MOVIES - PIRATES 1904-1920

• Pirates, The [aka Shanghaied by Pirates] (1904)
• River Pirates, The (1905)

• Pirate Ship, The (1906)
• Pirates of Regent Canal, The (1906)
• River Pirates, The (1906)

• Captain Kidd and His Pirates (1907)
• Harbor Pirates (1907)
• Pirates' Treasure; or, a Sailor's Love Story, The (1907)

• Captain Kidd (1908)

• Honneur du corsaire, L' [aka Pirate's Honor, A] (1908)

• Pirate's Gold, The (1908)

• Pirate Ship, The (1908)

• Story of Treasure Island, The (1908)
• Yusuf the Pirate (1908)

• Morgan le pirate - Épisode 1: Pirates et boucaniers [aka Morgan the Pirate - Episode 1: Pirates and Buccaneers] (1909)

• Morgan le pirate - Épisode 2: La prophétie [aka Morgan the Pirate - Episode 2: The Prophecy] (1909)

• Pirati del mare, I [aka Pirates of the Sea, The] (1909)
• Fiancée du corsaire, La [aka Pirate's Fiancée, The] (1910) 

• Kidd's Treasure (1910)
• Lieutenant Rose and the Chinese Pirates (1910)
• Morgan le pirate - Épisode 3: L'épave [aka Morgan the Pirate - Episode 3: The Wreck] (1910)
• Pirate's Dower, The (1910)
• Secret du corsaire rouge, Le [aka Secret of Red Privateer, The] (1910)
• Blackbeard (1911)
• Buccaneers, The [aka Buccaneers: A Story of the High Seas, The] (1911)
• Privateer's Treasure, The (1911)
• Buster and the Pirates (1912)

• Pirate's Daughter, The (1912)

• Treasure Island (1912)

• Buccaneers, The (1913)
• Drake's Love Story [aka Love Romance of Sir Francis Drake, The] (1913) 
• Little Pirate, The (1913)
• Morgan's Treasure (1913)
• Pirate Gold (1913)
• Pirates, The (1913)
• River Pirates, The (1913)
• Treasure Island (1913)
• Treasure of Captain Kidd, The (1913)

• Cabiria (1914)
• Captain Kidd's Priceless Treasure (1914)
• Perils of Pauline, The (1914) [9-episode serial]
• Pirate Haunts [aka In the Pirate Haunts] (1915)
• Pirates Bold (1915)

• Daphne and the Pirate (1916)

• Prudence, the Pirate (1916)
• Betty and the Buccaneers (1917)
• Borrowed Plumage (1917)
• Kidnapped (1917)

• Little Pirate, The [aka Hidden Treasure, aka Cruise of the Jolly Roger, The] (1917)
• Pirate Bold, A (1917)
• Slave Market, The (1917)
• Tom Sawyer (1917)

• Grouch, The [aka Pirates' Gold] (1918)
• Hoarded Assets (1918)
• Peg of the Pirates (1918)
• Sea Panther, The (1918)
• Such a Little Pirate (1918)
• Treasure Island (1918)

• Captain Kidd, Jr. (1919)
• Captain Kidd's Kids (1919)
• Captain's Captain, The (1919)
• Me and Captain Kidd (1919)
• Millionaire Pirate, The (1919)
• Störtebeker [aka Störtebecker] (1919)
• Wings of the Morning (1919)
• Bitter Fruit [aka Black Lagoon, The] (1920)
• Dead Men Tell No Tales (1920)

• Jolanda, la figlia del Corsaro Nero [aka Yolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair] (1920)

• Pirate Gold (1920)

• Treasure Island (1920)

Pirates, The [aka Shanghaied by Pirates] (1904)

Storyline: Pirates abduct a sailor; he escapes and warns the fleet. Aka The Buccaneers (UK, alternative title).      

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Warwick Trading Company]

River Pirates, The (1905)

Storyline: Robbers murder a wealthy landowner and steal his safe, transporting it in their boat. They are caught and the ringleader is killed.

[Short - Crime | Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - American Mutoscope & Biograph]

Pirate Ship, The (1906)

Director: Lewin Fitzhamon

Cast: Lewin Fitzhamon [Pirate], Hetty Potter [Girl]

Storyline: Sailors save a girl from pirates.

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Hepworth]

Pirates of Regent Canal, The (1906)

Director: David Aylott

Cast: W. Gladstone Haley [Mother, as Bill Haley]

Storyline: Children steal sheets to convert a barge into a pirate ship and are stopped by their mother.

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Walturdaw]

River Pirates, The (1906)

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - S. Lubin]

Captain Kidd and His Pirates (1907)

Storyline: A gang of children dress up as pirates and play pranks.

[Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Urban Trading Company]

Harbor Pirates (1907)

Storyline: The River Pirates are on the lookout for a ship. In the still of the night they board a vessel, enter the captain's cabin, bind him to the mast and force him to tell them the secret word which opens the ship's safe. He refuses, but when his wife and child are threatened with death, he tells the secret word. The wife and child are bound to a mast. While the pirates are examining the cargo, the little girl -frees herself, ascends the rope ladder, and waves the flag of distress. The harbor police, noticing the signal of distress, come to the rescue. The pirates are overpowered, chained and led away.

[Short - Thriller - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - S. Lubin]

Pirates' Treasure; or, a Sailor's Love Story, The (1907)

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Vitagraph Company of America]

Captain Kidd (1908)

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Kalem Company]

Honneur du corsaire, L' [aka Pirate's Honor, A] (1908)

Director: Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset

Cast: Charles Krauss  

Storyline: A French sea captain insults the honor of a young pirate's sweetheart. As you may expect, there will be repercussions. In a port on the French coast sailors from a large ship are regaling themselves at an inn in sportive idleness. The captain of this crew appears with other officers on the scene and is served by the sweetheart of the pirate chief, who appears and observes the advances of the captain to the girl. The insults of the captain are severely resented by the young pirate lover, though he is soundly beaten by the crew, which comes to the rescue of the captain. The captain with his wife and child shortly after embark on a voyage and the young pirate follows, bent on revenge; which he ultimately satisfies after a terrific conflict between the two ships wherein is portrayed all the realistic effects in naval encounters at close range in a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, which closes with the destruction and burning of the ship of the presumptuous captain.

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Société Française des Films Éclair]        

Pirate's Gold, The (1908)

Director: D.W. Griffith

Writers: D.W. Griffith and Stanner E.V. Taylor

Cast: George Gebhardt [Young Wilkinson], Linda Arvidson [Mrs. Wilkinson], Charles Inslee [A Creditor, unconfirmed], Arthur V. Johnson, Florence Lawrence, George Nichols, Anthony O'Sullivan, Mack Sennett [A Pirate]

Storyline: Young Wilkinson is leaving his dear old mother for a journey to seek his fortune in a foreign clime. Now, the little cottage is situated near the coast. The waters of the sea have been infested with a band of gold-thirsty pirates, who pillaged every ship that came their way. Having successfully perpetuated one of their nefarious exploits, they are struck by a storm and forced to put out from their floundering vessel in a small yawl, in which they place a chest of valuables, for the shore. Thrown up on the coast by the voluminous waves, they disembark; there are three of them, the chief and two underlings. Taking the chest to a place of safety, they proceed to divide the spoils. A contention arises, and the two turn on their chief, who strikes down one of them at once, but is stabbed in the back by the other, whom he afterwards strangles. Gathering up the treasure, he struggles along, his life's blood oozing from the wound inflicted by the mutinous pirate, until he comes to the cottage...

[16 min l Short - Action - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - American Mutoscope & Biograph]

Pirate Ship, The (1908)

Director: David Aylott

Storyline: A servant swims to fetch sailors to save his mistress from pirates.

