Hand-Picked Alternatives for Fans of Secrets of the Night: Cult Guide

Dir: Herbert Blaché

Abraham Jacobs, an itinerant Jewish country peddler, saves his pennies until he can afford to open a small second-hand clothing store. Unfortunately, Abraham's son Sonny has not inherited his father's decent, hard working instincts, and when his mistress, Mrs. Morgan, is in need of money, Sammy robs Abraham's safe and then disappears. Time passes, and oil is discovered on a tract of land left to Abraham by his late wife. Although he can now afford to live in comfort with his adopted daughter Mary, Abraham still strongly feels the loss of his son. His life is finally made complete when Sammy returns repentant to marry Abraham's housekeeper Sarah, and the old peddler, his struggles now over, is able to spend the rest of his days surrounded by his family.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

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

The invalid Count de Suchet, nearing death, tells his friend, artist Henri Dutray, about the tragic events of his early life. He secretly married a dancer, and after she gave birth to a daughter, his father convinced her that she was ruining her husband's life. She gave the baby to an old couple, and then killed herself. The grieving count now worries about his daughter. Meanwhile, Jeanne, an Apache dancer in Montmartre, refuses to be sold by her brother Jacques to an old rogue. After she escapes and hides in Henri's studio, Henri, because he needs money, plots with Jacques to make the count believe that Jeanne is his daughter. Although Jeanne rebels at first, she moves in with the count and grows to love him. After the count dies happily, Jacques robs the count's safe and finds a photograph of Jeanne's mother. The butler shoots him, but before he dies, he reveals that Jeanne really is the count's daughter. Jeanne then marries a boy from the adjoining estate.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

Satan decides to ruin the innocence of ambitious Everygirl, who has a beautiful voice and wishes to pursue a career singing in opera. He thus assumes human form and follows her in order to make sure that she accepts his terms.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

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

Georgiana Carley, the woman, and Richard Coleman, the man, have been friends since childhood, and have grown to love each other without having become aware of the fact. Sam Coast, a wealthy young man, formerly a rough miner, has also fallen in love with Georgiana, and is determined to let nothing stand in his path to obtain her for his wife. Georgiana is of wealthy family, and her brother, through money left him by his parents, has a considerable fortune. This brother, Steven Carley, is of a lovable but weak disposition, given to speculation, and Georgiana has great trouble in preventing him from losing his money. During the Philippine war many young men volunteer for service. Among them Dick Coleman, who obtains a lieutenant's commission, and he prepares to leave for the Philippines. Before leaving he realizes that he loves Georgiana, and decides to propose to her with the intention of marrying her on his return. Sam Coast is aware of the affection existing between Dick and Georgiana. and uses every effort to prevent them coming together. He has himself proposed to Georgiana and has been refused. When Dick calls upon Georgiana shortly before leaving for the Philippines with the intention of proposing, Sam breaks into the conversation and keeps the two young people apart, and finally informs Dick that he has proposed to Georgiana himself and has been accepted. This naturally upsets Dick very much and causes him to leave Georgiana without making any declaration. He acts in such a strange way that Georgiana cannot understand what is wrong with him. He finally leaves for the Philippines followed by an agent of Coast's who has also enlisted, and whom Coast has employed to prevent any correspondence passing between Dick and Georgiana while he is in the Philippines. Sam's next step is to accomplish the ruin of the Carley family. In order to force Georgiana into such a position that she must either accept him and his wealth, or suffer hardship and poverty. Georgiana, however, is obdurate, and in spite of the loss of her fortune and even her reputation, still keeps the family together. Through an ambush of Dick's regiment in the Philippines, Dick is believed to be dead, and Georgiana learns the news in the papers. She is again confronted by Coast, and the situation has become such that he has it in his power to dishonor her brother's name. To prevent this, she makes the final sacrifice of her own love for her family, and agrees to marry him. Dick Coleman, however, was not killed in the Philippines, but simply wounded and taken prisoner by the Filipinos. He escapes and unexpectedly arrives at the Carley home just in time to prevent the marriage.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

A young profligate son of a wealthy merchant falls in love with the daughter of an inventor, who has devoted the best years of his life to perfecting the machinery of his employer's plants. After an accident has caused the death of the inventor, the merchant, none too scrupulous, lays claim to an unpatented invention. Not aware of his father's acts, the merchant's son is courting the inventor's daughter, but parental opposition is interposed. Offering his son a half interest in his business if he will renounce his love for the girl, the father is dumbfounded when his son refuses and decides he wants the girl more than the money. Ordered from home, the son secures a job as stevedore on the docks. The foreman takes a dislike to the boy and tries to browbeat him. After a quarrel, the boy accidentally pushes the foreman into the river, runs away and tells his sweetheart that he has committed murder. Detectives pursuing him, arrest and bring him to headquarters, where he is sentenced to Blackwell's Island. During his sojourn on Blackwell's Island, he learns that the man he is supposed to have murdered is alive, and, enraged at the injustice of his sentence, he breaks jail. In the meantime his young sweetheart has also discovered his innocence through a friendly attaché of the Governor's office, and with his assistance dashes to Albany, where the Governor is persuaded to issue a pardon for her young hero. The next and last scene discloses the happy couple in their own little home.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Her Own Way perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

A woman sold as a bride to the local Rajah is saved by her lover and his loyal tiger.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Shadows of a Great City perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Herbert Blaché

Strolling through the park one evening, Travers comes upon a woman about to throw herself in the lake. It is his sister. She tells him she was betrayed by a man who is her son's father, and she is about to end it all because she is no longer able to endure her destitution. Travers soothes her and promises to take care of her and her son. He furnishes an apartment for them and makes frequent calls there. On one of them he is seen and recognized by Mansfield, a clubman of his, who is infatuated with Mrs. Travers and uses this suspicious, though unconfirmed, incident to try to persuade her to give him her love. Mrs. Travers, made credulous by her insane jealousy of her husband, slightly encourages Mansfield, who, with the bravado of his sort, boasts at the club of his affair with her. Travers hears of this and is uncontrollable. He sends for his sister to come to his dressing room in the theatre, and Mansfield, hearing of it, brings Mrs. Travers to surprise him. Here is the big scene of the play wherein Travers demands of Mansfield an explanation of his conduct, and Travers' sister recognizes Mansfield as the man who deserted her. Travers attempts to kill Mansfield, who is saved by the police. Then Mrs. Travers, learning the identity of "the other woman," and ridden by remorse for the jealousy that has made her doubt her husband and lose his love, attempts to poison herself. She is saved, however, and reunited to her husband by a love whose constant light outshines the occasional flashes from her "green eyes."

Dir: Herbert Blaché

When John Lowery, his wife Mary and their small son Billy journey to a Northern lumber camp to visit its owner, Clifford Beresford, Mary becomes infatuated with the lumberman and neglects her little boy. A Hudson Bay Company clerk named Nan McDonald, known as the "angel of the lumberjacks," forms such a strong attachment to the child that although he becomes seriously ill, Billy refuses to take his medicine unless Nan dispenses it. Watching over him late one night, Nan sees Mary steal from her room to keep a midnight appointment with Clifford, but when Mary falls down the stairs to her death, Nan maintains her silence for John's sake. Heartbroken, John asks Nan to return with him to the East as Billy's governess, but local gossips misinterpret her presence in John's house and he marries her. Informed that John still loves only his dead wife, the unhappy Nan allows Clifford to flirt with her, whereupon John learns the truth about Mary and opens his heart to the woman who really loves him.