Hidden Genre Gems for Fans of Dinty: Cult Guide

Dir: John McDermott

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

Mary's kid brother needs an operation and, in order to pay for it, Mary goes to a Hollywood studio and applies for a job as an actress. Mary is given a job as a waitress in the commissary, and gets to meet 40 actors, actresses and directors, none of whom tip big enough to enable Mary to earn enough money to pay for an operation. Will Mary become an actress and make some big money? Does corn grow in Iowa?

Dir: John McDermott

Jane Brower wants nothing more than to leave behind her ranch life in the West and go East. When she happens upon a party in the private railroad car of wealthy August Van Dorn, Jane gets the idea to finance her trip by kidnapping his son, Donald, for ransom. While Jane is negotiating with the senior Van Dorn, his son is kidnapped by two bandits. Donald soon escapes and seeks out Jane, with whom he has fallen in love. After Donald rescues Janes from the bandits, they decide to marry and spend their honeymoon in New York City.

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

Dir: John McDermott

Two Western ranchmen who are taking a correspondence course fall for an advertisement of a "Klassy Komplex" car. This is the tin broncho. The methods for operating it sound simple, but some of their mischievous fellows change the numbers on the levers.

Dir: John McDermott

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

The story is set in Southern California during the Mexican regime. Don Marcello, son of the territorial governor, returns home to find that Mendozza, his father's secretary, has seized power. The coup arouses the anger of the revolutionary faction, which forms an alliance with Don Marcello. Mendozza is driven out and the governor is reinstated.

Dir: John McDermott

To avert war between their countries an official marriage is arranged between Crown Prince Boris of Moraine and Princess Flavia of Norvia. Prince Karl of Norvia sees in the alliance an opportunity to gain control of both kingdoms but upon visiting Boris finds him unyielding and independent. Flavia, shedding her stately dignity in the palace garden, is accosted by the flirtatious Boris, who believes her to be the princess' cousin; and falling in love, he realizes that he cannot go through with the planned marriage. Karl plots to have Boris abdicate, and at the pleas of the minister, Boris refuses to fight the regent and is disgraced. To assure his safety, Princess Flavia agrees to marry the imbecile prince, Michael; Boris is secretly substituted for Michael at the wedding, and though Karl protests, the ceremony proceeds. The regent's duplicity is exposed by Flavia, and all ends happily.

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

Dir: John McDermott

Steve O'Dare, a western rancher with little use for the effete East, is forced to go to New York on business and wires his club begging the crowd to provide him with a little action. On the train to Manhattan, Steve is attracted to a beautiful and mysterious woman, whom he later sees at a nightclub. In order to close an important deal, Steve goes to the house of Count von Eckmann, where he once again encounters the girl, who is screaming for help. Steve is forced to fight off a gang of criminals, knocking some out and shooting at others. After a series of fistic encounters and strange disappearances, Steve fights his way to the dining room of Eckmann's house, where he finds the entire company of "criminals" at a formal dinner. Realizing that he has been on the receiving end of a practical joke, Steve grabs the girl and takes her off to visit a preacher.

Dir: John McDermott

Blanche will inherit her aunt's large estate, providing that she gets married within 24 hours. She chooses to wed John, an old man living at a rest home who is not expected to live much longer.