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Walturdaw]

Story of Treasure Island, The (1908)

Director: J. Stuart Blackton

Writer: Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Storyline: The first scene shows part of Flint's old pirate crew, with one-legged John Silver in the lead. They have discovered the hiding place of Billy Bones, the mate of Flint's ship, the "Walrus", and they send Black Dog, one of the crew, to tip Billy Bones to the "black spot" at the Admiral Ben Bow Inn; but Billy Bones drives Black Dog away, and will have nothing to do with him. Silver then sends Blind Pew, and Pew gives Bones the "black spot". Bones has a stroke of apoplexy and dies. Mrs. Hawkins and her son Jim, who keep the inn, find the "black spot", which says, "You have till ten tonight". They are very much frightened, and they open Jones's old sea chest and get the money he owes for rent, and Jim takes an old bag for good measure, and, being very much frightened at the pirates, they run to Squire Trelawney's. The Squire and Doctor Livesey open the bag and discover the old map of Treasure Island, which the pirates were trying to get from Bones. Crosses were marked on the map where the...

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Vitagraph Company of America]

Yusuf the Pirate (1908)

Storyline: Yusuf, the Corsair and pirate, the dread of seven seas, is shown in life size as he stands on a boat in the water, scanning the horizon. An assault is to be made on a Turkish harem. Yusuf is summoned and takes affectionate leave from his wife, both promising that if death takes one the other will soon join. Life at the harem is presented in all its glory. Yusuf gains admission in disguise, and once on the premises he discards his disguise, and at a signal his cohorts swoop down upon the guards. A desperate battle ensues, and owing to force of numbers the pirates are victorious. Yusuf himself, however, is taken prisoner. The intelligence is taken to his wife, and when alone she proudly carries out her part of the death compact, using a stiletto upon herself. One of the inmates of the harem releases Yusuf and after disposing of the outer guard he makes his way back to his rendezvous, where he comes upon the lifeless form of his wife. With the stiletto used by her he concludes his... 

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - France - Raleigh et Robert]

Morgan le pirate - Épisode 1: Pirates et boucaniers [aka Morgan the Pirate - Episode 1: Pirates and Buccaneers] (1909)

Director: Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset

Cast: Jean-Marie de l'Isle [Morgan le pirate], Henri Gouget, Jeanne Grumbach

[Short - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Société Française des Films Éclair]

Morgan le pirate - Épisode 2: La prophétie [aka Morgan the Pirate - Episode 2: The Prophecy] (1909)

Director: Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset

Cast: Jean-Marie de l'Isle [Morgan le pirate], Henri Gouget, Jeanne Grumbach, Andrée Pascal

[Short - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Société Française des Films Éclair]

Pirati del mare, I [aka Pirates of the Sea, The] (1909)

[Short - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - Italy - Società Anonima Ambrosio]

Fiancée du corsaire, La [aka Pirate's Fiancée, The] (1910)

Director: Gérard Bourgeois

Cast: Joë Hamman                 

[Short - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France]        

Kidd's Treasure (1910)

Storyline: Some small boys are playing pirate and in emulation of the famous Kidd bury their treasure in the sands and make a map of the location with sights and bearings in approved piratical fashion. Then they bury the map as well, and this is discovered by fishermen, who exult in their good fortune. Procuring spades, they locate the treasure and proceed to dig until a huge mound of sand is raised. It is hot under the subtropical sun, but they keep at work until they raise the treasure chest and are in a position to return the compliment to the skeptical villagers who have been good-naturedly joking them on the fruitlessness of their labors. With great ceremony the chest is opened, but only some boyish treasures are discovered, and the youngsters' very evident enjoyment of the situation leads to their detection. There is a rush for the youthful offenders and after a short chase they are caught and given the drubbings they deserve.

[Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Lubin Manufacturing Company]

Lieutenant Rose and the Chinese Pirates (1910)

Director: Percy Stow

Star: P.G. Norgate [Lt. Rose]

Storyline: A laundryman ties the lieutenant and girls in a sea cave. They are saved by sailors and shell the town.

[12 min - Short - War - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Clarendon]

Morgan le pirate - Épisode 3: L'épave [aka Morgan the Pirate - Episode 3: The Wreck] (1910)

Director: Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset

Writer: Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset (scenario)

Cast: Jean-Marie de l'Isle [Morgan le pirate], Henri Gouget, Jeanne Grumbach, Andrée Pascal

[Short - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Société Française des Films Éclair]

Pirate's Dower, The (1910)

Storyline: The early history of the country is replete with thrilling adventure by land and sea, but it is safe to say no class carried a nefarious calling to such bounds as the pirates. These jolly freebooters led a rollicking life, cutting throats with an easy grace and piling up their ill-gotten treasures to tremendous proportions. History has proved that they seldom lived to enjoy their wealth; most of them "dying with their boots on". Capt. Boncoeur, one of the best of his profession, after being signaled goes ashore and learns that a gunboat is scouting in his vicinity; also that $5,000 reward has been offered for his capture dead or alive. He determines to abandon his ship, knowing he cannot pass the mouth of the bay, and cogitates how will he secrete his treasure. A happy idea occurs to him. Disguising himself as a merchant captain, he, after considerable difficulty, gets a note to the leading man of the place, saying his wife had died at sea and asking permission to use his family vault... 

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Yankee Film Company]

Secret du corsaire rouge, Le [aka Secret of Red Privateer, The] (1910)

Director: Louis Feuillade

Star: Luitz-Morat, Yvette Andréyor, Renée Carl

[Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont]

Blackbeard (1911)

Director: Francis Boggs

Writer: Francis Boggs

Star: Sydney Ayres [Blackbeard, Pirate Chief], Hobart Bosworth [Governor Gonzales], Tom Santschi [Captain Santiago, Officer of the Guard, as Thomas Santschi], Herbert Rawlinson [Captain Harrington, of British Craft "Pelican"], Frank Clark [First Officer, of British Craft "Pelican"], Roy Watson [Second Officer, of British Craft "Pelican"], Fred Huntley [Father Sylvario, a Priest, as F.W. Huntley], Iva Shepard [Senora Gonzales, the Governor's Wife], Betty Harte [Senorita Lopez], Bessie Eyton [Conchita, Sra. Gonzales' Maid]

Storyline: A Tragedy of the Spanish Main, Showing a Thrilling Episode in the Life of this Most Notorious Pirate. The town of Martinique is attacked, sacked, and Governor Gonzales and his soldiers are captured by the nefarious Blackbeard and his Pirate band. The Governor, his wife and her friends are all taken to the Pirate ship. The Governor is made to walk the plank before his horrified wife, but his rescue comes unexpectedly at the hands of Conchita, his wife's maid, who grasps a knife from a Pirate, dives overboard, cuts the Governor's bonds, and both swim away. They succeed in reaching land, where some kind fishermen recognize the Governor and take him and his companion to their cottage. But on board the ship the prisoners are hustled into the hold, tied to the rings, and Blackbeard prepares to suffocate them with burning sulphur. The fishermen have sighted an English man-o'-war, and they hasten to the Governor who boards the vessel, and after explaining his predicament, the Commander of the vessel orders the deck cleared for battle. But the Pirate vessel has likewise sighted the British man-o'-war, and prepares for action. Blackbeard orders the sulphur to be lighted, and then leaves to superintend preparations on deck. A shots pierces the side of the vessel, allowing the welcome air in to somewhat revive the prisoners. Right is might, and the Pirate is boarded by the English sailors and the Pirates put to rout. Blackbeard and his ringleaders are hung at the yardarms of his own vessel.

