Rare Cinematic Gems Sharing the Atmosphere of Piccadilly Jim: Cult ...

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Muriel Gray causes her father so much trouble that he takes out an insurance policy that will cover him for any damages she causes. The insurance company, irritated at Muriel's reckless driving habits, sends one of its agents to marry her, but she sets out to win a confirmed bachelor. The insurance agent is the best man at their wedding.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

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

When newlywed Robert Ellis suspects that his missing wife is having a clandestine affair, he appeals to his friend, Pat Murphy, to find her. Pat's search leads him to the Waldorf-Astoria where he finds a woman named Edna Ellis and, assuming that she is Ellis' errant wife, kidnaps her and returns her to Ellis. Complications arise when the real Mrs. Ellis arrives home and discovers another woman. After several comic incidents, Pat falls in love with Edna and Ellis learns that his wife's secret rendezvous was with her sister.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Department store clerk John Percival Billings, an avid reader of romance, falls in love with Suzanna Juárez when he sees her picture on a cigar box. With the lucky dime he receives from a customer, John buys a cigar and thereby obtains information that he sells to a group of conspirators for $5,000. John spends the money on a trip to Santo Dinero and meets Suzanna, whose father, President Estaban Juárez, is struggling to avert a revolution. Eventually, John saves the government and wins Suzanna.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Mr. Billings Spends His Dime perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

An epic of passion, intrigue, and espionage set in the African Jungle.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Henry Baird, a young newspaperman with a second-hand car but little money, decides to raffle off the car at a county picnic, so that he can take out his sweetheart, Mabel Darrow, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. However, as soon as Henry gets the money, his tailor demands that he pay off his debt. Also, youngsters set the car on fire before he can give to the winner, Joseph Plant, whose wife Evelyn was formerly Henry's sweetheart. Henry arranges with Joe to work for two weeks at no charge at Joe's house, which is next door to Mabel's. Suspecting that Henry and Evelyn are still secretly fond of each other, Joe gives Henry only menial tasks to perform. Despite complications, including misunderstandings on the part of Mabel's father and the arrival of vamp Dorothy Kind pretending to be Henry's wife and the mother of his four children, Henry maintains his honor, thwarts a rival for Mabel's affections, and wins her hand.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

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

Always follow what your heart is telling you.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

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

Natalie Storm, a young woman struggling to support her mother and little sister through sweatshop labor, sees her mother die and her sister suffer for want of proper food and surroundings. This forces her to reject the proposal of Tom Chandler, a self-educated mining engineer who then sets out for South America to make his fortune. To save her sister, Natalie becomes the mistress of Wall Street magnate Alvin Dunning, until he publicly humiliates her and she determines to free herself. Meanwhile, Chandler returns after discovering a copper mine in South America. Invited to a party at the Dunning house, he meets Natalie as Dunning's mistress and, heartbroken, abruptly departs. Desperate by now, Natalie obtains a lucky stock tip that enables her to finally break with Dunning. Seeking her out, Dunning attempts to force her to return to him, and in a wild car ride, he is killed and Natalie severely injured. Opening her eyes after the crash, she sees Tom standing over her, and the lovers are reunited.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Geoffrey West is smitten by Marion Larned, whom he sees in a London restaurant reading the personal or "agony" column, and places an ad asking her for an introduction. Her response that he must write her a letter each day for a week to prove that his acquaintance would be interesting prompts him to write her a fascinating tale about the murder of an English army captain. When Geoffrey finally confesses to the murder, Marion tries to protect him from the law, but with the sudden outbreak of World War I, her father puts her on the next boat back to the United States. Geoffrey catches the boat and there confesses to Marion that the whole story was a fiction invented to win her love.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Tom Granger is seen finding a boarding house preparatory to entering college. The presence of Nita O'Neill, the landlady's granddaughter, in a poorly furnished one dictates his choice. He meets her a second time when she is serving soda in her grandfather's store, and finds an enemy in Merton Randolph, who repeatedly insults him. They go to the Court, put on the gloves and have a terrific set-to which Tom finally wins. Then Nita and he walk home together.