Little Church Around the Corner (Silent)

David Graham is living a hardscrabble childhood, yet is able to inspire others with his faith in the ramshackle sanctuary they call "the Little Church Around the Corner." His passion so inspires John Morton, owner of the local coal mine, that he takes David under his wing and pays for his education at the seminary.

As an adult and ordained as a minister, David is blessed with success and the love of Leila, John Morton's daughter. Yet he wrestles with his conscience on a daily basis, knowing full well the plight of those he left behind in the slums, all those years ago. When disaster strikes the mine and the townspeople are thrown into a panic, David rushes to their aid, offering inspiration and comfort by expressing his faith in God and in his fellow man.

Filmmaker William A. Seiter (1890-1964) began in Hollywood as a stuntman before graduating to directing silent shorts and features. The transition to sound didn't impede his career, as Seiter helmed such classics as Sons of the Desert (1933) with Laurel and Hardy, Dimples (1936) with Shirley Temple, Room Service (1938) with the Marx Brothers and the 1942 musical You Were Never Lovelier starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth.

• silent