Essential Cult Cinema Mirroring the Impact of Mixed Blood: Cult Guide

Dir: Charles Swickard

Although fond of childhood playmate Marcelle Riley, Luke Halliday, whose father made his fortune as an Arizona miner, becomes engaged to Eleanor Steele, a New York society belle. When Scar Norton arrives from Arizona and discloses that Luke's mother was an Indian, Luke is so traumatized that he breaks his engagement and ventures West to live among his mother's people. About to marry the Indian maiden Mo-Wa, Luke discovers that he cannot go through with the ceremony and retreats to the Settlement of Lost Hope, where he again encounters Scar Norton. Enraged when Scar taunts him over being a half-breed, Luke is about to kill his accuser when Marcelle and her father arrive and prevent him from committing the crime. Returning home with the Rileys, Luke finally realizes that Marcelle's pure love transcends all boundaries of race.

Dir: Charles Swickard

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

When her mother dies, Mary not only becomes the household slave of her overbearing father, Scottish American Andy MacTavish, but also becomes a mother to her little sister Ruth at their home on the Dakota plains. Years later, Jack Fraser, the son of a surgeon at the nearby fort and a steady visitor at the MacTavish home, secretly marries Ruth although he is deeply loved by Mary. Sometime later, a baby is born to Ruth, and Mary, doubting her sister's assertion that she is married to Fraser, takes the child to the fort to find out the truth from Fraser himself. Andy, believing the baby to be Mary's, orders her from the house. In the meantime, the Indians go on the warpath and Mary is surrounded. Buck Mathews, a half-breed who has lusted after Mary, sees her with the child, and pitying the helplessness of the girl, leaves the Indians to protect Mary. Fraser arrives just as Buck is fatally wounded, rescues Mary, who forgives Buck before he dies. Fraser now acknowledges that he is the husband of Ruth.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A young Egyptian goes to the rescue of his employers, a wealthy European family, when they are menaced by a local strongman and his gang.

Dir: Charles Swickard

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

Priscilla Worth, an innocent country girl, goes to the city to visit her aunt, a typical society butterfly, who has sent for her, thinking her child-like simplicity will afford a welcome relief to Vincent Morgan, a wealthy bachelor, and man about town. The plan works well. Vincent marries Priscilla, and takes her on a tour around the world. However, one of his sweethearts, Marie Delys, a vampire chorus girl, resents being cast aside; and after Vincent returns, although he struggles with his better nature, he again succumbs to her charm. Priscilla grieves, but the memory of his love keeps alive her faith. Maxfield Durant, an artist, who painted her portrait when she first came to the city, had also fallen in love with her, but before he declared his love, she accepted Vincent. He advertises for a model who is beautiful, but not of the brazen type, and secures Peggy Lovel, a girl from the slums. Both Vincent, who is having Marie's picture painted, and his friend, Billy Van Duyn, become interested in Peggy. This arouses Marie's jealousy. Priscilla, remembering her portrait, requests Durant to bring it to her. He cannot refrain from showing his great love. Vincent, seeing this, flies into a terrible rage. Priscilla, conscious of no wrong, seeks consolation in the coming of her child. She gazes into a crystal which they brought from Egypt, and views scenes of horror, but her love for her husband renews her faith in him. Durant, unable to longer endure being so near Priscilla, closes his studio and becomes a wanderer. This throws Peggy out of employment, and she goes to Vincent, seeking help for herself and invalid mother. Billy, intoxicated, wants her, but Vincent sends her away, and takes Billie to his home. Peggy, knowing her mother's need of food, returns to Vincent's apartment, where he finds her asleep. As Vincent removes the glass stopper from a bottle of liquor, he sees, as in a crystal; Peggy sacrificing herself, and being sneered at by Billy. She returns home, finds her mother is dead, and takes to drugs to forget her dishonor. Finally she goes to a café where Marie and Vincent are drinking, and falls dead at the foot of the stairs, while Marie stabs Vincent and herself. The horror of this vision awakens Vincent's better nature and he sends Peggy home unharmed. Priscilla, who has been waiting with her baby, sees in the crystal, the fight for Vincent's soul, and when the face of the Christus appears, she knows the victory is won. Soon after, Vincent returns repentant.

