Philip D. Hurn

Road House

Larry Grayson, jazz age son of permissive parents, drifts from wild parties with his classmates to more heady, roadhouse entertainment. There he becomes involved with an underworld gang and falls in love with Spanish Marla, one of their vamps. Larry leaves home after an argument with his father, throws in with the gang (who are using him for their own purposes), and is blamed for a murder. Tried and convicted, Larry is given a light sentence when the judge places most of the blame on his overindulgent parents.

The Siren Call

Love complicates the hunt for gold in 1890's Alaska.

The Fire Cat

Dulce, last of the Alvarez family, lives with her mother in the Andes and is worshipped by Pancho, a half-caste. Gringo Burke, an American renegade, robs and kills her mother. Accusing Pancho of cowardice, Dulce vows to seek revenge.

The Torrent

Velma is unhappily married to Sam Patton, a millionaire roué. Aboard his yacht bound for the South Seas, Sam pays more attention to his guests than to his wife, and she flees when he attempts to force liquor on her. A sudden paralytic stroke renders him helpless, and she believes him dead. A storm comes up, and Velma is washed ashore on a desert isle. She is later joined by Lieut. Paul Mack, whose hydroplane has run out of fuel. They fall in love, but their idyll is broken when they are captured by a band of moonshiners.

Pink Tights

When a circus troupe comes to a small, extremely conservative New England town, the residents go to their minister to have him protest the scandalous fact that the female tightrope walker wears a pair of pink tights. When she has an accident and is forced to recuperate at the minister's house, he has to hide her in order to avoid even more of a scandal. Mazie Darton, a high-wire performer with a traveling circus, longs for a peaceful country life. Forced to stay in a small town while laid up with an injury, Darton is spurned by the conservative townspeople. Rev. Jonathon Meek, the local parson, befriends the circus troupe, especially Darton. But he, too, opens himself to criticism from his flock, who protest his closeness with the show people. Eventually, Darton's boyfriend arrives and the pair become closer. The parson fades from the scene as a possible mate for Darton, who ends up winning the hearts of the townspeople.

La La Lucille

John Smith inherits two million dollars from his wealthy aunt on the condition that he divorce his wife Lucille, a former vaudeville performer. In order to qualify for his inheritance, John concocts the idea of divorcing his wife and then remarrying her.

Everything But the Truth

Although the Hervey oil company is nearly bankrupt, owner Bill Hervey is unconcerned because he is about to be married to Helen Gray and can think of nothing else. One day, while visiting his newly purchased home in the suburbs, he meets his neighbor, newlywed Annabelle Eaton, who asks Bill for a ride to a nearby chicken farm. Bill agrees, but when they reach the farm, they are locked in a room by a lunatic and forced to remain there overnight.

The Girl in Number 29

Laurie Devon is a New York playwright who, having had one success, refuses to work on another play.

The Peddler of Lies

At a party thrown at the Metcalf estate, the Marquise D'Irancy's Sultana diamond disappears when the lights go out during a power failure. Suspected of the crime is William Kirkland, the wastrel son of the wealthy Kirkland family, but William's sister Diana comes to his defense. Aiding her in the investigation is Clamp, a wandering peddler.