Fruits of Desire

Mark Truitt dreams of becoming a steel magnate, so he leaves his home in the country and his sweetheart Unity and settles in Pittsburgh. He starts out as a laborer in the steel mill but soon becomes a foreman and then a superintendent. Mark lives with the shop foreman, whose daughter Kazia falls in love with him. Truitt, however, returns alone to his hometown and builds his own mill. Wealthy now, he marries Unity, but money changes her, so the couple gets a divorce. In the end, Mark goes back to Pittsburgh, finds Kazia, who has never stopped loving him, and marries her.

Directed by Oscar Eagle, Fruits of Desire leans on a strong ensemble — Robert Warwick, Madlaine Traverse, Robert Cummings — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1916.