The Girl Who Came Back (1923)

Except for one low-budget production, Miriam Cooper had been away from the screen for over a year when she signed up with producer B.P. Schulberg. She made three films for Schulberg, and in her autobiography, Dark Lady of the Silents, claims that this crime drama was her favorite, even though she plays her usual stock character -- a nice girl gone wrong. When Sheila Weston (Cooper) meets Ray Underhill (Gaston Glass) at a dancehall, she has no idea he's a car thief. They fall in love and quickly marry, but as soon as the ceremony ends, Underhill is arrested, as is Sheila, who the police assume is his accomplice. Both of them wind up in jail, and although Sheila serves her full term, Underhill breaks out with another con, Martin Norries (Kenneth Harlan). After Sheila is finally released, Underhill tracks her down and gets arrested again, but before going to jail, he tells her the location of a fortune hidden away by Norries. Sheila steals as much of it as she can, then travels to South Africa, where she falls in love with the owner of a diamond mine -- who also happens to be Norries. Thinking Underhill has died, she and Norries wed and return to the States. It turns out Underhill is still alive, and around long enough to admit his wrongdoings before being killed by another ex-con; Sheila finally confesses her own theft and goes on to lead an honest life with Norries. Cooper permanently retired within a year of this film, which was unfortunate since her performances were often lauded by critics. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi