The Definitive Watchlist For Devotees of Alimony: Cult Guide

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

Similar in plot to "The Blue Angel, " this silent film tells the tale of a respectable businessman who leaves his wife and daughter for the clutches of a cold, heartbreaking female.

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

Lucille Cameron, the spirited daughter of a Kentucky colonel, discovers that her father is nearly bankrupt as a result of his dealings with New York horseman and stock promoter Jim De Luce. At a Red Cross benefit at the Cameron estate, which the family is sorely in danger of losing, Lucille meets and falls in love with Lieutenant Gregory Haines, who has been sent home from active duty in France to convalesce. Hoping to retrieve the family fortune, Lucille enters the Cameron filly, Southern Pride, in a horse race. Despite De Luce's plotting, Southern Pride wins the race, and Gregory, who has proved his love for Lucille, wins a wife.

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

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

King Philip of Spain is jealous of his more popular brother, Don John, and sends him into battle against the Moors, hoping he will not return. Don John is in love with Dolores, daughter of General Mendoza, but the general discourages her, as Don John is betrothed to the Queen of England's sister. Don John returns victorious, and following a dispute over a secret letter, the king stabs his brother and leaves him for dead. When Mendoza accepts the blame, Dolores, who knows the truth, tells the court she had been dishonored by Don John, causing her father's reaction. Dolores then threatens the king that she will reveal his guilt unless her father is pardoned. The king pardons Mendoza, Don John recovers, and he and Dolores marry.

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

Successful Parisian dancer Yvonne Halbert grows tired of the overwatchfulness of her aunt and runs away to America. Disguised and hiding out in the steerage of a boat, Yvonne meets violinist Luigi. She dances to Luigi's accompaniment in a Greenwich Village cabaret, where she is discovered by David Marston, the producer who had negotiated to bring the famous Yvonne to America. Marston signs the supposed unknown performer and intends to bill her under the name of Yvonne, whom he believes has broken her contract with him. Apache dancer Cecile claims to be the real Yvonne, but matters are straightened out with the arrival of Aunt Marie. Yvonne marries Lawrence Bartlett, the author of the play that features her in America.

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

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

The very wealthy and very idle Dickey Derrickson is scorned by his fiancée Madge Earle because of his refusal to work. To counter her criticism, he buys a detective agency that has no cases, but Madge discovers the ruse. To create a demand for his services, Dickey hires a group of thugs to steal valuables from his rich friends. Meanwhile, when old friend Tom Burroughs, who is engaged to Dick's sister Dot, appeals to Dick to retrieve some love letters that he had written to vamp Viola Devore, Dick goes into action. He secures the letters, but for revenge, Viola kidnaps Tom. Dickey tries to rescue his chum and recovers all the wedding presents stolen by his crooks, thus convincing Madge that he can be serviceable after all.

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

When a group of Arizona ranchers discover that an Eastern syndicate has cheated them out of options on their cattle, they send Buck Lindsay to New York to straighten things out. He confronts syndicate head Casper Whitford, who it turns out didn't know about the swindle, and he tries to help Buck nail the chief perpetrator of the swindle, Clarendon Bromfield. Things get complicated, however, when Buck falls in love with Whitford's daughter Beatrice, but a misunderstanding results in Beatrice accepting a marriage proposal from Bromfield, who then joins with his colleague, gangster Jerry Durand, to frame Buck for a murder he didn't commit.

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

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

In 1921, a young man, having read Mark Twain's classic novel of the same title, dreams that he himself travels to King Arthur's court, where he has similar adventures and outwits his foes by means of very modern inventions including motorcycles and nitroglycerine.

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

Henry Potter is the irresponsible playboy son of a New York millionaire. Fearing he will disgrace the family name if he stays in New York, the father sends him to San Francisco to work in the family shipyards and, to make a man out of him, he is told he will have to start at the bottom and work his way up. Henry decides this is not a good idea and resents it to the point he will indeed start at the bottom but will work his way down from there, and disgrace the family name in San Francisco. On one of his drinking binges, he meets Marcelle, a cabaret dancer. He tolerates her and she falls in love with him and pleads for him to give up his drinking and carousing. The father sends a company-man out to check on him and he finds Henry an alcoholic and very much in debt. He pays off Henry's debts and then pays a freighter captain $500 to shanghai Henry to Shanghai, where the family name is less well-known. There Henry sinks even lower and frequents the worse dives in the worse sections of the city. He offers to buy a drink for a girl in an opium den and the girl turns out to be Marcelle. But Marcelle has changed a bit since he last saw her, and she is now hooked on drugs and is less inclined to harp on Henry about his drinking and/or carousing. But they decide they truly love each other, and begin the long, uphill fight back to respectability together, with the codicil that if he takes a drink or Marcelle uses a needle, the other is free to leave. Their regeneration path is so good that, a year later, they own a pineapple ranch outside Honolulu and making good. Henry's family, none too approving of Marcelle, shows up and asks him to return to New York where his father is gravely ill. Henry, because he thinks Marcelle needs him more, refuses. Marcell thinks she is holding Henry back from his true destiny, so she lets Henry and his family catch her with a needle in her hand. There is more.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Leave It to Me perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Emmett J. Flynn

Badly mistreated by her father, Nellie Horton is taken in charge by Thomas Lipton. She grows up in poverty not knowing her true identity as the heiress to her mother's millions. Upon the death of her benefactor, she becomes a model in a fashionable shop. There she falls into the hands of her mother's unscrupulous nephew, who contrives to do away with her in order to obtain her fortune. His final plan to destroy her is foiled when her lover, Jack Carroll, rescues her from the tracks of a speeding train. Finally, Nellie is reunited with her mother and finds happiness.