Deep Archive Finds Movies That Echo the Spirit of Show Boat: Cult Guide

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Peggy Brockman's idyllic life with her oil-magnate father is disrupted when he remarries and arrives home with his bride and her two snobbish daughters. The new Mrs. Brockman reads that Lord George Raleigh is anchored off shore in his yacht, and regarding him as a possible conquest for one of her daughters, issues him an invitation to a garden party. In quest of his seclusion, his Lordship sends his butler Wiggins to attend in his place. Peggy is banned from the party, and in revenge, sneaks aboard the yacht where she meets the real lord who is enchanted by her. For her prank, Peggy is banished to college and the lord enrolls also. One night by mistake, Peggy climbs into the boys' dormitory and finds herself in Raleigh's room. To prevent a scandal, they elope, but on the way from the justice's house are arrested and thrown in jail. Peggy's horrified family arrives just in time to witness Lord Raleigh disclose his true identity and announce that Peggy is his bride.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

Motherless Phyllis Ladd runs the household of her father John, a railroad president, who loves her but dreads the day that she will marry and leave. To make her social debut, Phyllis leaves her hometown of Carthage and accepts the invitation of Mrs. Fenshaw, a Washington social matron, to live with her. Phyllis soon tires of the stuffy life and boring suitors and returns. At a matinee road-show performance, Phyllis becomes infatuated with actor Cyril Adair. When she invites him for tea, the vain actor accepts, hoping to seduce her. After more meetings, Cyril's discarded lover informs Ladd, who demands that the romance cease. Phyllis elopes with Cyril, who, touched by her devotion, marries her. Although their life is plagued by Cyril's alcoholism, firings and inability to get new roles because Ladd influences theater managers to reject him, Phyllis patiently tries to bring out the best in her husband. When Phyllis and Cyril refuse Ladd's bribes to end the marriage, Ladd relents, backs a show in which Cyril is to star and is reconciled with the couple.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Miss Jackie Holbrook is the daughter of wealthy Californians. She is noted for her frolicsome nature, and is the favored of all but Captain Robert Crowne, U.S.A., whose ship is anchored off Coronado awaiting further orders. Jackie decides to make Crowne fall in love with her, and her opportunity comes when she hears of a new sailor going to ship with Crowne to the Isle of Vergania, to quell a native uprising. The girl dons sailor clothes and sails with the ship. She is the butt of Big Bill Blount's jokes and jeers because of her effeminacy, and causes the others on board much laughter. When they arrive at Vergania she is one of those chosen to go into the interior and is the one that saves Crowne's life. Her identity is discovered to the delight of the sailors, and Crowne asks her to marry him immediately.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

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

Dan Blair, a retired cattle magnate's son, is one of the many youths of Red Rock, Montana who is attracted to soda water-stand operator Sarah Townley. One day, Dan partakes of six chocolate sodas in succession. When an operatic impresario, forced to stay in town overnight, hears Sarah sing at a church social, he signs her to be trained to become a diva. Three years later, after Dan's father has died, Dan visits Lord Galore, a family friend, in London and becomes involved with the Duchess of Breakwater, who, although she loves the lord, needs Dan's money. Dan hears the famous Letty Lane sing and recognizes Sarah. Although Dan courts Sarah, when he thinks that she loves Prince Ponitowsky of Russia, he proposes to the duchess. After he sees the duchess embrace Lord Galore, however, he breaks the engagement, to Sarah's relief. Joshua Ruggles, the friend and partner of Dan's father, arrives to look after Dan. After he falsely tells Sarah that Dan is broke and proposes to Sarah himself, he sees Sarah's true love for Dan and allows them to marry.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Girl from His Town perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

John Douglas, a high-society playboy, is a cynic concerning the women of his social set, and has a pictured ideal of the girl of his dreams. Wising to avoid the upcoming social season, he hops a freighter bound for the Orient. It sinks in mid-ocean and he, as the sole survivor, is washed upon a island, where he is rescued by Nia, daughter of the tribal chief, Neto.John is puzzled as all of the tribe are white people, but he learns from the tribal chief they are descendent's of English-origin who also are on the island because of a ship wreck a few hundred years ago. John soon arouses the jealousy of Kaura, the tribal sub-chief who wants Nia as his bride, but Nia wants nothing to do with Nia, and favors John. Kaura demand that Nia become his bride, but John Rescues her and they head for the jungle, with Kaura and his henchmen in hot pursuit. The pursuit only lasts until a storm comes up and Kuara is killed by a bolt of lightning, and his followers take that as a sign the Gods aren't in favor of the pursuit. John and Nia take up residence in the Tribal Priest's jungle cave, after the Tribal Chief performs a marriage ceremony. They are quite happy and content, especially Nia who likes to play the harp John made for her. But a yacht appears on the horizon, and John struggles with a decision as to light a signal fire and be taken back to civilization.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

Leander Potts, a burlesque manager, has brought his Frivolous Frolickers to Greenville for a one-night stand at the Opera House. But there are bigger things ahead for Leander in Greenville. The natives have mistaken him for the Potum of Swat, a sturdy centenarian, who with his daughters, ranging in age from 70 to 85 years, is to give a lecture on how to live a thousand years. Leander and his burlesquers are given a royal welcome, and then and there he decides to assume the identity of the real Potum.

Dir: Harry A. Pollard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The New Breakfast Food perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Yulita is known to the inhabitants of one of the South Sea islands as "The Peart of Paradise." Her father, Gomez, a Spanish fugitive from justice, has reared her in ignorance of the evils of the outside world. Piete Van Dekken, the captain of a Dutch schooner and the only other white man the girl has even seen, is infatuated with her. John Dellow and his fiancée on a yachting cruise are forced to jump from the yacht and the next morning Dellow is found on the beach by Yulita. Gomez orders John shot, but Yulita saves his life and Gomez tells Dellow of how years before he married an American girl after accidentally killing her husband and another man. They fled to the island and there the mother died shortly after Yulita was born. Later John realizes his love for the girl but also remembers that she is a child. Van Dekken comes to the island and engages in a fight over Yulita. Denise, Dellow's fiancée, is also saved and found by John, who takes her with him and leaves Yulita alone on the island. He then sees Yulita start out in a boat after them and plunge into the sea. Dellow awakens from his dream in time to save Yulita from Van Dekken and the next day sails for home with his "Pearl of Paradise."

Dir: Edgar Jones

A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

Brian O'Farrell (Snowy Baker), is an English 'new chum' who takes a job at an Australian cattle station. He is teased by station hands because of his appearance (including spats and a monocle) but he soon impresses them with his skills at riding and boxing. The station manager, John MacDonald (Wilfred Lucas), takes O'Farrell to Sydney to meet his daughter Edith (Kathleen Key) who is working in the slums. Edith is kidnapped by criminals after witnessing a crime but O'Farrell rescues her. It is later revealed he is the owner of the station.