Essential Cult Cinema Mirroring the Impact of I Will Repay: Cult Guide

Dir: William P.S. Earle

At a London auction, Princess Sonia bids against her husband, exiled Prince Victor, for a Corot landscape in which incriminating letters Sonia wrote are hidden, but it is bought by Michael Lanyard, who is suspected of being the mysterious, international thief "The Lone Wolf." After Lanyard gives Sonia the letters, she divorces Victor, marries Lanyard, and dies after bearing their daughter Sonia. Years later, Sonia, who thinks she is the daughter of the Princess' maid, is found by Victor, now the leader of an underworld gang of Asian crooks and Bolsheviks. Saying he is her father, Victor brings her to his home, hoping to entice Lanyard to make an appearance. When Sonia discovers the gang's plan to pump poisonous gas into Buckingham Palace and the homes of the wealthy so that Victor would be England's dictator, she tells Roger Karslake, Victor's secretary, whom she loves. Lanyard, who has been posing as Victor's Asian butler, and Karslake, both Scotland Yard agents, capture the gang amid fire and fights.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

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

Whispers are heard in the social circle of Daphne Morton because of her constant association with married man Dyke Summers. One night while Daphne is attending the opera with Summers, his wife spots the illicit couple, a clash erupts, and the account of the affair appears in the scandal sheet the next morning. After a quarrel with her aunt, the humiliated Daphne decides to go to Washington to seek out her father, whom she has not seen since she was a child. There she meets Pat Darrick, a young reporter assigned to the Summers scandal. Unaware that Daphne is the girl in the case, Darrick falls in love with her. Summers also follows Daphne to Washington, and when Darrick sees her with her alleged lover, he is hurt and disillusioned. Daphne finally locates her father in a nearby town, to which Darrick and Summers follow her. Learning the truth, Darrick abandons his job on the scandal sheet for the love of Daphne.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

When heiress Betty Hallowell organizes a Red Cross bazaar to raise money for the American effort in The Great War, she is disappointed that the event is not a success, so she decides to lease her beautiful country house to Mrs. Wentworth, a wealthy widow whose son Tom is recuperating from injuries received overseas. When Mrs. Wentworth suddenly demands the services of a maid for the summer, Betty, unable to secure a servant on such short notice, dons a dark wig and poses as "French maid Bettina." Much to his mother's embarrassment, Tom and "Bettina" fall madly in love, but necessity forces Betty to temporarily drop her disguise and reappear as the mistress of the house. Confused, Tom falls just as madly in love with Betty. Finally, he decides that he prefers Bettina to Betty, but Betty's uncle arrives and her deception is revealed. Tom explains his infidelity by stating that Betty's sweetness caused him to love her in both of her identities, and she is satisfied.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of T'Other Dear Charmer perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Bradley, who is happily married and loves his family, is called to London on business. There he meets Mercedes, wife of the Spanish Ambassador. The marriage has been forced upon her, and her husband is cruel. Unaware that Bradley is married, she falls in love with him, and he is also infatuated. His better nature finally prevails, and he returns home and is happy until he receives a photograph from Mercedes. On pretext of business, he again goes back to Mercedes, finds there has been a quarrel, and that the ambassador has struck her. She and Bradley go away together, and while crossing the channel, he inadvertently discloses the fact that he is married. Mercedes unwilling to come between husband and wife, flees to a convent, and Bradley, unable to find her, joins an expedition to the forests of South America. Bradley has written his wife that he is a coward. Her health fails and her father takes her and the children for a trip abroad. The children are attacked by an epidemic of fever, and Mercedes, now a nurse, is summoned. She learns the identity of the family, and, when the boy calls for his father, she starts a search for him. After the crisis, Mercedes who has concealed her identity by use of a veil, wins her fight against a renewal of their relations, and warns Bradley, who has recognized her, to keep his wife in ignorance. Recovering from the fever which has now claimed her, she sees the reunited family depart for America, and knows her heart is empty and closed forever to love.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

Quiet, unassuming dreamer Poque wanders over the country propagating various grades of graft so he can spend his first vacation in the great metropolis, New York. During his ramble he encounters millionaire businessman Vancross, who longs for fame (notoriety). After talking with Poque he decides that he is just the right sort to act as publicity man for him. Poque balks at the idea of making such an unpretentious figure famous, but finally accepts his proposition. He arranges with a girlfriend to strike up an acquaintance with his employer, leading him on for a time, then suing him for jilting her. But things pan out quite differently from the way Poque intended. Instead of trying to get away from his employer, the girlfriend decides to marry him. But Poque gets a good sum of money, so he should worry.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

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

At a reception given at the Rogers mansion in his honor, Somerset Carroll surprises the guests by averring that he would give aid to a female convict reported to have escaped. Later, alone in the library, he is appealed to by a young girl who confesses to being pursued by the police, and he takes her to his own house. There she reveals herself to be Helen Rogers, playing a game with him on the advice of her guests. He then declares himself a crook, holding the real Carroll prisoner, with the intention of robbing the Rogers mansion. She follows and shields "The Magnet" from the police, the real Carroll having escaped and notified them, and through her interference he eludes his would-be captors.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

When Keene McComb, a young explorer on an expedition to the North Pole, is given up for lost, his fiancée, Hester Thorpe, is coerced by an ambitious aunt into marrying Martin Ward, a man of reputed wealth. McComb survives, however, and returns to New York a few hours after the marriage. Later, Hester seeks his protection when Ward strikes her because of her refusal to ask McComb for money, and when it appears that Ward has committed suicide she and McComb are married. Ward is still alive, however, but he meets his death on a rocky precipice.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

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

Charmian Page has developed a great affection for the child of Sir Richard. When the child is seriously hurt in a car crash that has killed his mother Lady Beverly, who was on her way to see her lover, Charmian persuades her wealthy father to pay for the operation that saves the child. Sir Richard marries Charmian for his child's sake, but remains aloof towards her for the memory of Beverly. When he learns the truth about his late wife's infidelity, he begs for Charmian's forgiveness, realizing she is the better wife.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

During World War I, Kervyn Guild, an American citizen who was born in Belgium, is captured with other Belgian refugees by the Germans. Brought before the commanding officer, General Von Reiter, Guild is offered his own freedom as well as that of the other refugees if he goes to London and returns with the officer's daughter, Karen Girard, who actually is his mistress. In the hope of saving lives, Guild consents and is sent to London where he locates Karen. Guild's suspicions are aroused when he notices that they are being protected by the German agents and hunted by the British. His instincts prove correct when he learns that Karen is carrying dispatches to the general. On their journey back, Karen falls in love with Guild and agrees to join the Belgian cause. Before they can escape, the general arrives and demands both Karen and the papers. Guild duels to defend both and fatally wounds the general. In a breach of military ethics, the dying general then gives the lovers his blessings, and grants them a pass to go through the German lines.

Dir: William P.S. Earle

Lord Killowen, the landlord of a little village in Ireland, employs Harvey Dowd and his worthless son, Peter, to collect the rents. When Peter arrives at the modest home of Ann, a young lace maker who lives with her aunt and blind grandmother, he makes improper advances towards her, but Killowen, who is motoring through the area, rescues her. Without leaving her a receipt, Peter absconds with the rent money to America, and Ann's family is evicted. Determined to recover her money, Ann follows Peter to New York, where she is befriended by a policeman, who informs her that Killowen has come to America to court the wealthy Eileen Murtagh. Lord Killowen takes Ann to Eileen's home, but the latter, in a fit of jealousy, orders the girl to leave. When Ann returns during Eileen's engagement party, Killowen realizes that he prefers the little lace maker and proposes to her.