Must-Watch List in the Vein of Partners Three: Cult Guide

Dir: Fred Niblo

Grace Merrill, one of six young girls who idle their lives away staging jazz parties in a New York apartment, advises the youngest, Elsie, who is disillusioned by Frank Norwood, that men are worthless creatures. In a round of revelry Elsie takes her own life. Her mother, a quiet, strong woman, visits the girls, and her fine character impresses them all during her short visit. As a result, Grace perceives the emptiness of her life of selfish pleasure and determines to better herself. Having previously agreed to be Bruce Wellington's corespondent for a sum of money, she declines her part and is welcomed into Elsie's mother's home.

Dir: Fred Niblo

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

Millicent Lee is a young bride whose faith in her husband is tested when she finds a book in his possession entitled "How to Be Happy, Though Married", along with a photograph of a beautiful young woman.

Dir: Fred Niblo

A sculptress is taken under the wing of an art patron, who is murdered.

Dir: Fred Niblo

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

Anne Mertons (Enid Bennett) is the unhappy wife of Hugo Mertons (Robert McKim), an unscrupulous brute. When the two struggle over a gun, Hugo is shot. Thinking he's dead, Anne flees to Hawaii, where she falls in love with Rodney Heathe (Jack Holt), who owns a sugar plantation. Hugo re-enters the picture and forces Anne to live as his prisoner in a hut. She overhears his plan to burn a sugar plantation. She is able to escape and saves the plantation, while Hugo is burned to death. Anne is now free to marry Rodney.

Dir: Fred Niblo

Judith Westover files for a divorce from her wealthy young husband Billy because of his inability to remain faithful. As Billy bids goodbye to Judith, a call comes from his attorney notifying him that all his investments have been wiped out. Shocked, he leaves Judith and while crossing the street is run over and killed by a truck. Judith, grief-stricken, accepts the invitation of her doctor, Henrietta Carter, to recuperate at the Ogilvy estate, where she meets neighbor Princeton Hadley, an old friend of Billy's who, feeling duty-bound, has been paying Judith alimony. Hadley, unaware that she is his friend's wife, is attracted to Judith, but upon learning that Hadley has secretly been paying her alimony, Judith becomes furious at the deception and speeds away in her car. Hadley clings to the side of the automobile and the two are hurled into a ditch by a passing train. Awakening in the hospital beside each other, Hadley pleads with Judith to become his wife and she finally consents.

Dir: Fred Niblo

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

A young wife slaves for her cad of a husband. When she learns that he has been "stepping out" with his secretary, she gets revenge by going after the attentions of her husband's employer.

Dir: Fred Niblo

A young attorney hopes to better his position in the business world by making a favorable impression socially. But his wife, a careless and slovenly woman, presents an obstacle to his hopes. He begins to squire about his secretary, and an affair ensues. His wife, however, decides she can go him one better and embarks on a change in lifestyle.

Dir: Fred Niblo

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Fred Niblo

An uneducated young girl becomes suddenly wealthy and hires the disinherited son of an upper-class family to tutor her in the ways of society.

Dir: Fred Niblo

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.