American Born

Stella Le Vere, an ambitious but struggling actress, is abandoned by her husband and is forced to leave her baby girl, Grace, in the care of an orphan asylum. Later, the child is adopted by a well-to-do and kindly family named Thornton, who bring Grace up in ignorance of her identity.

Samson, an Israelite whose enormous strength is legendary, falls in love with Zorah, a Philistine, and marries her, overcoming his father Manoah's objections.

In managing the shipyard inherited from her father, Derith Keogh has considerable labor problems and accedes to the unreasonable demands of John Trevelyan, an anarchist labor agitator. Derith's brother John is off in pursuit of an adventuress, and Angus Campbell, her superintendent, resigns in exasperation. Angus returns, however, to help Derith persuade Trevelyan to settle a strike, which Trevelyan accomplishes in spite of being shot by one of his own men.

A woman's uncontrollable jealousy over her husband's former girlfriend results in her losing not only her house but her young son is taken away from her.

Barry Craven meets former sweetheart Gillian Locke, who is visiting India with her father. Craven's love for Gillian is revived, but he already has a wife, Lolaire, a native. In a jealous rage, Lolaire kills herself, freeing Craven, who returns to England and marries Gillian. His Indian servant, Kunwar Singh, casts a spell on Craven, causing him to leave Gillian and to go into the Algerian desert. There he joins Said, an old university friend who is the son of an Algerian sheik. Gillian follows, the servant is killed, and with him dies the spell, "The Shadow of the East."

In order to keep his lover, Maria Draga, in luxury, Captain Alex Pastitsch contracts huge debts which threaten his military career. To save Alex's career, his superior officer, Colonel Strádimirovitsch has an idea of how to fix it.

Midnight Rose, a dancer in the Gold Coast Cabaret, loves Tim Regan, an underworld gang leader who decides to go straight in spite of entreaties from other gang members. A dying gangster requests that Tim adopt his 4-year-old son, Sonny; and realizing that the boy needs a mother, Tim induces Rose to marry him. She soon tires of housework, grows jealous of Tim's fondness for Sonny, and consequently returns to the cabaret, where Corbin, her former suitor, rehires her. When Tim, disillusioned, participates in a gang robbery, Corbin informs the police, whereupon Tim is caught and sent to prison.

Tells of Caleb Plummer, his son Edward and blind daughter Bertha, and rivalry over neighbor May Fielding. May's friend Dot weds John Peerybingle; they find a lucky cricket in their cottage. A mortgage and house on fire figure in the story.

Back in '65 there was an old Southern fire eater, Pennington, and his daughter, Lucille, fell in love with Carr who was then a lieutenant in the small Yankee force that arrived in their city at the base of the mountains. When the confederacy fell, Pennington fled into the mountains with his daughter, rather than submit and there buried himself in the same place where Carr now lived with Rosemary. Several years passed and Lucille did not forget Carr, her Yankee lover. It was then that fate brought them together and old Pennington finally consented to the marriage, exacting a promise from Carr, not to take Lucille away from him and her mountain home.

A young woman attempts to rescue her father from a gang that has kidnapped him in order to find out his secret for making "Fuelite," a substitute for coal.

O'Rourke, soldier of fortune and hero of many wars, finds himself in Paris without funds. In a spirit of recklessness, he pawns a valuable watch given him by a grateful republic for services rendered. With the proceeds he enters a prominent Parisian restaurant to dine. There he attracts the attention of the Princess de Grandlieu, her husband, the Prince, and her legal advisor, M. Adolph Chambret. While there an incident occurs which earns the hatred of her advisor, who is in love with her.

After the woman who raised him claims he's not her son, Richard searches for clues about his identity. Urged on by his mentor, Capt. Randolph Courtney, Richard focuses on Julia Trent Anders, a middle-aged actress who just might be his real mother. But soon, Richard begins to fall for Julia's stepdaughter. Amidst the upheaval, Richard schemes to return Julia to the stage -- but he's in for another big surprise.

Romantic complications and tragedy ensue when two former lovers, one of them now married to another, meet again.

Told in flashback, Depression-era bum Dan McGinty is recruited by the city's political machine to help with vote fraud. His great aptitude for this brings rapid promotion from "the boss," who finally decides he'd be ideal as a new, nominally "reform" mayor; but this candidacy requires marriage. His in-name-only marriage to honest Catherine proves the beginning of the end for dishonest Dan...

Mary and Bobby Trevor are castaways befriended by Tarzan. When Lord arrives, looking for the family heir, Black John tries to fill that role and marry Mary in England. Tarzan shows up and marries her instead.

One of the sons of late Dr. Henry Frankenstein finds his father's ghoulish creation in a coma and revives him, only to find out the monster is controlled by Ygor who is bent on revenge.