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

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

When her son has married beneath the family, Mrs. Van Twiller Du Bois disowns him and decides to leave her fortune to her nephew, Cecil Harrington. She does, however, agree to educate her granddaughter Mary, who comes to live with Mrs. Du Bois in hopes of reconciling her father and the old woman. Cecil, actually a local robber whose identity has just been discovered by the police, plans to rob his aunt and leave town. Just as he is emptying the safe, Mary enters the room, and when Mrs. Du Bois comes in, Cecil tries to blame Mary for the robbery. The police soon arrive to clear Mary's name and arrest Cecil, and Mrs. Du Bois is reconciled to her family.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

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

After her lover, Kale Loomis, has had her husband sent to prison on a false charge, Fay Gonard leaves her little daughter, Dolores May, on the steps of a convent. Reared in an atmosphere of strictness and seclusion, Dolores is possessed with a desire to see the world, and after meeting Lawrence Grant, a politician's son, her curiosity is aroused even more and she escapes from the convent. Found on the road by Kale's friends, Dolores lives in his home for a time, but later, Lawrence takes her under his wing with the intention of marrying her. Although she loves Lawrence, Dolores misses Kale's parties and returns to him, whereupon Kale threatens to publicize her activities unless Lawrence's father agrees to his demands. Lawrence takes a repentant Dolores away from one of Kale's riotous parties, but after Kale is found dead, Lawrence is arrested for murder. Dolores' father, however, confesses to the crime, and following his acquittal, he is reunited with his daughter and Lawrence, now her husband.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

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

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

Society girl Priscilla Kane relishes excitement, escapes from her boarding school and then rejects the man her father has selected for her. While visiting a mending shop, Langdon Trevor, a journalist who has exposed Priscilla's father as a food profiteer, mistakes Priscilla for a seamstress and asks her to call on him. Priscilla, attracted to Trevor, plays along, visiting Trevor and doing his mending. On one such visit, the photographer hired by Kane to frame Trevor snaps the young man in bed with Priscilla as his nurse. The two escape through a window and are married.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

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

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

Vera Loudon is unhappily married to wealthy, profligate Herbert Loudon, who openly makes advances to Mrs. Alicia Carteret at a dinner party. Donald Cavendish, a former admirer of Vera's, witnesses her humiliation and advises her to leave her husband, which she is unwilling to do. During a rainstorm, Donald's automobile breaks down, and he and Vera stop at the Loudon lodge nearby. When Herbert comes in with Mrs. Carteret, Donald and Vera escape unnoticed. Donald returns to claim the gloves he left behind at the lodge. A fight with Herbert ensues, and Donald leaves without the gloves. Herbert is later found dead at the lodge. The gloves make Donald a prime suspect, but Vera uncovers the real culprit: Mr. Carteret. Vera finds happiness at last, married to Donald.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Harry F. Millarde

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

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 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

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.