Curated Recommendations Similar Cinematic Experiences to Meddling Women: Cult Guide

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Blanche Scott, a famous actress married to rich lawyer Martin Scott, is living happily in New York, but her cousin Elsie is married to Frank Edmonds, a performer who mars her happiness through infidelity. Blanche invites Elsie to stay with her, and induces her husband to procure a divorce for Elsie. Blanche's blind grandfather George Moore lives with them. Previous to her marriage to Scott, Blanche met with an automobile accident in which both of her parents were killed, and from the shock she became mentally deranged, but shortly afterward recovered. At the birth of Blanche's first child Viola, her attack of insanity returns. Physicians declare her case hopeless, and she is confined to an asylum. Her cousin Elsie adopts Viola. Two years elapse and Blanche is still at the asylum. Meanwhile, Elsie has secured a divorce from her husband. During this time Scott makes advances to Elsie, but is repulsed. Scott's love for Elsie prompts him to bring suit for an annulment of his marriage to Blanche on the ground of her being insane prior to his marriage, and he succeeds in having his marriage annulled. Blanche, in her hallucinations, raves both of her child and of her past successes on the stage, and very often sees herself playing her favorite roles of various classic plays, in which she starred. Scott, assuring Elsie that Blanche's condition is hopeless, is successful in winning Elsie's love, and in due course of time, they are married. A year later Elsie gives birth to a boy. All are overjoyed, except the blind grandfather, who still lives with Scott. The moral wrong, though legally done to his grandchild Blanche rends his heart with sorrow. Six years later: All are living happily, having forgotten the past. One day Scott receives a letter from the superintendent of the asylum, notifying him that Blanche has unexpectedly recovered and is in a condition to be taken home. Scott shows the letter to Elsie, who insists that he bring Blanche back. Scott refuses, but Elsie fervently pleads with her husband to gratify her wish. He still remains obdurate. Moore, overhearing Elsie's plea, cautions Scott not to tell anything to Blanche for the time being, as it may cause a relapse. Scott, convinced by the prudent advice of the blind old man and Elsie's pathetic appeal, finally yields and brings Blanche home. Blanche's joy upon her return is somewhat dampened by her former husband's coolness. She suspects that there is some secret in the house, and questions Scott, Elsie, her grandfather, and the servants, but gets no satisfactory reply. Baffled in her efforts she at last questions her own eight-year-old daughter Viola, who tells her the truth. Elsie, wishing to sacrifice her own happiness for Blanche, decides to go away with her child, Eddie, but Blanche, realizing that she cannot live under the same roof with her former husband, prevents Elsie from leaving. The ex-wife then seizes a knife near at hand and attempts to cut her throat, but is prevented by Scott and Elsie. The furious rage and wild excitement again disturb her mental balance, and she is pronounced incurably insane. Blanche, while being led to the ambulance, wildly calls for Viola. Moore, sunk in unutterable grief, goes to her, but his suffering is beyond human endurance. He is overcome by his emotions, stricken with heart failure and dies. Blanche, seeing him fall, breaks loose from the physicians and rushes madly to the prostrate form of her grandfather, kneels over him, imagines that she performs the scene of La Tosca, where she kills the Baron and laughs hysterically.

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A story of the difference in fate of two young girls caused by the difference in their home lives and training. This shows vividly the criminal folly of allowing a girl to reach womanhood without knowledge of certain facts essential to her welfare and happiness. A worse-than-foolish mother keeps her daughter in ignorance. In her efforts to avoid the consequences which follow, she places the girl in the hands of an unscrupulous doctor with whom she is in partnership.

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In order to provide for her widowed mother, Louise Mordyke, Ethel marries Arthur Woodridge, a wealthy philanthropist who is considerably older than she. Although she respects her husband, Ethel resumes an affair with Howard Rosedale, the husband of her cousin Helen. Helen hires a detective, who discovers the lovers at a roadhouse. Rushing from the inn, Ethel is caught in a thunderstorm, after which she contracts pneumonia and dies, repentant but unconfessed. Arthur grieves so deeply that Louise and Helen fear for his sanity, and when Louise learns that he is contemplating suicide, she reveals the truth about Ethel's infidelity. Arthur, incredulous, denounces her. Following Howard's sudden death, however, Helen confirms the story. Louise and Arthur marry, and Helen weds an old friend.

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Wealthy capitalist, Clinton Reynolds, and his wife, Laura, have lost their son, Arthur, kidnapped and possibly dead. Attempting to write a wrong in his factory, he adopts the daughter of one of his workers who is killed on site. The girl, Rose, grows up resentful of her adoptive father and as she grows older, seduces him in order to break up his marriage. Long lost Arthur returns and, finding his parents' married life in disarray, becomes romantically involved with Rose in order to end the relationship she has forged with his father. Reynolds comes to his senses and makes amends with Laura, at which point Arthur leaves Rose.