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Selig Polyscope Company]

Buccaneers, The [aka Buccaneers: A Story of the High Seas, The] (1911)

Star: Hobart Bosworth [Captain Hains]

Storyline: In the early seventies Captain Hains, his wife and a score of trusty tars set sail for the West Indies. The fifth day out finds them encountering a heavy sea and the sighting of a strange vessel that afterward proved to be flying the black flag; at the warning shot, she hove to and Capt. Hains, wife and faithful crew were hauled aboard and made captive. At this moment a seaman rushes into the cabin saying a ship was sighted. One look and the chief's face paled for he foresaw capture of the pirates by the approaching man-of-war, who ere this time had signaled a request of surrender. A few moments later shells were bursting around him; a treacherous shell rends the reeking tub, and from the floating masts Capt. Hains and wife are brought safe aboard the man-of-war. 

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Selig Polyscope Company]

Privateer's Treasure, The (1911)

Storyline: On the death of Daniel Hardy, Robert and Lillian, his son and daughter, face financial ruin, when a messenger arrives with a letter, reading: "I, Thomas Wood, Privateer, declare that I killed Daniel Hardy and sold his ship. I am stricken with remorse and hereby bequeath to his son and daughter the treasure buried by me in the Island of Loos. Read the document enclosed which will direct you to the spot. Thomas Wood, the Red Privateer". Robert borrows money with which he equips a yacht and starts in search of the treasure. During the voyage the captain, an adventurer, forms a plot to capture the riches. The plan is frustrated through the intervention of an honest sailor, who not only warns them of their danger, but aids them in the thrilling adventures which come about because of the dishonest officer.
[Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - France - Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont]

Buster and the Pirates (1912)

Director: Charles H. France

Writer: Shannon Fife

Star: Buster Johnson [Buster White], Brooks McCloskey [Brooks Black], Henrietta O'Beck [Henrietta Brown], Charles Compton [Mr. White], Elsie Stadiger [Mrs. Black]
[10 min l Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Lubin Manufacturing Company]

Pirate's Daughter, The (1912)

Director: Hobart Bosworth

Writer: Hobart Bosworth

Cast: Frank Clark [Captain Dirigo, the Pirate Chief, as Frank M. Clark], Betty Harte [Almita, the Pirate's Daughter], Al Ernest Garcia [Vargas, the First Mate], Robert Livingstone [Alvarez, the Coast Guardsman], Hobart Bosworth [The Padre] 

Storyline: A dramatic and picturesque tale of pirate life along the California coast in the early days. Old Dirago, a pirate who harried the coast of California in the early part of the last century, had a daughter of whom he was passionately fond. For her sake, as the story opens, he was on his last voyage of collecting treasure, and was about to leave his wild life of buccaneering on the high seas. He took his daughter aboard, thinking she would not discover his mode of life, but her keen instinct detected the truth, and she berated him for exposing her to the risk of being insulted by gross and brutal men. In one instance, at least, her instinct was right. The mate, Vargas, taking advantage of the captain's absence ashore, came to her cabin door, and when the captain returned and caught him, he lashed Vargas to the mast and subjected him to the tortures of the whip and thirst. In going ashore to a secret cave to bury his treasure in a safer place, the old pirate was seen by a viligant coast guard and followed. In the fight that ensued he and men were killed and Almita saw her father's fate from the deck. The three remaining guards rowed to the ship where the pirates were drinking and fighting, and two were killed by some of the less intoxicated, at the direction of Almita. The third guard rowed away, but in their orgy the pirates had upset a lamp and the ship caught fire. Seeing a woman aboard, the guard rowed back, but the frenzied ruffians, who had jumped over the side, seized the guard's boat, and he was compelled to swim to her aid. He succeeded in bringing her ashore, and the next day, having buried her father, they took the treasure to the padre of the nearby mission. Almita told the padre it was to be used for the poor of his church, for she felt she could not touch it. And as he had saved her life, she gave it and her love to the brave man who had made her an orphan in the performance of his duty.

[Short - Adventure | Romance - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Selig Polyscope Company]

Treasure Island (1912)

Director: J. Searle Dawley

Writer: Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Cast: Addison Rothermel [Jimmy Hawkins], Laura Sawyer [Jimmy's Sister], Ben F. Wilson [Long John Silver, as Benjamin Wilson], Richard Neill [Ben Gunn], James Gordon [1st Village Dignitary], Charles Sutton [2nd Village Dignitary], William R. Randall [3rd Village Dignitary], Charles Ogle [Billy Bones (unconfirmed)], Mary Fuller

Storyline: Young Jim Hawkins is caught up with the pirate Long John Silver in search of the buried treasure of the buccaneer Captain Flint, in this adaptation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story is almost too well known to need repetition; how old Captain Billy Bones, with his scars and his oaths had secured within his old sea chest the map and chart of Treasure Island and knew just where the treasure lay; and how his fellow associates endeavored to obtain them. But Billy Bones died before their scheme was realized and thus the valuable map fell into the hands of Jimmie Hawkins and led up to the search for the treasure. They soiled away for the unknown land with a crew of nineteen. Mutiny breaks out and that famous character, one-legged John Silver, plans and schemes and fights and kills to get possession of the treasure and one by one the band of nineteen dwindles down to six and our hearts are glad when we realize after so many thrilling adventures that the vessel is homeward bound laden with all the treasure that Jimmie Hawkins, the doctor and the squire set out to gain.

[Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Edison Company

Buccaneers, The (1913)

Director: Otis Turner

Writer: Frank Lloyd

Cast: David Hartford [Jean La Fette], Cleo Madison [The Governor's Daughter], Frank Lloyd [John Archer], Howard C. Hickman [Blackbeard], Antrim Short [John Archer - as a Boy], Joseph Singleton, Joseph Callahan, Laura Oakley [J. Frank Burke]
[Short - Adventure l Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Universal Film Manufacturing Company]

Drake's Love Story [aka Love Romance of Sir Francis Drake, The] (1913)

Director: Hay Plumb

Cast: Hay Plumb [Francis Drake], Chrissie White [Elizabeth Sydenham], Violet Hopson [Queen Elizabeth]

Storyline: Queen Elizabeth I, to stay on good terms with Spain, publicly rebuked Drake but did no more than that. In fact, Elizabeth loved jewels and the treasures brought back by Drake satisfied her love for these precious objects. Few historians doubt that she was against what Drake did to the ships of Spain.

[Short - Drama | History | War - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - UK - Hepworth]

Little Pirate, The (1913)

Writer: George Hennessy (scenario)

Star: Jack Pratt [Mr. Weston, as John Pratt], Edgena De Lespine [Mrs. Weston], Bruce Macomber [Bobby Weston - the Little Pirate], Henry Kean [Bobby's Grandfather]

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Reliance Film Company]

Morgan's Treasure (1913)

Storyline: Finding that his son, Ned, is determined to marry Carrie Cummings, his stenographer, the elder Langmuir, in a rage, disinherits him. Ned and Carrie depart and Ned decides to make a stake for himself and the girl of his choice. Fate takes Ned's affairs in hand and leads him in his musings to the wharf, where he sits in deep thought. His attention is aroused by a scuffle a short distance away, and dashing up, Ned saves Peg Morgan, an old sailor, from a couple of ruffians who are attempting to rob him. Ned assists Peg, who is wounded, to his home, which is in a loft on the wharf. Peg's home is typical of a sailor's quarters, and Ned is filled with curiosity as he gazes about. Ned assists Peg to remove his blouse and stepping on the top of an old sea chest, Ned reaches for a bottle of liniment on the shelf over the chest. The top of the chest gives way under Ned's weight. In examining the break Ned uncovers an old map. It proves to be a chart to the location of an island where a buried... 

