Jesse L. Lasky produced the silent drama The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917), written by Beulah Marie Dix and Robert E. MacAlarney. Stars were Myrtle Stedman and Wallace Reid. The Spanish firm Chocolat Imperiale produced a series of six 'cromos', coloured collectors cards, of the film. The Spanish title for the film was Prisión sin muros.
![Myrtle Stedman in The Prison Without Walls (1917)]()
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 1 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman and Camille Ankewich in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old lady was possibly Lillian Leighton.
![Wallace Reid in The Prison Without Walls (1917)]()
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 2 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman, Wallace Reid, and William Conklin in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917).
![Wallace Reid and Myrtle Stedman in The Prison Without Walls (1917)]()
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 3 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman and Camille Ankewich in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old lady was possibly Lillian Leighton.
In The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917) Myrtle Stedman plays Heiress Helen Ainsworth, who is deeply committed to prison reform work.
Norman Morris (William Conklin), the administrator of the Ainsworth millions, who is in reality involved in prison graft, uses his relation to Helen, to whom he is engaged, to visit the prisons with her and collect his share of the take.
Meanwhile, Huntington Babbs (Wallace Reid), a prison expert, has been employed by the governor to continue his liberal prison policy, which has been assailed by Morris and his friends. Babbs goes undercover posing as Conroy, an ex-con, who is hired by Helen as her secretary, thus enabling him to spy on Morris.
Morris is jealous of the good-looking secretary and he makes Helen's maid Felice (Camille Ankewich), an ex-convict, 'plant' a necklace which he has presented to Helen, in Babbs' room. Babbs discovers the plot, and Morris, overhearing his plan to visit a certain place in the rough part of the city, for Helen, plans to get him. He orders the gang to murder him.
When the Ainsworth safe is burglarised and the tools found in Conroy's possession, things look bleak until several of Morris' accomplices incriminate Morris in the crime.
With Morris eliminated, Babbs reveals his true identity and proclaims his love for Helen.
![Wallace Reid in The Prison Without Walls (1917)]()
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 4 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Wallace Reid and Camille Ankewich in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917).
![Wallace Reid and Myrtle Stedman in The Prison Without Walls (1917)]()
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 5 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Wallace Reid and Myrtle Stedman in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old man may be James Neill.
![Wallace Reid and Myrtle Stedman in The Prison Without Walls (1917)]()
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 6 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman, Wallace Reid, Camille Ankewich, and William Conklin in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old lady was possibly Lillian Leighton.
Source: AFI, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 1 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman and Camille Ankewich in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old lady was possibly Lillian Leighton.
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 2 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman, Wallace Reid, and William Conklin in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917).
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 3 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman and Camille Ankewich in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old lady was possibly Lillian Leighton.
Undercover as an ex-con
In The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917) Myrtle Stedman plays Heiress Helen Ainsworth, who is deeply committed to prison reform work.
Norman Morris (William Conklin), the administrator of the Ainsworth millions, who is in reality involved in prison graft, uses his relation to Helen, to whom he is engaged, to visit the prisons with her and collect his share of the take.
Meanwhile, Huntington Babbs (Wallace Reid), a prison expert, has been employed by the governor to continue his liberal prison policy, which has been assailed by Morris and his friends. Babbs goes undercover posing as Conroy, an ex-con, who is hired by Helen as her secretary, thus enabling him to spy on Morris.
Morris is jealous of the good-looking secretary and he makes Helen's maid Felice (Camille Ankewich), an ex-convict, 'plant' a necklace which he has presented to Helen, in Babbs' room. Babbs discovers the plot, and Morris, overhearing his plan to visit a certain place in the rough part of the city, for Helen, plans to get him. He orders the gang to murder him.
When the Ainsworth safe is burglarised and the tools found in Conroy's possession, things look bleak until several of Morris' accomplices incriminate Morris in the crime.
With Morris eliminated, Babbs reveals his true identity and proclaims his love for Helen.
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 4 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Wallace Reid and Camille Ankewich in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917).
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 5 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Wallace Reid and Myrtle Stedman in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old man may be James Neill.
Spanish cromo by Chocolat Imperiale, no. 6 of 6. Photo: Jesse Lasky / Paramount. Myrtle Stedman, Wallace Reid, Camille Ankewich, and William Conklin in The Prison Without Walls (E. Mason Hopper, 1917). The old lady was possibly Lillian Leighton.
Source: AFI, Wikipedia, and IMDb.