Top-Tier Alternatives Exploring the Legacy of Get the Boy: Cult Guide

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Newly wealthy Isidore Lechat lives in a castle in the south of France. He believes that business is the most important thing in life, but manages to stay attached to his children, although he believes that his wife's slovenly appearance detracts from his social position, so he doesn't let her go out in public. He begins an affair with Celeste, an acquaintance of his wastrel son Xavier. He believes that this may be the beginning of a new cycle of personal and business triumphs for him, but soon matters begin to take unexpected turns.

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Ruth and Lem Heck are orphans. Ruth is a nurse in a small town populated by a religious sect called "The Seekers." Their object is to seek those that are needy and administer to their needs. Ruth and Lem live with Rev. Hood. Lem is apprentice in a machine shop. Two crooks in the machine shop rob the village bank with Lem's tools, which they stole. Lem is accused and sentenced to jail for 15 years. After three years, Ruth laments the absence of her brother, whose health is failing. Rev. Timothy Hood heeds the call of another little village of the same sect to send them a nurse and sends Ruth. She arrives at the little village of Canaan Mountain and is met by Sheriff John Mount, the son of Rev. Israel Mount, with whom she is to live. One Sabbath a drunken brute is abusing his wife at the church door. John, trying to aid the wife, is about to be shot by the husband, when he is saved by Ruth. John and Ruth help the wife and gain her friendship. Later, the sheriff and Ruth become engaged. Lem, her brother, is shipped out of jail by an old convict who places him in a huge packing box which he is filling. Lem makes his escape from the baggage train and meets Ruth in the woods. A gossip sees them in each other's arms and spreads the news that Ruth is untrue to John, her betrothed. He refuses to believe the tales. Ruth hides Lem in the barn and continues to visit him at night. John starts to get suspicious. It happens that Ruth is compelled to borrow $50 from Rev. Mount and signs a note for it, promising to work off the debt. She goes to the barn and John follows her and sees her give Lem the money. He confronts them, and Ruth tells the truth. They plead for liberty, but John's sense of duty is greater, and he starts to take Lem back. The men fight, and, as John is about to overpower Lem, Ruth strikes him over the head with an iron chain, knocking him unconscious. Ruth helps her brother to escape, and when she returns to the barn she finds it in flames. She rescues John, who tells the crowd of villagers who have gathered that he knocked the lamp over by accident. Several months pass. Ruth works off the debt, and the lovers are estranged. The customary time arrives to send a young couple to another part of the mountains to populate a new settlement. The couple are chosen by lottery. John is the young man chosen and Rev. Mount realizes that Ruth and John are torn with anxiety as to who will be the chosen wife. When the day comes, the maidens cast their names in the box, and the Rev. Mount so fixes the lottery that Ruth's slip is picked. In a big city Lem is at work in a printing shop. At every sound he starts guiltily, thinking that someone will arrest him. A man rushes in with a slip of paper and tells Lem to rush it out in type for the next edition. Lem reads the paper, and it is an account of his acquittal and the full confession of the two crooks who robbed the bank. The State has pardoned his escape and only want news of his whereabouts. Lem is happy that he is finally free. Ruth and John continue on their way over the mountains in the old buggy.

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

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Jack Langdon is sent by a San Francisco company to manage its Santa Clara mine in Peru. Gov. Juan Maria Barada, who disputes the American claim to the mine, means to gain possession of it through intimidation. Barada has his henchman, Miguel Alba, try to bribe and then attempt to kill Langdon, who plans to inform his superiors about the plot. Langdon returns to San Francisco, and after six weeks in delirium in the hospital because of Alba's attack, recovers. He then is told that his aunt has died, leaving him the heir to a woman's seminary in Massachussetts, containing 250 female students. Langdon goes to the seminary, and after the commencement exercises, although he thinks that he is alone at the college except for the caretakers, he comes upon Pepita, Barada's daughter, who is a student at the seminary. She escaped from the clutches of the evil Alba and his mistress, Señorita Del Deros, who had tried to kidnap her from the college. Alba returns for Pepita but he is overcome by Langdon who then telephones Barada and informs him that his daughter is safe. In gratitude, Barada promises that Langdon's new tenure in Peru will be trouble free, and that Alba will be silenced permanently.

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A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Langdon's Legacy perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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Borrowing shamelessly from "A Tale of Two Cities", an American agent, Harvey Birch (Herbert Rawlinson), exchanges places in prison with Henry Wharton (J. W. Pike'), a condemned British officer and brother of a woman,Frances Wharton (Ella Hall he greatly admires, and goes to the gallows. After his death, General George Washington (William Worthington),reveals the true identity of the dead martyr.

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Young Anthony March, living in London, inherits a considerable amount of money, but his crooked uncle Dr. Manuel Ceneri steals it. When Anthony gets suspicious, Ceneri's partner in crime, Macari, persuades Ceneri to kill him. However, just as they commit the murder a blind man, Gilbert Vaughan, mistakenly enters the house. Anthony's sister Pauline sees the murder, faints and loses her memory. Thinking they have gotten away with the murder, Ceneri and Macari soon find out that they're in for a shock.

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

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While working his way through college, Paul Potter acquires a flock of wealthy friends who encourage him to give up his hometown fiancée, Sylvia Castle, for Muriel Evers, a flirtatious married woman. After Sylvia releases Paul, and Muriel's husband divorces her for infidelity, Paul and Muriel marry. Meanwhile, when Sylvia's father dies after being ruined in the stock market, she goes from one job to another in the city until she tries acting in a stock company. There she befriends Henry Leamington, an alcoholic leading man, who, as he tutors her, falls in love and stops drinking because of her. When Paul discovers Muriel's unfaithfulness, he renews his acquaintance with Sylvia, who still loves him. After Muriel dies in an automobile crash, Paul's appearance in Sylvia's dressing room before an opening night causes Henry to drink, but after Sylvia refuses Paul's request to be his mistress, Henry braces himself to give a commanding performance, after which they marry.

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Balentine inherits a fortune from his father. He also inherits a fiancée. He sets out to spend the fortune and would have succeeded had not Vera Morton stepped in. Miss Morton, the fiancée, gets his money away from him, and keeps it until he settles down to earn a living. Jack changes his mind about marrying Miss Morton, when he sees Jane Billon. Vera solves the difficulty by becoming the wife of old Billon. Then she returns Jack's fortune, and he adds to it by acquiring Jane.

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

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Young and wild, George Bell lives with his rancher father, Thomas Bell, in Paradise Valley, California. When George sells his father's favorite horse, Mr. Bell turns him out, and George becomes a grain salesman in St. Louis. Meanwhile, Polly Martin lives with her father Bill, an ex-businessman who has sunk to day-labor because of his addiction to alcohol. Bill frequently abuses Polly, and when he falls to his death from a high girder, Polly becomes a nurse in the Salvation Army in St. Louis. George falls in love with Polly after he saves her from the advances of a drunk, but she will not marry him because of his wild past. Instead, she applies for a job in Paradise Valley as a nurse, where she renders aid to Thomas Bell, who has broken his leg. She nurses him back to health at his ranch, and he grows fond of her. Eventually, George learns that Polly is in Paradise Valley and follows her to the ranch. When Thomas discovers that his son loves Polly, he sacrifices his love for George's happiness, and all live together as a family.

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Miriam Lee is a young woman in New York who works hard for a living. Her life changes when she meets Joe Valdez, a handsome and ruthless gambler. After the couple is married Valdez opens an elegant gambling house and uses Miriam, who is nicknamed "the queen of the night", as bait to attract rich and gambling customers.