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Powers Picture Plays]

Pirate Gold (1913)

Director: Wilfred Lucas

Writer: George Hennessy

Cast: Blanche Sweet [The Daughter], Charles Hill Mailes [The Father], J. Jiquel Lanoe [The Successful Suitor], Hector Sarno [The Miscreant Sailor, as Hector V. Sarno], W. Chrystie Miller [The Old Mate], Harry Carey, Donald Crisp, Joseph McDermott [In Crew], Wallace Reid

[17 min l Short - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Biograph Company]

Pirates, The (1913)

Director: George D. Baker

Writer: James Oliver Curwood

Star: John Bunny [John Merwin], Clara Kimball Young [Helen Merwin], Robert Gaillard [Captain Jim Faulkner], Charles Eldridge [Director of the Eat 'Em Biscuit Company], Frank Mason [Director of the Eat 'Em Biscuit Company], Anders Randolf [Director of the Eat 'Em Biscuit Company], Logan Paul [Director of the Eat 'Em Biscuit Company], J.H. Lewis [Director of the Eat 'Em Biscuit Company, as Mr. Lewis], Charles Edwards [Crew of the Ella], William Shea [Crew of the Ella], Kingsley Higgins [Crew of the Ella, as Mr. Higgins]

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Vitagraph Company of America]

River Pirates, The (1913)

Star: James B. Ross [The Pirate Chief], Irene Boyle [Zelma - the Chief's Niece], Robert G. Vignola [Caesar - a Secret Agent of the Pirates], Henry Hallam [Robert Judson Sr.], Harry F. Millarde [Robert Judson Jr.. as Harry Millarde], James Vincent [Undetermined Role (unconfirmed)]

Storyline: The Robert Hudson Pruit Company receives word from the Mayport distributors that the former's recent shipments have not reached their destinations. The Mayport people are inclined to believe that a gang of river pirates is located along the route. In the employ of Judson is a rough individual by the name of Caesar who is really a secret agent of the pirates and who informs his chief of the dates of the shipments. Caesar becomes alarmed and returns to the gang, where his attentions to the chief's niece, Zelma, are repulsed. Robert Judson, Jr., decides to locate the gang and sets forth alone. He meets Zelma, who is greatly impressed by the stranger, but while Robert endeavors to secure the information which will enable him to bring about the capture of the pirates, he is made a prisoner. Zelma's attempts to liberate Robert are frustrated and Caesar, infuriated at the girl's intercession in behalf of the prisoner, is about to deal severely with the young man when a pirate signals from a...

[Short - Adventure l Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Kalem Company]

Treasure Island (1913)

Director: William V. Ranous

Writer: Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Star: William V. Ranous [Long John Silver]

Storyline: On the death of Daniel Hardy, Robert and Lillian, his son and daughter, face financial ruin, when a messenger arrives with a letter, reading: "I, Thomas Wood, Privateer, declare that I killed Daniel Hardy and sold his ship. I am stricken with remorse and hereby bequeath to his son and daughter the treasure buried by me in the Island of Loos. Read the document enclosed which will direct you to the spot. Thomas Wood, the Red Privateer". Robert borrows money with which he equips a yacht and starts in search of the treasure. During the voyage the captain, an adventurer, forms a plot to capture the riches. The plan is frustrated through the intervention of an honest sailor, who not only warns them of their danger, but aids them in the thrilling adventures which come about because of the dishonest officer.

[Short - Thriller - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Ranous Film]

Treasure of Captain Kidd, The (1913)

Director: Richard Ridgely

Writer: Bromwell Childe (scenario)

Cast: Edwin Clarke [Modern Lover], Gladys Hulette [Modern Sweetheart], Bigelow Cooper [Captain Kidd], Laura Sawyer [Hannah], Barry O'Moore [Quartermaster], Richard Tucker, William West, Frank McGlynn Sr., Harry Gripp [Pirate Lover]           

[Short - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Edison Company]

Cabiria (1914)

Director: Giovanni Pastrone

Writers: Gabriele D'Annunzio (titles), Titus Livius (book), Giovanni Pastrone and Emilio Salgari (novel)

Cast: Carolina Catena [Cabiria da piccola / as a Child, as Catena], Lidia Quaranta [Cabiria, also called Elissa], Gina Marangoni [Croessa, Cabiria's Nurse], Dante Testa [Karthalo, the High Priest], Umberto Mozzato [Fulvio 'Fulvius' Axilla], Bartolomeo Pagano [Maciste, Axilla's Slave], Raffaele di Napoli [Bodastoret, the Innkeeper], Emilio Vardannes [Hannibal], Edoardo Davesnes [Hasdrubal], Italia Almirante-Manzini [Sophonisba, Hasdrubal's Daughter], Alessandro Bernard [Siface 'Syphax', King of Cirta], Luigi Chellini [Scipione 'Scipio', the Consul], Vitale Di Stefano [Massinissa, the Numidian King], Enrico Gemelli [Archimede], Ignazio Lupi [Arbace]

Storyline: Three centuries before Christus. Young Cabiria is kidnapped by some pirates during one eruption of the Etna. She is sold as a slave in Carthage, and as she is just going to be sacrificed to god Moloch, Cabiria is rescued by both Fulvio Axilla, a Roman noble, and his giant slave Maciste. Maciste is captured just after having confided Cabiria to Sophinisbe's safe keeping, while Fulvio Axilla manages to escape from Carthage. Ten years went away with Punic wars before he is able to come back to Carthage...

[148 min - Adventure | Drama | War - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - Italy - Itala Film]

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Captain Kidd's Priceless Treasure (1914)

Director: Allen Curtis

Star: Max Asher [Captain Kidd], Bobby Vernon [Johnnie, as Bob Vernon], Louise Fazenda [Lucy], Billy Franey [Hezekiah, as William Franey], Gale Henry [Hezekiah's Wife]

[10 min l Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Universal Film Manufacturing Company]

Perils of Pauline, The (1914) [9-episode serial]

Directors: Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie

Writers: Charles W. Goddard (novel and screenplay), Basil Dickey (screenplay), George B. Seitz and Bertram Millhauser           

Cast: Pearl White [Pauline Marvin], Crane Wilbur [Harry Marvin], Paul Panzer [Raymond Owen aka Koerner (re-release)], Edward José [Sanford Marvin - Pauline's Father], Francis Carlyle [Hicks - Owen's Henchman], Clifford Bruce [Gypsy Leader], Donald MacKenzie [Blinky Bill - the Pirate], Jack Standing [Ensign Summers], Eleanor Woodruff [Lucille Sampson / Mlle. de Leongeon in Chapter 18], Leroy Baker, Louise Du Pre, Oscar Nye, Sam J. Ryan [Baskinelli, as Sam Ryan], Louis J. Gasnier [Himself in Chapter 9], Joe Cuny, Charles 'Patch' Revada, Frank Redman, Floyd Buckley, Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Waln-Morgan Draper, George Daly [Policeman Who Fights Gorilla in Chapter 19 (uncredited)], Chief Thunderbird [Indian (uncredited)]