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Despite the pleading of his wife Marion and his little daughter Vivian, Raymond Edwardes intensifies his affair with a charming adventuress named Lucille Stanton. Marion attends a reception with Frederick Barton one evening, leaving Raymond free to visit Lucille and leaving Raymond's younger sister Alice alone in the house. Bob Gardner, who is engaged to Raymond's elder sister Florence, rapes Alice, and that same evening, Raymond finds Frederick in Lucille's room. Realizing the great pain he has caused his wife, Raymond asks for Marion's forgiveness. Bob is killed in a fight with Frederick, whereupon his brother, Dick Gardner, offers to marry Alice to atone for Bob's wrong.

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Elga Pulaski and her brother Ossip live in Warsaw. They belong to a secret society whose goal is to liberate Poland and Russia from the Romanoffs. Elga is loved by Baron Jan Slozek. But Slozek is a spy who has Ossip and other members of the society arrested. When Slozek is slain, Ossip is the key suspect. He escapes to America with his sister. There, Elga meets Norman Hutchinson, and marries him without telling him her past. When Hutchinson learns the truth, he leaves Elga. Eventually, when Elga appeals to him, he sees the light.

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Ada Forbes loves Eugene Cory, but she marries Stapleton, a political boss who promises Ada's father a Senate seat in return for his daughter. After several years of an unhappy marriage, Ada leaves Stapleton and returns to Cory, now married to Alice Wood, to be his mistress. Alice finds out about the affair and confronts Ada, who promises never to see Eugene again. Then, Ada learns that her mother is dying. The double shock of losing Eugene and her mother brings on a breakdown, and Ada is put under a doctor's care. Her round-the-clock nurse falls asleep, however, and a half-insane Ada wanders away, falls into a river and drowns.

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Victor Gilmore, a composer, is in love with his father Cyrus' secretary Dorothy Eldridge, but Dorothy marries his brother Robert, even though a doctor has told them that Robert can never father children. Dorothy, however, has never lost her hope to have children, and doesn't know that Robert is secretly supporting his former lover Flo Merrivale. The brothers' father eventually dies but leaves his estate to Robert, saying that he didn't believe that Victor was his son. This causes a huge rift between the brothers and a fight ensues, resulting in Victor's being thrown out of the house and family. Complications ensue.

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Elderly millionaire widower Wilbur Mason, father of only child Anne, proposes to his stenographer Lillian Hill, who accepts him because he declares that he will devote his fortune to restoring her blind mother's sight. In the presence of struggling playwright Henry Parker, Lillian introduces Mason to her mother as her future husband. Parker, who thinks himself in love with Lillian, imagines that his heart is broken. After the Masons' honeymoon, Mason engaged a renowned specialist whose operation on Mrs. Hill is unsuccessful. Lillian now sadly realizes that her sacrifice was in vain and becomes cold towards Mason. Two years later Lillian and Anne meet Parker, of whose great success they have read. Parker and Anne fall in love; at Anne's suggestion, Lillian invites him to call on them. He does, hoping to see Anne, but finds Lillian alone. She gives him a rose from among those Mason plucked for her that morning because he knew she loved them. Mason, unseen, sees this gesture and concludes that Lillian's love for Parker is the cause of her indifference toward him. His jealous rage becomes ungovernable and he makes his presence known and orders Parker from the house after tearing from the latter's coat the rose Lillian gave him. Mason thereafter repeatedly charges Lillian with being false to him and in love with Parker. Parker meeting Anne, accompanies her to the gateway of her home, where she leaves him. Mason discovering him there alone believes that Parker has clandestinely met Lillian, whom he later upbraids, again thrusting the rose before her. Lillian, as the result of Mason's accusations, becomes grief stricken and ill. Despondent she leaves her husband's home and returns to her mother where she fades like roses in the autumn winds. Mrs. Hill, fearing for her daughter's life, goes to Mason who is moved by her heart-broken and anguished appeal. He accompanies her, repentant and remorseful, to Lillian's bedside which he reaches in time to receive with her expiring breath the pardon for which he pleads and to hear the doctor pronounce her dead. Crazed with sorrow, scarcely hearing the doctor's words, Mason is about to lift the coverlet from Lillian's face when he is stricken with paralysis. Later at his home he weeps in secret at sight of the now-faded rose which to him has become a symbol of Lillian. Repenting his mistake, he bids Anne send for Parker and consents to their marriage. Troubled by his conscience, Mason's overwhelming woe permits him no rest, and he goes at dead of night to Lillian's burial place, carrying with him roses which in life she so dearly loved, which he tenderly places over her dust. "Lillian, my faded flower," he cries, "you died a martyr to my unfounded jealousy. May your soul find peace in the Kingdom of Heaven."

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Ignored by a husband who dedicates all his time to improving a universal language, Laurette Maxwell decides to try her youthful ambition of becoming an actress. Wealthy Charles Prescott offers to bankroll Laurette's debut and to clear all obstacles in her road to stardom, and Laurette files for a divorce from Maxwell on the grounds that their daughter Ruth is not his. Discovering the cause for her parents' divorce, Ruth decides to ensnare Prescott. Her mother discovers the affair and denounces Prescott who, in anger, assaults Ruth. Attempting to protect herself, Ruth kills Prescott and is arrested for the crime, but Laurette establishes on the witness stand that her daughter acted in self-defense. After Ruth is acquitted, Laurette confesses that Maxwell really is her father and the family is reunited.