Essential Cult Cinema Mirroring the Impact of Miss U.S.A.: Cult Guide

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

A marital misunderstanding between iron manufacturer Perry Risdon and his wife Olive occurs when her extravagant spending forces him to devote all of his time to business, which she interprets as neglect. Millionaire Ned Beckwith, Olive's former suitor, sees the developing breech and attempts to use it to his advantage by secretly forcing a bank to make Perry repay an $80,000 loan within 24 hours. When Beckwith agrees to Perry's loan request on the condition that he divorce Olive, Perry knocks him down. Olive, vacationing alone in Pasadena, gets word of her husband's straits and sells her jewelry to raise $30,000. Beckwith replies to her request for the rest by inviting her to his apartment that night. Deeply troubled, Olive goes and is saved from Beckwith's seduction when Beckwith's mistress, Marta Holmes, calls Perry, who arrives and fights Beckwith. Marta then kills Beckwith and drowns herself, while the Risdons are reconciled.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Little Miss Nobody perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Bonnie is the object of a brutish bully who likes to spend his time at her foster father's saloon. Arthur, a playwright has come to town after the woman he loves, has married another man for his money. Arthur marries Bonnie to protect her from the bully, meanwhile, the other woman has become a widow and now wants Arthur back. She arranges to put Bonnie in a compromising position with another man; her plan almost succeeds, but Arthur and Bonnie's strong bond of love cannot be broken.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

Desperate because a wealthy man has reduced her father to thievery, Rhoda agrees to rob the poor box of the church, although she finds the act abhorrent. During the robbery, Rhoda's father is shot and dies in the priests's arms, seeking absolution, while the man who ruined him looks on. Penitent, the man appoints Rhoda as his representative to return the ill-gotten gains to those he has robbed. Rhoda enters the underworld as an angel of mercy, gaining the sobriquet of "The White Moll." After many thrilling escapades, she brings The Dangler, the leader of a gang of crooks, to justice, saves others from death and finally wins The Pug, the man of her choice.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

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

A village schoolteacher, unaware that Eben, the village carpenter, is in love with her, marries a surveyor and has a son, David. Eben, distraught at losing her, goes away, and he returns years later to find that David, now an orphan, is running away from his cruel foster father, the squire. Eben befriends David, and when the town is destroyed by a storm the two escape harm. An epilog shows David 25 years later as a successful businessman, happily married, helping to rebuild the town. (SILENT)

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

Former miner Daniel Slade becomes a wealthy investor and runs for political office, ultimately becoming the governor of his state. Daniel's wife, Mary, is unable to adjust to a life in high society, often embarrassing him in the presence of his colleagues. Temptation arrives in the form of Katherine Strickland, the daughter of a prominent senator, who takes Daniel away from his old-fashioned wife. However, Daniel eventually realizes how much he loves Mary, and he returns to her.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Town That Forgot God perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Robert Dunning commits suicide after he is ruined financially by a crafty Wall Street broker. Marcia Dunning vows revenge for her husband's death, and becomes a roulette operator in a gambling house where the broker's son often visits. She uses a magnetized finger ring to cheat the son, who then robs his father and causes the man's financial ruin. When Marcia learns that her daughter has secretly married the broker's son, she appeals to the gambling house partners to return the young man's losses. One partner refuses; another partner, who is in love with Marcia, stakes his share of the business against the others and loses. Marcia stakes herself against the winning partners, is prevented from using her magnet ring, but wins everything nevertheless. Marcia returns the stolen funds for the sake of her daughter, and then marries the partner who loves her.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

Signa Herrick, a stenographer whose skills leave much to be desired, finds out that her boss is keeping her on only because he's a friend of her recently deceased father. Embarrassed, she leaves her small Wisconsin town for New York to live with her married sister, Janet. She quickly proceeds to get mixed up with jewel thieves, detectives, an alcoholic millionaire and his greedy, scheming relatives.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

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

Rudolph King becomes engaged to Martha Thorne, the niece of John Chandler, when he and Chandler form a pork-and-bean producing partnership. The two hold a house party for Pell Kingston, who buys pork and beans for the United States Army, to negotiate a contract. To convince Martha of the merits of kissing, the shy Rudolph asks Pell to kiss her in the dark, and when she responds favorably, Rudolph claims the credit. Martha discovers that Pell, to whom she is attracted, actually kissed her, but things become confused when Mrs. Irene Chandler also demonstrates an interest in Pell. After several amatory mix-ups, everything is cleared up, and Pell and Martha leave the party together.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

Eloise Jackson, the ward of her wealthy uncle, Judge Stafford, spends thousands of dollars on extravagant parties for her friends. Harvey Greyson is a young and penniless writer struggling for recognition. When they meet at a party and fall in love, the judge, certain that Harvey is only enamored of Eloise's fortune, announces that he is bankrupt. Of all her friends, only Harvey sticks by her, offering his manuscripts to the deputy sheriff as security on the family's debts. Through his repeated efforts to secure money and employment for Eloise, Harvey convinces Judge Stafford that his love for the girl is true, and Eloise learns to curb her lavish spending. The judge sends Harvey's works to a publisher, and Harvey and Eloise become engaged.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

The arrest in America of a foreigner for evading military service in his native land results in his daughter becoming "No. 274" in an orphanage. She is later adopted by a couple who plan to sell her into matrimonial slavery, but she wins the love of a rich young man, who marries her. Later she is reunited with her father through playing a violin, to which she has clung through all her misadventures.