 1915), voting fraud in The Human Orchid ( 1916) and police cor-
ruption in A Son of Erin ( 1916). In addition, several features reminded the public
about the close ties between politics and the underworld. If we are a country of
cynics, as some social critics have assumed, then the above films certainly re-
flected society's bedrock assumptions -- money is everything, cops are crooked,
and politicians cannot be trusted.

The mythical kingdom cycle, which offered such films as A Son of the Im-
mortals ( 1916) and The Gilded Cage ( 1916), hinted at the promise of democ-
racy, and His Majesty, the American ( 1919), starring Douglas Fairbanks, carved
out its own niche with the public, as did such South Sea island adventures as
Aloha Oe ( 1915) and The Island of Desire ( 1917). Western screen heroes like
William S. Hart, Tom Mix and Buck Jones occasionally abandoned the prairie
and set their escapist tales in mythical lands. Novels, stories and stage plays
supplied the film studios with plenty of scripts and built-in audiences eager to
see how the movie world treated their favorite narratives. Specific political and
social problems received equal and often sensational treatment. The capital
punishment cycle featured Capital Punishment ( 1915) and The Public Defender
( 1917). True to the naïve idealism of the early silents, these dramas usually cast
their lot with those who were opposed to the death sentence. The Wall Between
( 1916) and A Daughter of the Poor ( 1917), films about class distinction, usually
sided with the working class. Prejudice against the Native American and the
Mexican was explored in such early social dramas as The Justice of the Redskin

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