Storyline: The Perils of Pauline is a 1914 American melodrama film serial shown in weekly installments, featuring Pearl White as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the classic damsel stereotype. Pauline is menaced by assorted villains, including pirates and Indians. Neither Pauline nor its successor, The Exploits of Elaine, used the cliffhanger format in which a serial episode ends with an unresolved danger that is addressed at the beginning of the next installment. Although each episode placed Pauline in a situation that looked sure to result in her imminent death, the end of each installment showed how she was rescued or otherwise escaped the danger. Despite popular associations, Pauline was never tied to railroad tracks in the series, an image that comes instead from contemporary films such as Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life. The serial had 20 episodes, the first being three reels (30 minutes), and the rest two reels (20 minutes) each. After the original run, it was reshown in theaters a number of times, sometimes in edited, shortened versions, through the 1920s. Today, The Perils of Pauline is known to exist only in a shortened 9-chapter version (approximately 214 minutes), released in Europe in 1916. The premise of the story was that Pauline's wealthy guardian Mr. Marvin, upon his death, has left her inheritance in the care of his secretary, Mr. Koerner, until the time of her marriage. Pauline wants to wait a while before marrying, as her dream is to go out and have adventures to prepare herself for becoming an author. Mr. Koerner, hoping to ultimately keep the money for himself, tries to turn Pauline's various adventures against her and have her "disappear" to his own advantage. In this series she is bound and gagged several times, kidnapped several times by cowboys, pirates, gypsies, wild Indians, etc. and left for dead in a number of caves, burning houses, sinking ships, and subterranean cellars, and of course tied to railroad tracks! Of the original 20-chapter serial running 410 minutes, only a 90-minute version, released in Europe in 1916, is known to exist. First Pathé serial. Chapter titles: 1. Trial by Fire (29:36), 2. The Goddess of the Far West (24:41), 3. The Pirate Treasure (20:19), 4. The Deadly Turning (9:22), 5. A Watery Doom (14:30), 6. The Shattered Plane (15:37), 7. The Tragic Plunge (19:41), 8. The Serpent in the Flowers (18:56), 9. The Floating Coffin (15:31).
[199 min (9 episodes) - Action - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Pathé Freres]

Pirate Haunts [aka In the Pirate Haunts] (1915)

Director: Edward A. Salisbury

Cast: Rex Beach 

[Short - Documentary - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Dr. Edward A. Salisbury]

Pirates Bold (1915)

Directors: Chester M. Franklin and Sidney Franklin

Star: Violet Radcliffe [Bob - the Pirate Chief], 'Baby' Carmen De Rue [Tilly - Bob's Sister], Harry Essman [Waldo - the Rich Kid], Baby Radcliffe [The Baby Sister], Rhea Haines [The Nurse], Jack Hull [The Chauffeur], Elmo Lincoln [The Fisherman]

[Short - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Majestic Motion Picture Company]

Daphne and the Pirate (1916)

Director: Christy Cabanne

Writer: D.W. Griffith

Cast: Lillian Gish [Daphne La Tour], Elliott Dexter [Philip de Mornay], Walter Long [Jamie d'Arcy], Howard Gaye [Prince Henri], Lucille Young [Fanchette], Richard Cummings [Francois La Tour], Jack Cosgrave [Duc de Mornay], Joseph Singleton, George C. Pearce [as George Pearce], W.E. Lawrence, Pearl Elmore, Jewel Carmen [as Jewell Carman]  

Storyline: Lillian Gish shows almost as much spunk in this picture as her hoydenish sister Dorothy Gish usually did. Daphne La Tour (Gish), is the daughter of a destitute French nobleman in the early 18th century. Because he is the favorite at the king's court, Philip de Mornay (Elliot Dexter) can probably have any woman he wants, but he likes Daphne's audacity. So he orders his men to kidnap her and take her to the home of Franchette, a popular madam (Lucile Young). But before he can fetch her, he is forced to flee and is captured by pirates. Meanwhile, Franchette's place is overtaken by soldiers who are rounding up women to send to Louisiana, where wives are sorely needed. Daphne is among the young ladies captured, but the ship they are on is attacked by the pirates. Daphne helps save the day for the Frenchmen, and as a result, she saves Philip's life. Although she has been sold to Jamie D'Arcy (Walter Long), she nevertheless manages to marry Philip when they reach Louisiana.

[50 min - Adventure - Drama - Silent - Black and White - USA - Fine Arts Film Company]

Prudence, the Pirate (1916)

Director: William Parke

Writer: Agnes Christine Johnston

Cast: Gladys Hulette [Prudence], Flora Finch [The Aunt], Riley Chamberlin [Meeks, the Butler], Barnett Parker [John Astorbilt], William Parke Jr. [Tommy], A.J. Andrews               

Storyline: A girl pirate is something new in fiction and motion pictures. In "Prudence the Pirate", a forthcoming Pathé Gold Rooster Play, Gladys Hulette, one of the youngest stars of the screen, appears is such a role. Miss Hulette, who won much praise for her work in "The Shine Girl", is a most engaging young pirate and in her picturesque costume displays a pair of dimpled knees which would make Hebe herself jealous.

[Comedy | Drama - Silent - Black and White - USA - Thanhouser Film Corporation]

Betty and the Buccaneers (1917)

Director: Rollin S. Sturgeon

Writer: J. Edward Hungerford (scenario)

Cast: Juliette Day [Betty], Charles Marriott [The Professor], Joe King [Dick Winthrop], Tote Du Crow [Captain Robias Crook], William Kyle [The Mulatto], J. Gordon Russell [Gentleman Jack, as Gordon Russell], Hal Wilson [Peg Leg, as Harold Wilson]

Storyline: Romantic adventure film in which the girl Betty, who dreams about pirates, and her gullible father is tricked by a set of real pirates. They are rescued by a young man who has a crush on Betty.

[65 min, Drama | Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - American Film Company]

Borrowed Plumage (1917)

Director: Raymond B. West

Writer: J.G. Hawks (scenario)

Cast: Bessie Barriscale [Nora], Arthur Maude [Darby O'Donovan], Dorcas Matthews [Lady Angelica], J. Barney Sherry [Earl of Selkirk, as Barney Sherry], Wallace Worsley [Sir Charles Broome], Tod Burns [Giles]

[Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Triangle Film Corporation]

Kidnapped (1917)

Director: Alan Crosland

Writers: Robert Louis Stevenson (novel) and Charles Sumner Williams (scenario)

Cast: Raymond McKee [David Balfour], Joseph Burke [Ebenezer Balfour], Ray Hallor [Ransome], William Wadsworth [Angus Ban Keillor], Robert Cain [Alan Breck], Walter Craven [Riach], John Nicholson [Shuan], Franklyn Hanna [Captain Hoseason, as Franklin Hanna], Samuel N. Niblack [Cluny McPherson, as Samuel Niblack], Horace Haine [Colin Campbell, as Horace Hain], James Levering [Minister]

Storyline: Kidnapped is a 1917 silent film based on the novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, directed by Alan Crosland at Edison Studios. The film only included selected parts of the story, and reinforced the then developing romanticisation of the Scottish Highlands. No copies of the film are known to survive. Previously thought lost, a copy of the film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.

[Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Conquest Pictures Company, Thomas A. Edison]

Little Pirate, The [aka Hidden Treasure, aka The Cruise of the Jolly Roger] (1917)

Director: Elsie Jane Wilson

Writers: Elliott J. Clawson (scenario) and Norris Shannon (story)

Cast: Zoe Rae [Margery], Charles West [George Drake], Frank Brownlee [John Baird], Gretchen Lederer [Virginia Baird], Frederick Titus [Butler, as Mr. Titus], Lillian Peacock [Maid], Burwell Hamrick [Captain Kidd Jr.]

[Family | Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Universal Film Manufacturing Company]

Pirate Bold, A (1917)

Director: Robert Dillon

Writers: Robert Dillon (scenario) and Harry Wulze (scenario)

Cast: Pat Rooney [The Pirate Chief], Kewpie Morgan [The Flunky], Mary Haines [Cannibal Queen], Julia Rooney [Cannibal Girl]

Storyline: The Pirate Chief (Pat Rooney) and his Flunky ('Kewpie Morgan' ) are marooned and cast ashore on a cannibal island. The Flunky is caught and made King by the Cannibal Queen (Mary Haines) and he makes the Pirate work for him. The Pirate connives with the Councillor and the Flunky is captured. But the pirate is also captured and given his choice of marrying the Queen or death in a boiling pot. The Flunky escapes in a boat. The Pirate chooses getting boiled over marry the Queen. A stick of dynamite is placed under the pot and blows the Pirate onto the boat with the Flunky.

