Hand-Picked Alternatives Movies That Echo the Spirit of In Wrong: Cult Guide

Dir: James Kirkwood

Montgomery Jackson, a man who possesses a deep fear of bloodshed, refuses to enlist in the American army during World War I, ignoring the appeals and insults of his friends and colleagues. Even when his fiancée, Bettie Adams, threatens to leave him, he refuses to fight, but after she volunteers to serve as a Red Cross nurse in France, he relents and joins the American forces. At the front, he proves his courage by fighting bravely and saving the lives of Bettie's father, Colonel Adams, and of the man to whom she had become engaged after accusing Montgomery of cowardice. Finally Montgomery is wounded, but through Bettie's care he recovers, and after his rival, realizing that Bettie still loves Montgomery, gives Bettie her freedom, she and Montgomery happily renew their engagement.

Dir: James Kirkwood

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

In the Tennessee hills, the feuding Allison and Watts families pay no heed to the preachings and sacrifices of Jethro Stark, a self-styled evangelist whose motherless daughter Melissa dispels quarrels among children of the feuding families, takes care of her father, and invents money-making schemes to relieve their poverty. While struggling young lawyer Tom Williams and Melissa are in love, she is loved by miserly octogenarian Cyrus Kimball, whose crabbiness Melissa dissipates. When Melissa reads in the newspaper that society lady Mrs. Sanders has offered to give clothes to a deserving girl, she writes a letter requesting a party dress for herself and a new coat for Jethro for the annual revival meeting. Mrs. Sanders visits and her husband recognizes Jethro as a fugitive wanted for murder. When deputy sheriff Sam Allison goes to arrest Jethro, Melissa gets help from the Watts faction, and a battle ensues. After Jethro is killed trying to stop the fighting, his innocence is confirmed, and the feuding families reconcile. Melissa thanks God that Jethro never knew that he was under suspicion.

Dir: James Kirkwood

Even though he had saved her father from a financial crisis, Jennifer Hale refuses to marry wealthy Stephen Weldon, who tries to ruin the Hales. They leave for their summer home in the woods where Jennifer falls in love with wealthy James Murray, a lumber camp foreman. After Weldon finds them and threatens Hale with exposure unless Jennifer marries him, Murray marries Jennifer. Weldon then convinces him that Jennifer and he had a secret romance, and that she married Murray for his money. Murray's sister Agnes becomes Weldon's lover, and when he prepares to leave, she kills him. After Jennifer takes the blame to save Murray from learning of Agnes' disgrace, Murray, although he now hates her, takes Jennifer to the mountains to escape the law. Just as the posse overtakes them, a man rides up with the news that Agnes fell over a cliff and confessed before she died. Their love renewed love, the couple are now reunited.

Dir: James Kirkwood

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

"Little Pal" is the daughter of a saloon keeper in a rough Alaskan gold rush town. During a game of dice, he loses his daughter to the brutal "Black Brand". A fight ensues and her father is killed, Little Pal flees and seeks refuge with John, an Easterner who has come to Alaska to mine. When he falls ill, the lovestruck Little Pal nurses him back to health with the help of her loyal friend, Cultus. Little Pal is heartbroken with the arrival of John's wife, and when she learns he will die if he remains in the harsh climate, Little Pal and Cultus steal gold dust from a rival claim in order to provide John with money. Meanwhile, Black Brand who is suspected of the crime is shot. As John and his wife leave Alaska, a despondent Little Pal finds comfort in Cultus' love.

Dir: James Kirkwood

When Josiah Whitcomb's son gets into trouble with bad companions in New York City, Josiah leaves the farm and goes into the city to find the boy. There he finds that his country ways are not at all respected in the sophisticated city.

Dir: James Kirkwood

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

Suffering from aphasia after being conked on the head, a man is coerced into robbing his fiancée's home.

Dir: James Kirkwood

Though mistreated by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella is able to attend the royal ball through the help of a fairy godmother.

Dir: James Kirkwood

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

Mary Pickford plays "Rags," a pretty but wild girl who defends her alcoholic father a disgraced bank cashier, no matter how he mistreats her.

Dir: James Kirkwood

Ashby Leene, once a famous actor, but now poverty stricken, dies, leaving his grandchild, Lizette, in the care of Granny Page, his landlady. Lizette's new home is one of kindliness and she becomes a friend of Paul, Granny's young nephew, who runs a newsstand. Remembering her promise, Granny spends a good deal of time at the newsstand when Paul is away on deliveries. She resents Dan Nye's attention to Lizette. One day Lizette sells a paper to Henry Faure, an elderly millionaire, who is attracted to the bright-faced girl. Faure has been mentally depressed since the death of his wife and little girl. Longing for someone to love, Faure offers to adopt Lizette as his own daughter. Though Paul and Granny are heartbroken, they consent. For a time Lizette is happy in her new home. While Faure is away on business, Lizette visits her old friends. Faure unexpectedly returns. To his dismay Lizette begs that he let her stay a while longer with Granny. He reluctantly consents. His old depression returns. The housekeeper finally writes Lizette, begging her to return for Faure's sake. Lizette finds an abandoned infant on the doorstep upon her return. She is overjoyed. She is admitted by the butler, who is aghast to see that she has returned with a baby. When questioned, she tells them that she is the baby's mother, etc. Faure asks her about the child's father. Lizette innocently answers that she don't know. She realizes in a vague way that babies have fathers and, seeing that everyone is greatly upset, she decides that if the baby must have a father she will give Dan Nye the honor of naming him. Faure loves her so much that he cannot find it in his heart to denounce her. Nor can the kind old housekeeper, who is highly amused at Lizette's lack of knowledge about babies. Dan Nye is amazed when Faure calls to see him and charges him with being the father of Lizette's baby. He conceals his astonishment, quick to realize that he has an unusual opportunity for blackmail in the affair. When Faure declares he must marry Lizette for the sake of her good name, Nye admits he is the baby's father, but refuses to marry the girl unless Faure pays him an exorbitant sum. Faure agrees to this, upon the condition that he accompany him and marry Lizette at once. The young woman who abandoned the child calls to reclaim it, but Lizette is unwilling to give it up. But she is finally induced to give it back to the rightful mother. Nye is thrown out of the house, and Paul, who has long cherished a love for Lizette, is made happy by her acceptance of him.

Dir: James Kirkwood

During a jewelry-store holdup, 6-year-old Millicent Hawthorne, the neglected daughter of a wealthy socialite, falls on her head and is carried home to be reared by Mother Gumpf, the leader of the thieves. The fall cost Millicent her memory, but at night she dreams of her former high-society existence, while during the day she works for Gumpf as a pickpocket and later becomes a cabaret dancer. A friend of the Hawthornes sees Millicent perform, recognizes her, and reports back to Mrs. Hawthorne, who has vowed to be a devoted mother should she ever find her daughter. Finally, after the Hawthornes rescue Millicent from Kraft, the lecherous cabaret manager, an operation restores her memory, and she delights in the love of her long-lost mother.