Essential Cult Cinema Drawn from the Same DNA as Alias French Gertie: Cult Guide

Dir: George Archainbaud

Once a wealthy man, John Pollard now resides in reduced circumstances in Washington, D.C. with his pretty daughter Polly. Despite the poor conditions, Polly manages to move in good social circles and meets multimillionaire George Singleton and Lieutenant Richard Travers, at the home of Mrs. Madison Derwent. Also at the Derwent mansion is Baron Wootchi, a Japanese diplomat trying to obtain valuable plans that are in Travers' possession. Old Pollard owes Singleton money and tries to persuade his daughter to marry the millionaire. Polly refuses and accepts Travers' proposal instead, until her father informs her that Singleton can seize their house unless Polly pays off the debt by becoming his wife. Meanwhile the Baron offers Pollard $50,000 to produce the documents in Travers' keeping. Pollard steals the papers and goes to a roadhouse to turn them over to the Baron. Discovering the theft, Polly follows and confronts the Baron at gunpoint. Finally, Travers learns the truth of the affair, pays Pollard's debt to Singleton and wins Polly.

Dir: Joseph Henabery

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

When respectable Lloyd Norwood becomes infatuated with moll Goldie Lewis, he falls into a life of debasement that results in his being accused of the murder of gangland henchman Joe the Swell. Norwood's wife Mary, convinced of her husband's innocence, determines to clear his name. Disguising herself as a vamp and infiltrating the underworld, Mary extracts a confession from the real murderer, Pussyfoot Connor, whom she dupes into believing that he sees the ghost of the murdered man. Later, to have witnesses to the story, Mary takes a midnight dinner with gang leader Jack Frost, arousing the jealousy of Connor, who enters and accuses Frost of instigating the murder. The police, alerted to the scheme, rush in and arrest the criminals. Finally, a phone call to the prison warden results in Norwood's release as a wiser man.

Dir: George Archainbaud

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: George Archainbaud

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

Henry, a struggling Greenwhich Villiage artist, accidentally finds an invitation to Louise Gordon's coming out party. He goes to the party, falls in love with the pretty socialite, but soon decides to leave as he realizes his financial situation is not up to standards. An old friend recognizes him and encourages Henry into lying that he is a successful businessman. Engagement plans soon proceed, but Henry's guilty conscience catches up and he sends Louise a letter confessing his deceit. Later, they meet and Henry confesses his love for Louise, who greatly impressed by his honesty, breaks her engagement to another, to marry Henry.

Dir: George Archainbaud

Adoree, a young Belgian girl, half-mad by the war horrors that she has experienced,is found by the Hudsons, a wealthy American couple who take the amnesia-stricken girl back to the United States with them. Soon after, Roger Hudson is called away to business in South America, and when his wife Claire discovers that Adoree is pregnant, she convinces the girl to allow the Hudsons to claim the child as theirs. The child is born and Dr. Thorn cables Hudson to come home because his wife has given birth. Meanwhile, Adoree, longing for her baby, steals the infant and disappears. Finding the girl's coat near a lake, Hudson assumes that she has drowned and dynamites the lake in order to locate her body. The explosions restore Adoree's memory, and she recalls her marriage to the Vicomte Jean de Michelet, who happens to be in town raising money for Belgian relief. The vicomte is brought to his wife and the family is happily reunited.

Dir: George D. Baker

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

A prison inmate obtains his release from prison in order to rescue his daughter from the clutches of her unscrupulous mother's plot to implicate the girl in a blackmail scheme.

Dir: George Archainbaud

Bess Hulette is disappointed and feels ignored when her husband Aleck accepts a partnership in an ad agency owned by Stephen Graves. She tells her neighbor, Mrs. Leonard, about her predicament. One day a young woman, Dorothy Delamore, is injured in a car accident just outside the Hulettes' home. Bess meets Dorothy's brother, Jack, who is attracted to her. Noticing his attraction, Mrs. Leonard--who is cheating on her own husband--urges Bess to take up with Jack. Still feeling ignored by her husband, Bess accepts an invitation to a party at Jack's house, but finds out that things aren't exactly what they seem.

Dir: Raoul Walsh

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

Dave Henderson, an orphan who has become the beneficiary of a rich man's will, falls in with race-track crooks Martin Tydeman and Bokky Sharvan who bilk him out of his $100,000 inheritance. In retaliation, Dave steals the money from Tydeman's safe, but is caught and sentenced to five years in jail. In prison, Dave becomes friendly with Millman, who is about to be released, and reveals the money's hiding place to him, arranging to rendezvous at the end of Dave's term. Once released, Dave is hounded by members of Tydeman's gang as well as the police, who are waiting for him to retrieve his bounty. While taking refuge at the house of Capriano, an old bomb maker, Dave falls in love with the old man's daughter Teresa. However, Capriano sets a trap for Dave, who awakens in a drugged state to find the $100,000 missing. With the help of Millman and Teresa, Dave recovers the money, turns it over to the police and resolves to go straight.

Dir: George Archainbaud

Maud March, the rebellious daughter of a a millionaire, goes to New York to see her sweetheart Geoffrey who left town years ago. Her aunt Carolyn wants Maud to marry her son Reggie and sends the girl's brother Percy after her to act as chaperon. Maud, trying to escape, enters a taxi where she meets handsome composer George Bevan. The man falls in love with the young lady who, when she sees Geoffrey has become fat and ugly, soon agrees to marry George.

Dir: Harry Southwell

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.