[Short | Comedy - Silent - Black and White - USA - Victor Film Company]

Slave Market, The (1917)

Director: Hugh Ford

Writers: Clara Beranger (scenario, as Clara S. Beranger) and Frederic Arnold Kummer (play)

Cast: Pauline Frederick [Ramona], Thomas Meighan [John Barton], Al Hart [Firebrand, as Albert Hart], Ruby Hoffman [Anna], Wellington A. Playter [Portugese Joe, as Wellington Playter]

Storyline: Ramona, the daughter of the governor of Port Royal, is about to return home from Spain where she was sent to study. He knows one day, by chance, John Barton, a soldier who saves his pet companionship. The man, a penniless soldier of fortune, learns in a tavern existence of an immense treasure, buried somewhere by Firebrand pirate. The axle pirate ship sailing toward Port Royal and has on board Ramona and Barton. The girl is caught and among the spoils of Firebrand, Barton is caught and sent outboard. Anna, the lover of Firebrand, becomes jealous of the beauty of the newcomer who, however, does not accept the "attention" of the Pirate and, therefore, is confined in a cabin. Recovered from his injuries, Barton finds the cabin where Ramona but the jealous Anna denounces both the pirate captain who rushes into the cabin, trying to force the young. Ramona rebels and kills him. Anna, then, to take revenge, suggests the pirates to sell the girl to the slave market. While Barton goes in search of the treasure, Ramona is brought to the market where its beauty inflames the desires of buyers relaunch bids for potersela award. Barton, finally in possession coveted treasure arrives on horseback to save her. In the crowd, he manages to defeat his rivals: saved the girl, now part with her in search of a pastor who marry them. This 1917 silent adventure/drama was produced by the Famous Players Film Company and starred Pauline Frederick and Thomas Meighan. The Slave Market was originally released on New Years Day 1917, but sadly today remains a lost silent film.

[Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Famous Players Film Company]

Tom Sawyer (1917)

Director: William Desmond Taylor

Writers: Mark Twain (novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer") and Julia Crawford Ivers (photoplay)

Cast: Jack Pickford [Thomas 'Tom' Sawyer], George Hackathorne [Sid Sawyer], Alice Marvin [Mary Sawyer], Edythe Chapman [Aunt Polly], Robert Gordon [Huckleberry Finn], Antrim Short [Joe Harper], Clara Horton [Becky Thatcher], Helen Gilmore [Widow Douglas], Carl Goetz [Alfred Temple], Olive Thomas [Choir Member (uncredited)]

Storyline: Tom Sawyer, a young Missouri lad, finds fun and adventure with his pals Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn, running away to hide out on Jackson's Island and pretending to be Mississippi River pirates. When Tom is believed dead by his grieving Aunt Polly, he sneaks back to town to attend his own funeral.

[59 min - Adventure l Comedy l Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Oliver Morosco Photoplay Company]

  

Grouch, The [aka Pirates' Gold] (1918)

Director: Oscar Apfel

Writers: Clara Beranger (scenario, as Clara S. Beranger) and Forrest Halsey (story)

Cast: Montagu Love [Donald Graham], Dorothy Green [Fleurette], Al Hart [Captain of Okfees, as Albert Hart], John Davidson [Narciso], Margaret Linden [Corinne], Arda La Croix [Curé], George De Carlton [John Cabin Branch]

[Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - World Film]

Hoarded Assets (1918)

Director: Paul Scardon

Writers: Raymond Smiley Spears (story), Edward J. Montagne (scenario) and Garfield Thompson (scenario)

Cast: Harry T. Morey [Jerry Rufus], Betty Blythe [Claire Dawson], George Majeroni [James Barr], Robert Gaillard [Detective Ryan], Jean Paige [Patsy], Bernard Siegel [Undetermined Role]
[Drama - Silent - Black and White - USA - Vitagraph Company of America]

Peg of the Pirates (1918)

Director: O.A.C. Lund

Writers: O.A.C. Lund (scenario) and W.L. Randall (story)

Cast: Peggy Hyland [Margaret ''Peg'' Martyn], Carlton Macy [Sir Wyndham Martyn], Sidney Mason [Terry], Frank Evans [Capt. Bones], J. Gunnis Davis [Arthur Elliott, as James Davis], Louis Wolheim [Flatnose Tim, as L. Walheim], Ajax Carrol [One-Eyed Pete], Eric Mayne [Gov. Brenton], John De Lacey

Storyline: Perhaps to avoid on-set confusion, pretty Peggy Hyland was cast as the "Peg" in Peg of the Pirates. Betrothed to a man she does not love, Peg sets sail to the West Indies, only to fall into the clutches of pirates. Successfully fending off the advances of the lustful pirate chieftain, Peg ends up marooned on a desert island. Assumed to be dead, our heroine "spooks" the superstitious buccaneers for several reels then wins their hearts by teaching them how to read and write. And so it goes until Peg's seafaring sweetheart finally catches up to her. The film suffered from an indecisive point of view: Apparently, the producers set out to make a "straight" swashbuckler, but ended up with a comedy instead.

[Comedy | Drama - 1.33 : 1, Silent - Black and White - USA - Fox Film Corporation]

Sea Panther, The (1918)

Director: Thomas N. Heffron

Writer: Kenneth B. Clarke (story)

Cast: William Desmond [Paul Le Marsan], Mary Warren [Molly Tarpley], Jack Richardson [Will Kip], Arthur Millett [Captain Saunders], Lillian Langdon [Esther], Lee Hill [Braga]

Storyline: William Desmond stars as "The Sea Panther", a gentleman pirate plying his trade in Days of Olde. Though ruthless with his enemies, the hero is at heart a romantic, demanding that his fellow pirates treat their female prisoners with dignity and respect. Eventually, Desmond is overthrown in a mutiny and clapped into irons. He is rescued by heroine Mary Warren, who disguises herself as a boy for the occasion. Critics agreed that the acting in The Sea Panther was vastly superior to the film's rather seedy production values.

[Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Triangle Film Corporation]

Such a Little Pirate (1918)

Director: George Melford

Writers: James Oliver Curwood (story "Peggy the Pirate"), Monte M. Katterjohn (scenario)

Cast: Lila Lee [Patricia Wolf], Theodore Roberts [Obadiah Wolf], Harrison Ford [Rory O'Malley], Guy Oliver [Bad-Eye], Forrest Seabury [Ellory Glendenning], J. Parks Jones [Harold Glendenning], Adele Farrington [Mrs. Glendenning], Sinbad, the Orangutan [himself]

Storyline: Raised on the wild windjammer stories of her sea-captain grandfather Obadiah Wolf (Theodore Roberts), heroine Patricia (Lila Lee) yearns for a life on the high seas. Obadiah paints bold images of buccaneering and booty. In fact, he's got a tattoo on his breast of a map which leads to buried treasure. He plans to go get it just as soon as his makes his final payment on a ship which is being cared for by Rory O'Malley (Harrison Ford), a slightly crippled young seaman. However, the man he is paying, Ellory Glendenning (Forrest Seabury) intends to steal the ship and sell it to the government for a high price. The night Obadiah makes his final payment he celebrates a bit too heartily and in a drunken brawl rolls into a fire, scorching his map into obliteration. He also loses the receipt for the ship, so Glendenning refuses to give him the vessel. He boards the craft anyway with his draft-dodging son (J. Parks-Jones) and heads out to sea. But Patricia has snuck on board with her pet orangutan, Sinbad. The crew mutinies and Rory and Patricia take over. They get to the treasure just as Obadiah is being dragged to the same location by "Bad Eye", a grimy old sea dog (Guy Oliver). Rory and Patricia save Obadiah, and Sinbad finds the receipt, so all ends well. This film was based on the novel Peggy, the Pirate, by James Oliver Curwood.