Dir: Charles Swickard

British army doctor Robert Lowndes battles a cholera epidemic at a small fort in Cawnpore, India, in the 1850s. When he catches a fever he begins to take morphine in order to continue treating his patients. Unfortunately he becomes an addict. He is supported by his girlfriend Betty Archer, but a rival suitor, Capt. Guy Douglas, is determined to get Lowndes out of the picture any way he can, including giving him drugs. Matters are further complicated by the outbreak of the Sepoy Rebellion, a nationwide mutiny of Indian soldiers in the British army, which breaks out in Cawnpore.

Dir: Charles Swickard

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

George Farrelly, the bored custodian of the safe-deposit vaults in a New York bank, is visited by his childhood sweetheart, Charity Garvice, who tells him that his blind old teacher, Martha Owen, has a premonition that something is wrong in George's life. For the teacher's benefit, George tells a story of taking a diamond necklace left out of a strong box belonging to bank president Harrington's wife, almost giving it to a girl and then keeping it because it is too late to return it. The teacher is relieved when George accepts her advice to return the necklace, but Charity worries when he tells her that the story is true. He returns the necklace and Harrington gives him one hour to see Charity before he calls the police. After George marries Charity, Harrington admits that the necklace was left to test George's honesty, and he offers George the position of assistant manager.

Dir: Charles Swickard

Wealthy young American Carrington O'Connell is traveling Europe with a "social advisor" to become more polished and sophisticated. While stopping at an inn in Switzerland, he is entranced by pretty young Adrienne Le Blanc, whose parents own the inn and in which she entertains travelers. Adrienne falls for him, but his "advisor" warns him against such a socially "unacceptable" relationship, and he reluctantly leaves. Adrienne soon gets a contract with a theatrical agent for appearances at a musical hall in America, where she happens to meet Carrington's wealthy father Michael. Complications ensue.

Dir: Charles Swickard

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

Widow Margaret Dennis, unaware of the abusive nature of Oliver Cathcart, agrees to become his wife. Among other cruelties, Cathcart has ruined the Taylor family in a bad business deal, causing the death of Mrs. Taylor, turning Mr. Taylor into a worthless drunk and embittering their son Raymond, who swears revenge on Cathcart. Margaret's son Jim, learning of all this, forces his mother to choose between him and Cathcart. Choosing the latter, Margaret goes to his country estate, where she finally learns her husband's true nature. Nearby live the Taylors. Raymond is courting Cathcart's maid Milly, and when he comes to the estate one day to visit Milly, Margaret pleads with him to send a message to Jim. Meanwhile, Taylor's sister Steve leaves home, seeking adventure. Receiving Margaret's message, Jim arrives and promises to take his mother away the next day. That night, Cathcart is killed, and on Milly's testimony that Jim had been at the house, he is arrested for the crime. Steve, however, hearing of Jim's arrest, returns and testifies that she and Jim shared refuge from a thunderstorm in an old shack on the night of the murder. Robert Shepherd, the estate gardener, then confesses that he killed Cathcart when he found him struggling with his beloved daughter Bess. Jim is finally freed, and Shepherd acquitted on a plea of temporary derangement.

Dir: Charles Swickard

While working as a clerk for stockbroker Jerrold Burns, Scott Wells overhears his boss' plan to ruin railroad magnate David Haldeman, but before Scott can warn David, the millionaire leaves town on vacation. Scott then decides that he himself will fight Jerrold on the floor of the stock exchange, and he goes to David's daughter Dorothy with his plan. She gives him all of her money, and Scott spends all of it in fighting off the first day's raid on David's financial empire. Then, Scott discovers that Jerrold's cronies hold David captive. Scott rescues the millionaire, and rushes him to the stock exchange, where David successfully defends his holdings against the takeover attempt. Afterward, Scott receives more than David's gratitude: he also gets his permission to propose to Dorothy, who quickly accepts.

Dir: Charles Swickard

At the death of Count de Beaulieu, his daughter Jeanne learns that her father had been the arch criminal known as The Phantom. The only other person who knew her father's identity was his lieutenant, Franz Leroux, who now demands that Jeanne marry him in return for his silence. She agrees and they go to America where Jeanne meets an old friend, Jane Elliot. Jeanne confides her secret to Jane, and the two decide to flee to Florida. When en route their train is wrecked and Jane killed, Jeanne, in order to protect herself from her criminal husband, assumes Jane's identity. Posing as Jane, she visits the Marstons and falls in love with Henry Marston. Soon after, Leroux arrives and Jeanne is forced to tell her story. While explanations are in progress, one of Leroux's confederates, whom he had double-crossed, kills the criminal. Henry then forgives Jeanne her deception and together they begin a new life.