Hidden Genre Gems for Fans of Adam's Rib: Cult Guide

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Pregnant tenement dweller Maggie Schultz is being used by burglars and fears that though "I stole to keep my baby from being born in this rat hole... now he's going to be born in jail." But the tenement owner may refuse to prosecute.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Arab perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

An old sheikh punishes his son Jamil for robbing a caravan by giving his horse to the wronged merchant. The horse is sold to a Turkish general, then given to Christian missionary Mary Hilbert. Jamil takes it from her but then, after falling in love, save her and her father. When his father dies, Jamil must relinquish Mary to become the new sheikh.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A young American has her ship torpedoed by a German U-boat but makes it back to ancestral home in France, where she witnesses German brutality firsthand.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Little American perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Chimmie is sent to Death Valley, California as part of a railroad scheme. He's to pretend to have discovered gold there, then set a new transcontinental record heading East. It doesn't quite work out that way.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Chimmie Fadden Out West perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Opera singer Renee Dupree is in love with struggling composer Julian who falls very seriously ill. She goes to impresario Mueller for the money Julian needs but is saved from sacrificing her virtue when a jealous lover kills Mueller.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A good-natured but chivalrous cowboy romances the local schoolmarm and leads the posse that brings a gang of rustlers, which includes his best friend, to justice.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Cheat perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Horace and Ethel Simpson, wealthy siblings touring Europe, fall prey to Russian conmen, one of who plans a marriage with Ethel. The executor of their fortune Daniel Pike, assisted by Grand Duke Vasill, exposes the Russians for what they are.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Soda jerk Harvey is the most popular man in Blakeville, New York, and deliriously happy through three years of poverty-stricken marriage to Nellie. When a musical-comedy comes through town, Nellie becomes and actress and tag-along Harvey becomes "What's His Name." When Nellie falls for a millionaire and goes to Reno for a divorce, Harvey takes their child Phoebe home, where her later illness brings her parents back together.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Nora is nursemaid to a wealthy family and in love with their chauffeur Nolan. When she hides her mistress' lover in her room, jealous Nolan shoots him and Nora, who refuses to tell about her mistress affair, is dismissed.