[50 min - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Famous Players-Lasky Corporation]

Treasure Island (1918)

Directors: Chester M. Franklin and Sidney Franklin

Writers: Bernard McConville (scenario) and Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Cast: Francis Carpenter [Jim Hawkins], Virginia Lee Corbin [Louise Trelawney, as Virginia Corbin], Violet Radcliffe [Long John Silver], Lloyd Perl [Black Dog], Lewis Sargent [Ben Gunn, as Lew Sargent], Buddy Messinger [Captain Smolett], Gertrude Messinger, Eleanor Washington [Jim's Mother], Herschell Mayal [Captain Bill Bones - Prologue Player], Charles Gorman [Black Dog - Prologue Player], Edwin Harley [Blind Pew - Prologue Player, as Ed Harley], Elmo Lincoln [Long John Silver - Prologue Player]

Storyline: Young Jim Hawkins is caught up with the pirate Long John Silver in search of the buried treasure of the buccaneer Captain Flint, in this adaptation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. As described in a film magazine, Jim Hawkins (F. Carpenter) and his mother operate the Admiral Ben Bow Inn, and when they are threatened by an attack by pirates they go to the home of their friend, the squire, for the night. Mrs. Hawkins (Washington) hands the squire a package she found in a chest that was owned by Billy Bones, one of her boarders who had died. The squire discovers a map showing the location of treasure buried by someone named Flint. Jim, overhearing the squire's plans to recover the treasure, goes to sleep and dreams that he, Louise (V.L. Corbin), and a ship's crew have set out to find the gold. Long John Silver (V. Radcliffe), their first mate, is a crook and with some of the men plan to rob Jim and Louise of the treasure. After a fight on the island and the killing off of Long John Silver's men, Long John Silver joins Jim and his gang and through Ben Gunn (L. Sargent) they find the treasure. Just as Jim is about to distribute it, he wakes up.

[60 min - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Fox Film Corporation]

Captain Kidd, Jr. (1919)

Director: William Desmond Taylor

Writers: Frances Marion (writer) and Rida Johnson Young (play)

Cast: Mary Pickford [Mary MacTavish], Douglas MacLean [Jim Gleason], Spottiswoode Aitken [Augus MacTavish], Robert Gordon [Willie Carlton], Winter Hall [John Brent], Marcia Manon [Marion Fisher], Victor Potel [Constable Sam], Vin Moore [Luella Butterfield], William Hutchinson [Lemuel Butterfield, as William Hutcheson], Clarence Geldart [David Grayson], Louise Emmons [(uncredited)], Joan Marsh [Child (uncredited)]

Storyline: An old man wills a map to his grandson, with instructions showing a buried treasure, but it is accidentally sold to a book store. The owner and her granddaughter Mary discover it. Mary and her boyfriend an aspiring author, meet the with the desperate grandson and agree to share the treasure. The treasure turns out to be a box containing a note proclaiming "Good Health". The grandson discovers the hunt was a test, and a fortune left by his grandfather is held in trust. Mary's boyfriend sells one of his novels and they happily become engaged.

[1.33 : 1 - Comedy - Silent - Black and White - USA - Mary Pickford Film Corporation]

  

Captain Kidd's Kids (1919)

Director: Hal Roach

Cast: Harold Lloyd [The Boy], Bebe Daniels [The Girl], 'Snub' Pollard [Fred C. Newmeyer], Ah Nix [Chinese Cook, as Fred Newmeyer], Helen Gilmore [The Girl's Mother], Charles Stevenson [Servant, as Charles E. Stevenson], Noah Young [Big Pirate], Marie Mosquini [Pirate Girl], Sammy Brooks [Small Pirate]

Storyline: After a wild bachelor party, our hero finds himself aboard a sailing vessel where he encounters numerous adventures. In a dream sequence, he fantasizes that the ship is seized by a band of female pirates.

[20 min - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - USA - Rolin Films]

Captain's Captain, The (1919)

Director: Tom Terriss

Writers: James A. Cooper (novel) and Tom Terriss (writer) and A. Van Buren Powell (writer)

Cast: Alice Joyce [Louise Greyling], Arthur Donaldson [Cap'n Abe / Am'zon], Percy Standing [Cap'n Joab], Julia Swayne Gordon [Aun Euphemia], Eulalie Jensen [Betty Gallup], Maurice Costello [Lawford Tapp]

Storyline: This 1919 drama starring the popular actress, Alice Joyce, was produced by the Vitagraph Company and sadly now remains a lost film. I have found an original film review to share with the reader. Moving Picture World - Vitagraph Presents Alice Joyce in a Refreshingly New Idea in Which a Society Girl Narrowly Escapes a Charge of Murdering Her Uncle. Louise Grayling escapes from a straight-laced aunt on a plea that she wants to visit her uncle, Captain Abe, on Cape Cod. Abe is henpecked by his housekeeper and rather looked down upon by the villagers who haunt his store. To give himself a fictitious glory he invents a fictitious brother, Amzon, who is a composite of all the pirates from Blackbeard to the food profiteers. Louise penetrates the deception and induced Abe to go away and come back as the fictitious brother. She has the time of her life keeping the placid Abe up to the reputation of his fire-eating brother, but all would have gone well had not some shipwrecked East Indians imagined that they recognized him as the desecrater of their Temple. Between them and the town people, who get the idea that Abe has been murdered by Amzon, Louise has her hands full, but Abe is transformed into his proper self, and a supposed fisherman who turns out to be a young millionaire rescues her from the mob and all ends happily after all.

[Comedy | Drama - Silent - Black and White - USA - Vitagraph Company of America]

Me and Captain Kidd (1919)

Director: Oscar Apfel

Writers: J. Clarkson Miller (scenario) and Hamilton Thompson (story)

Cast: Evelyn Greeley [Peggy Stanton], Raymond McKee [Tom Hamilton], William T. Carleton [Horace Stanton, as W.T. Carleton], Arthur Donaldson [Randolph Hamilton], Charles Mackay [Arthur Hamilton], Raymond Van Sickle [Stockton Richards], Robert Broderick [Mr. Treadway-Parke], Betty Hutchinson [Mrs. Treadway-Parke], Pauline Dempsey [Mammy Lou], William Brooks [Joey]

[1.33 : 1 - Comedy l Drama - Silent - Black and White - USA - World Film]

Millionaire Pirate, The (1919)

Director: Rupert Julian

Cast: Monroe Salisbury [Jean Lafitte], Ruth Clifford [The Girl], Lillian Langdon [Her Mother], Harry Holden [Her Father], Clyde Fillmore [Robert]

[20 min - 1.33 : 1 - Drama l Fantasy - Silent - Black and White - USA - Universal Film Manufacturing Company]

Störtebeker [aka Störtebecker] (1919)

Director: Ernst Wendt

Writers: Max Jungk (writer) and Julius Urgiss (writer)

Cast: Heinz Bierbaum, Gustav Botz, Eva Christlieb, Bruno Decarli, Edward Eyseneck [as Eduard Eysenck], Emil Heyse, Sven Holm, Thea Kasten, Ernst Matter, Alfred Pfeiffer, Clementine Plessner, Josef Rehberger, Paul Rehkopf, Emil Stammer, Sybill Vane, Elsa Wagner, Toni Zimmerer

