The Essential Watchlist Similar Cinematic Experiences to Jazzmania:...

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Famous romance writer Hartly Poole retreats to the country for inspiration. There he meets ardent admirer Justina Chaffin, who is about to marry a fortune-hunting scoundrel. After Justina and Hartly fall in love, she discovers her fiancé's deception and flees to Hartly's cottage. Seeing her car parked in front, the sheriff accuses Hartly of abduction, but all is resolved when Justina and Hartly exchange vows.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

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

When Richard Earle marries Elaine Bronson for her money, he orders her to keep the marriage a secret so that he may continue his affair with a married woman, Lucille Bennett. Jimmy Newton falls in love with Elaine and takes her to his home after she is injured in a car accident. When Richard discovers the two together, he beats Elaine, until Lucille, having discovered Richard's duplicity and cruelty, enters the house and shoots him. Free of Richard, Elaine becomes engaged to Jimmy.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

The cabaret act of husband-and-wife dancing team Peggy and Joe Blondin is broken up when Joe becomes consumptive and is ordered West to recuperate. Peggy remains in New York to maintain the couple's income but gradually becomes desperate when letters sent her by her husband request more and more money. Joe's letters actually are being intercepted and rewritten by millionaire Harlan Quinn, who has designs on Peggy and wishes to portray Joe's situation as hopeless. After receiving a particularly alarming letter, Peggy consents to sell her honor to Harlan, but Joe arrives, fully recovered, just as the villain knocks on her door. The two men fight until Peggy's stepfather, a drug addict who has been acting as Harlan's dupe, shoots Quinn. The police arrive and shoot the old man, after which Peggy and Joe begin a new life together.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Her Body in Bond perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Count Oudoff, a fortune-hunting European nobleman, marries a wealthy American widow and brings his new wife and her pretty young daughter Lianne back to Paris. When word gets around that Lianne stands to inherit a good deal of money when her rich grandmother passes away, every gold-digging nobleman in Paris sets his sights on her, but she's waiting for a special "prince" to sweep her away. When her distant cousin Basil arrives from Amerca on a mission from her grandmother to investigate the young girl's situation, Lianne believes that she might have finally found the "prince" she has sought.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

In the late fifties John Hogue, his wife and daughter, Dora, are living in a little cabin on the edge of civilization, directly in the path of the great caravans of Mormons as they made their way from the States to their community in Utah. One of these caravans, under the guidance of Elder Darius Burr, a power among the Mormons, passes the Hogue cabin and Tom Rigdon, a youthful convert to the newer religion, is impressed by Dora. His interest in the girl is shared by Burr, but with different motives. The Indians raid the Hogue cabin and the family is forced to join the Mormon party despite the fact that Dora's father and mother have many misgivings. Arrived in Salt Lake City, the Hogues are taken aback by the presence of the Avenging Angels, the peculiar group of masked men who seem to have unlimited power. Hogue is an industrious man and soon becomes quite prominent. Burr, coveting Dora, induces "The Lion," head of the church, to insist that Hogue take a second wife and gains his permission to win Dora if he can. Meanwhile, Tom and Dora have become more and more attached to each other. Four Angels intercept them and separate them, Dora being taken into a room adjoining the council chamber. Hogue is brought in and forced to marry a woman he has never seen and Dora is told by Burr that the only way she can save her father is by marrying him. Ignorant of the fact that he has actually been married, Dora decided to comply in order to save her father. When Hogue's second wife is brought to the house by the Avenging Angels, Dora's mother kills herself. Hogue, Tom and Dora then try to escape, but are caught by the Angels and the girl is taken to Burr's household. Hogue is taken out to the desert to die of thirst, but makes his way back to the settlement, killing one of the Angels and donning his peculiar uniform, in which he is safe from molestation. When Dora is brought before the council to be married, she declares she cannot marry Burr because of her past sins, and she is condemned to die. Tom is spirited away by an Avenging Angel who also unlocks Dora from her prison cell and flees with them, with Burr in pursuit. Getting Burr aside, the Avenging Angel takes him to the spot where the fugitives are hiding, and reveals himself as Hogue. Burr is sent out into the desert to die, just as he has condemned Hogue to do, and the three make their escape from the dread community.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

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

A story that begins on the South African veldt and goes to the drawing rooms of fashionable London Society.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Impoverished Molly Hanlon is befriended by crooked gambler Lee Kirk, she marries him in a phony ceremony. While frequenting Kirk's gambling den, Molly meets Miles Rand, the dissolute son of Judge Rand, whose obvious attraction for her encourages Kirk to swindle him out of his money. Penniless, Miles accepts a loan from Molly and returns East to study law. On the day that Molly learns that her marriage is not legal, the gambling den burns down and Kirk is presumed dead. After escaping with Kirk's money, Molly goes East where she encounters Miles, now a district attorney. In spite of the objections of Judge Rand, Molly accepts Miles's proposal, but after Kirk arrives in town, she calls off the engagement. When Kirk enters her apartment through a window, Molly kills him in a panic and is arrested for murder. The still faithful Miles defends her in court, and after her acquittal, she confesses her past and reunites with her old love.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

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

In an English mining town during the 1870s, Joan Lowrie falls in love with Fergus Derrick, the new chief engineer who vows to improve working conditions. Joan's father Don, however, runs the mine and likes conditions just as they are. As a result, he quickly learns to detest the crusading Fergus, even to the point of trying to murder him. Joan saves Fergus, after which Don is killed by one of the workers whom he habitually mistreated. Don's death removes the only impediment to Joan's romance as well as to improvements in the mine, so while Joan and Fergus make plans for their marriage, plans also are developed to make the mine safer and more efficient.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Wanting to escape from the drab life of the country, Helen Wayne moves to the big city and becomes a secretary for the Calder family. Just before beginning her new job, however, Helen meets a man who promises to take the hungry girl to dinner. When she goes to the prearranged meeting place, she is arrested and her name is put on the police record. Some time later, Helen and young Rand Calder fall in love. As they are about to announce their engagement, Martin Ingleton, the man who earlier had caused Helen's arrest, attempts to ruin Rand's business ventures. When all of the principals go to court to fight the issue, Ingleton recognizes Helen and tries to label her a woman of unworthy character. Instead of causing Rand to admonish her, however, Ingleton instigates Helen to tell the judge her story and she is exonerated.

Dir: Robert Z. Leonard

Living with her drunkard father in the North Woods mountains, Betty Yarnell is shunned by the villagers whenever she ventures out to pick up her father from Abner Grimp's saloon, and her only friend is a little lamb. In debt to Abner, John Yarnell signs a note turning over his daughter to Abner in return for unlimited drinks. When Abner goes to the cabin to claim Betty, revenue officer Ralph McGibbon arrives from the city and rescues her. Abner sends his Indian partner Dark Cloud, but Ralph rescues Betty again, although he is badly beaten up. Betty nurses Ralph, and even sacrifices her lamb to prepare broth for him. The sheriff decides to auction off Betty to the highest bidder. Abner demands that she be turned over to him, but Ralph fights him and manages to win Betty.