The Cult Collection Inspired by the Vision of Ann's Finish: Cult Guide

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

Following her grandfather's death, spirited young Susan Gaskell is placed in the charge of her cousin Martha Brown, the housekeeper for wealthy bachelor Bernard Marshall. Distressed by his brother Ted's involvement with adventuress Eva Thornton, Bernard decides to divert the young man's attention with Susan and hires Henri Delafaire to dress the girl in modern clothing and educate her in deportment and manners. Henri is so successful that he, Ted, and Bernard all fall in love with Susan, although Bernard conceals his affection. Susan is in love with Bernard; to please him, she agrees to marry Ted, but the night before the wedding, the young man sends Bernard a telegram stating that he has married Eva. Bernard finally confesses his love for Susan and they become engaged.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Molly Go Get 'Em perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Young and wealthy Molly Allison can't be "presented" into society until her older sister Julia is married, but that doesn't stop Molly from pursuing her usual wild ways. She finds herself in turn pursued by Count Renaud, unaware that he is a criminal interested in swindling her out of her money. To discourage the Renaud's attentions--and because she already has a boyfriend, Billy Wilcox--she tells Renaud that she is actually an Indian squaw who is just living in the Allison household. That doesn't stop the Count, however, and he turns his attentions to Molly's sister Julia.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

Julia Deep works at the exchange desk of Timothy Black's department store by day, but her evenings are spent in the library of Terry Hartridge, a fellow resident in Mrs. Turner's boardinghouse. Terry has never seen Julia, since he is too busy squandering his inheritance on easy living and showgirl Lottie Driscoll, but the two meet when Terry, having learned that he has spent his last cent, enters the room with a gun. Julia prevents him from shooting himself and they become fast friends. Black gives Terry a job, and the young man adopts a renewed and more sober interest in life. Lottie later reappears but Terry convinces Julia that the actress means nothing to him, and the young couple pool their resources and settle down.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

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

H. Ulysses Watts is a traveling Shakespearean actor whose career is on the decline, as his audiences are more interested in cinema and vaudeville. When the troupe is robbed by Stoner, Watts cares for an injured young trapeze artist.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

Rosemary van Voort lives in the countryside with her elderly Dutch parents. She carves beautiful wooden dolls, and her work catches the eye of a group of artists who are having a picnic in the area. Among them is Ricardo Fitzmaurice, an aspiring opera singer. The group convinces Rosemary to move to New York City in order to take full advantage of her talent. Soon she becomes wildly successful, but a problem arises--the temperamental Madame Fedoreska, who is in love with Ricardo, has been driven insane by his growing affection for Rosemary and threatens to kill her. When the Madame turns up shot to death, the police look at Rosemary as a suspect--and even worse, she has no alibi.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

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

A young man fights to overcome a piratical arms smuggler and to win the heart of a rich man's daughter.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

Nina, a blind girl, lives with her grandmother, who has taught her to make artificial flowers, which she sells at a flower-stand. Nina, and Jimmie, a crippled newsboy who sells papers on the same corner, are sweethearts. Nina's grandmother dies, and she turns to Jimmie. One day Jimmie has a fight with another newsboy, whom he thinks is hanging about Nina's stand too much, and the other boy is soon begging for mercy. Miss Fifi Chandler, an artist, happens to be passing, and becoming interested, she accompanies Nina and Jimmie to their rooms, and is surprised to find that Jimmie is an artist, having made a beautiful plaster cast of Nina. Fifi brings Jimmie and his protégé to the notice of her fellow artist, Fred Townsend, who falls in love with Nina. Fred has a great specialist examine Nina's eyes, and assured that an operation would restore her sight, takes her to his mother's home. Townsend tells the boy that the operation will be a success, and is amazed when Jimmie bursts forth in a torrent of words against his fate. Nina will know he is a cripple and not the straight, handsome youth she has pictured. He hurries from the house, and during the ensuing days, when Nina must stay in a darkened room, Jimmie cannot be found. The day comes when the bandages are removed and the operation is a success! That night, in the general hospital, the physician's attention is called to a crippled boy, who had tried to end his life by jumping in the river, but had been rescued. He recognizes Jimmie, hears his story, and a few days later an operation is performed and it becomes evident that he will go forth as straight as Nina's fancy had pictured him. Meantime Nina wonders why Jimmie does not come to see her, as she had not been told about the operation. At last he is brought to her, and Fred Townsend has his reward in watching the happiness of the two youthful lovers.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

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

When the son of a leader of a Paris underworld family known as The Apaches is arrested and tried in court, the boy's mother asks the judge for mercy, but he refuses. In retaliation, the family kidnaps the judge's young daughter and raises her to be one of their own, schooling her in the ways of crime. One day she steals a valuable pin from a young American artist; he catches her, but an attraction develops between them--and her "Apache" family is not happy about it.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

Alys Gilson leaves the complacency of her parents' home to move to the big city and partake in the lofty ideals espoused by the Culture Club. As a member of this Bohemian group, Alys succumbs to the influence of Peyton Le Moyne who preaches that marriages should be founded on absolute freedom. Consequently, when Thurston Bruce, a young lawyer not of the group, proposes to Alys, she accepts on the condition that the marriage be dissolved if either finds their love has ceased to exist. Bruce soon wearies of his wife's "serious thinkers" who occupy his apartment day and night, and their relationship becomes strained. Finally, Bruce informs Alys that they must terminate their marriage because he is in love with his secretary, Marion Hamilton, who will give him a real home. Brokenhearted, Alys returns to her parents' home to find Bruce waiting there for her and discovers that the whole story was a scheme to bring her to her senses.

Dir: Lloyd Ingraham

An orphan girl, believing herself cursed with the hoodoo until she gets married, is adopted by a childless couple after the orphanage burns down. Boy-next-door meets girl-next-door, and all looks great until she finds a loaded gun.