Storyline: Störtebeker's ship had been disabled by a traitor who cast molten lead into the links of the chain which controlled the ship's rudder. Störtebeker and his crew were captured and brought to Hamburg, where they were tried for piracy. Legend says that Störtebeker offered a chain of gold long enough to enclose the whole of Hamburg in exchange for his life and freedom. I tell you now the story is still told at the coasts of the northern seas. Each tells a little bit different, but all talk about a sailor who the rich cities of the North and Baltic taught to fear 600 years ago and is often called the Robin Hood of the seas. Against him and his people through the cities of the Hanseatic League in the war. But many a small town in the northwest on the coast still bears the signs of pride in Störtebekers crest and middle of the square stands a small monument, which commemorates the former pirates, as in Marienhafe. This is not a fairy tale, and none of these stories that are told young children, so that they finally go to sleep. No, this is the story of the pirate Störtebeker Klaas and Likedeelers. In October 1375, the Danish King Waldemar IV died. It started a quarrel between Duke Albert II of Magdeburg and Queen Margaret I of Denmark for power in Sweden. During this time the former Baltic pirate Klaus Störtebeker and Michael Gödeke won so slow to maritime sovereignty. No ship was safe from them. Under cover of Queen Margaret the Hanseatic ships were attacked and relieved of their cargo. The Hanse, an alliance of several towns along the north coast of Germany, including Hamburg, Bremen, Rostock and Wismar included, sent out mercenaries who should catch the pirates. But Queen Margaret could reconcile the Hanse and the pirates again. In 1386, a peace treaty between the Hanse and Denmark was closed, and on the seas was once peace. From 1395 the pirates seemed then to be so active that they not only again Denmark had to be, but also the Hanseatic League and the Teutonic Knights, who administered the Prussian Hanse towns and the so slowly the land incorporated in the far east of the Baltic Sea again, The latter, in turn, now a powerful fleet sent towards Visby where the pirates lived. Given the preponderance fled or surrendered the pirates.

[100 min - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - Germany - Decarli]

Wings of the Morning (1919)

Director: J. Gordon Edwards

Writers: Charles Kenyon (scenario) and Louis Tracy (novel)

Cast: William Farnum [Capt. Robert Anstruther], Herschel Mayall [Col. Costabel], Frank Elliott [Lord Ventnor], G. Raymond Nye [Mir Jan], Clarence Burton [Taung Si Ali], Harry De Vere [Sir Arthur Deane], Louise Lovely [Iris Deane], Genevieve Blinn [Lady Costabel]

[60 min - Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Fox Film Corporation]

Bitter Fruit [aka Black Lagoon, The] (1920)

Director: Will H. Bradley (as Will Bradley)

Writer: Will H. Bradley (as Will Bradley)

Cast: Jane Gail [Rose Arnold], John Charles [Gaspard], Ruth Pecheur [Polly Arnold], Charles Gotthold, Wallace Ray [Carlos Navarro], Buck Connors [(as George Connor)]

Storyline: Two American sisters are kidnapped while boating off the coast of tropical island Palmera, and sold into slavery by pirates. 'Bitter Fruit' was filmed in the Florida Everglades under the working title 'The Black Lagoon'.

[Drama - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Dramafilms]

Dead Men Tell No Tales (1920)

Director: Tom Terriss

Writers: George Randolph Chester (screenplay and titles), Lillian Christy Chester (screenplay and titles, as Lillian Randolph Chester) and E.W. Hornung (novel)

Cast: Catherine Calvert [Eva Dennison], Percy Marmont [George Stevenson Cole], Holmes Herbert [Squire John Rattray, as Holmes E. Herbert], Gustav von Seyffertitz [Senor Joaquin Santos, as George von Seyffertitz], Manuel Santos 'Santos', Walter James [José], Roy Applegate [Capt. Harris], India Wakara [Jane Braithwaite], Bernard Siegel [Braithwaite]

Storyline: Notorious pirate Joaquin Santos lives by the saying, "Dead Men Tell No Tales". He conspires with the prominent Squire Rattray to take over and plunder the Lady Jermyn, a ship carrying a considerable amount of gold, and then destroy the ship and kill its crew. Rattray, who is in love with Santos' daughter Eve, agrees to pick up the pirate.his crew and their loot on his private yacht after the deed is done. However, young George Cole, a passenger on the Lady Jermyn who is also in love with Eve, survives the attack and sets out to find her. This 1920 pirate/adventure was filmed by the Vitagraph Company of America. Contemporary news stories recorded that the shipwrecking scene was shot under U.S. Navy supervision with twelve cameras on the Hudson River near Riverdale, New York. Some location photography was taken in Bar Harbor, Maine, and the Rattray Hall scenes were taken at the Pembroke House in Oakdale, Long Island, New York. The loss of this historical film is truly a tragedy for early silent cinema.

[70 min - Adventure - Silent - Black and White - 1.33 : 1 - USA - Vitagraph Company of America]

Jolanda, la figlia del Corsaro Nero [aka Yolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair] (1920)

Director: Vitale Di Stefano

Writer: Edoardo Nulli

Cast: Anita Faraboni and Emilio Liguon

Storyline: In the late 18th century. Jolanda she was fifteen years old when he arrived in La Rochelle after a trip to America. She came back with my uncle and friend to find his parents, who disappeared in the conflict monarchists and republicans. But evil Courtard forces Yolanda and family to find a great treasure buried in a secret place.
[Adventure - Silent - Black and White - Italy - Rosa Film]

Pirate Gold (1920) [10-episode serial] 

Director: George B. Seitz

Writer: Frank Leon Smith

Cast: Marguerite Courtot [Gabrielle Hall], George B. Seitz [Ivanhoe 'Hoey' Tuttle], Frank Redman [Austin Tuttle], William P. Burt [Tanner], Joe Cuny [Kaidy], Harry Stone [Constable Peabody], Harry Semels [Siebert], Matthew Betz [Harmon]

Storyline: In her second of four action serials, former Kalem star Marguerite Courtot played Gabrielle Hall, a plucky young girl who, after a chance meeting with Ivanhoe Tuttle (George B. Seitz, who also directed), gets involved with the search of a hidden treasure. The brash Ivanhoe, as it turns out, had been conned by a couple of crooks out to get their hands on what he considered a worthless treasure map. The attractive Miss Courtot went on to make three serials with Seitz, an economic filmmaker in the best sense of the word, who went on to helm most of MGM's Hardy Family films. Chapter titles: 1. In Which Hoey Buys a Map 2. Dynamite 3. The Dead Man's Story 4. Treasure at Last 5. Drugged 6. Kidnapped 7. Under Suspicion 8. Knifed 9. The Double Cross 10. Defeat and Victory.

[Adventure | Action - Silent - Black and White - USA - George B. Seitz Productions]

Treasure Island (1920)

Director: Maurice Tourneur

Writers: Jules Furthman and Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Cast: Shirley Mason [Jim Hawkins], Josie Melville [Mrs. Hawkins], Al W. Filson [Bill Bones], Wilton Taylor [Black Dog], Lon Chaney [Blind Pew / Merry], Charles Ogle [Long John Silver], Joseph Singleton [Israel Hands], Charles Hill Mailes [Dr. Livesey], Bull Montana [Morgan], Harry Holden [Capt. Smollett], Sydney Deane [Squire Trelawney]

Storyline: Young Jim Hawkins is caught up with the pirate Long John Silver in search of the buried treasure of the buccaneer Captain Flint, in this adaptation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island was the third of Fox's "Sunshine Kiddies" series, a group of literary adaptations starring child actors in adult roles. Little Francis Carpenter was cast as Robert Louis Stevenson's youthful hero Jim Hawkins, who after coming into possession of a valuable map embarks upon a treacherous treasure hunt. It was typical of the Sunshine Kiddies series that Stevenson's lovable villain, ship's cook-cum-pirate Long John Silver, was played by a girl, Violet Radcliffe. Another female child performer, Virginia Lee Corbin, is seen as Jim Hawkins' sweetheart, a character which doesn't appear in the original novel. No mere pastiche, Treasure Island was lavishly produced and meticulously directed, and the juvenile cast took its responsibilities very seriously.
[76 min - Adventure - Silent - Black and White | Color (tinted) - USA - Maurice Tourneur Productions]