Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

The artistic legacy of Lambert Hillyer was forever changed by Master of Men, the thematic layers of this 1933 classic invite a wider exploration of the genre. This list serves as a bridge to other Drama experiences that are just as potent.
The vintage appeal of Master of Men to reinvent the tropes of Drama cinema for a global audience.
A steel-mill worker, Buck Garrett (Jack Holt) betters himself and becomes involved in the New York stock market. He marries Kay Walling (Fay Wray), who disapproves his market schemes and gabs about them to the wrong people. The result is the stock market collapses and he goes bankrupt. The couple makes up and go on to live a richer, but poorer life in the county.
Master of Men was a significant production in United States, showcasing the immense talent of Jack Holt, Theodore von Eltz, Walter Connolly. It continues to be a top recommendation for anyone studying Drama history.
Based on the unique nuanced performance of Master of Men, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Drama cinema:
Dir: F. Martin Thornton
In Paris an orphan cartoonist loves a man with a mad wife, who dies in time to prevent her marriage to a jilted Comte.
View Details
Dir: Bruno Ziener
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
View Details
Dir: William Parke
Bruce Wendell, the son of West Virginia coal mine owner James Wendell, graduates from West Point and prepares to lead a fighting unit to the front during World War I. As his father lies dying, however, he convinces Bruce to remain at home and guard the mine. Bruce's fiancée Ann Blair assumes that he is a coward and breaks off their engagement, but her brother Bobbie remains Bruce's loyal friend. Meyer, a German agent, persuades railroad president Parrish to refuse to transport Wendell's coal, but when Bruce adamantly refuses to close the mine, the spy's men decide to blow it up. While Ann is being abducted by Meyer, Bobbie is buried in an explosion at the mine. Bruce rescues Bobbie and then sends a plea to Lieutenant Parrish to rescue Ann. Meyer and his gang are captured and Ann renews her vow of love to Bruce.
View Details
Dir: Dallas M. Fitzgerald
Confidence artist Flossie Golden attempts to fleece foolish but wealthy James Venable with a breach-of-promise suit. Venable's shrewd attorney, Richard Harding, outwits Flossie by proposing that she marry Venable and live on an allowance of $3,000 per year. Flossie is determined to get even with Harding for ruining her plans. In an attempt to con him, she poses as Innocence Page, but falls in love and marries him instead. Larry, Flossie's former accomplice, endeavors to blackmail her with her errant past, but Harding is already cognizant of the facts and Larry fails.
View Details
Dir: Lambert Hillyer
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
View Details
Dir: Wilfred Lucas
Brian O'Farrell (Snowy Baker), is an English 'new chum' who takes a job at an Australian cattle station. He is teased by station hands because of his appearance (including spats and a monocle) but he soon impresses them with his skills at riding and boxing. The station manager, John MacDonald (Wilfred Lucas), takes O'Farrell to Sydney to meet his daughter Edith (Kathleen Key) who is working in the slums. Edith is kidnapped by criminals after witnessing a crime but O'Farrell rescues her. It is later revealed he is the owner of the station.
View Details
Dir: Maurice Elvey
A lady marries a horse trainer but withholds herself until her crippled brother is cured.
View Details
Dir: Harley Knoles
Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.
View Details
Dir: Lambert Hillyer
After losing his money and horse in the trail town of Chloride, Arizona, in a crooked faro game run by Wes Prentice, the owner of of the local land company, cowboy Careless Carmody becomes sheriff of Chloride. Unknown to Carmody, Prentice is selling land that has no titles to naive settlers, then reselling the land to other buyers. After saving pretty young Ruth Fellows from the unwanted attentions of a local ruffian, Carmody finds himself more and more attracted to her. However, things take a turn for the worse when Prentice has Carmody serve Ruth with papers throwing her off the land he has just sold her. Complications ensue.
View Details
Dir: Alexander Butler
In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Master of Men
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Flame | Surreal | High | 97% Match |
| Eva, wo bist du? | Gothic | Dense | 86% Match |
| The Key to Power | Gritty | Dense | 91% Match |
| Blackmail | Surreal | High | 88% Match |
| Strife | Tense | Layered | 89% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Lambert Hillyer's archive. Last updated: 5/30/2026.
Back to Master of Men Details →