The Cult Collection Comparable to the Style of Midnight Gambols: Cult Guide

Dir: James C. McKay

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

A lonely wife becomes obsessed with furs and keeps bad company in an effort to obtain more.

Dir: James C. McKay

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

Claire Sherlock travels to India to become her aunt's ward after her mother's death in England. Soon after marrying a British officer, Claire comes to the attention of Ram Singh, the Rajah of Mawar, and when she refuses his advances, he uses his hypnotic power to make her love him. Her husband leaves her because of her obsession with Ram Singh, after which she becomes a member of the rajah's harem. The rajah's brutality makes her decide to escape, and while she hides out with her sister-in-law and fights the power of the rajah's spell, Ram Singh is killed as he leads an unsuccessful coup against the royal governor. Then, with the hypnotic spell broken because of the rajah's death, Claire is quickly reconciled with her husband.

Dir: James C. McKay

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

In the small farming community of Spring Valley, young Aurora Lane causes a scandal by bearing the son of townsman Lucius Henderson, who refuses to marry her or even admit that he's the father. Shunned as a "sinful" woman by most of the town, she turns over her son Don to be raised by Miss Julia, the town librarian, who tells the boy that she's his "aunt". Don grows up and goes to college, and when he comes back home the town gossips begin a rumor-mongering campaign. When the town policeman tries to drive Aurora out of town he is found murdered, and Don is arrested for the crime.

Dir: James C. McKay

Mary Young, a young wife who longs for beautiful clothes, is invited by her friend Enid to shop at Madame Francine's, where she meets the Countess de Fragni, an artist, and Mr. Norris, an elderly roué. Mary, persuaded by Enid, buys an expensive fur coat with money she wins in a poker game and tells her husband that she won it with a pawn ticket; she agrees to earn back the money by posing for the countess, and her husband, Matthew, unexpectedly finds her there in a compromising situation with Norris. Joe, Enid's husband, also suspects his wife of infidelity and follows her to the countess' house, where Enid falls to her death from the balcony. Mary goes to Norris' apartment to prevent Matthew from killing Norris, and having been convinced that he has been ungenerous with his wife, he repents.

Dir: James C. McKay

SYNOPSIS In the Sevier River mountain area of Utah, horse wranglers Lee and Cuth Stewart, famous for their skill, are unable after several encounters to capture the wild stallion Lightning. Later, in Chicago, where they are seeing the sights, the boys meet and flirt with Dot and Mary, two entertainers who are doing a Topsy and Eva act; by their third meeting the brothers are ready to propose, but the girls leave town unexpectedly with their money and no intentions of marriage. Back in Utah, Lightning, attracted to Lee's pet mare, Bess, invades their camp and takes her away. The boys' pursuit leads them into the desert, which the girls are crossing by airplane; after a forced landing, the boys take the girls "prisoner," putting them to work. The girls escape and almost die in a sandstorm, but Lee and Cuth rescue them and also subdue Lightning; all are happily reunited.