Must-Watch List in the Vein of Sister to Judas: Cult Guide

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

Quartus Hembly, a man without a conscience, is the ruler of the town of Copper City, having made himself rich at the expense of his workers. When Donald Keith, a young lawyer, arrives in town, a hidden spring within him is touched after Hembly viciously kicks his dog. Keith refuses to leave town and warns Hembly that he will fight to see that the people get their rights. Keith's only ally is Thora Erickson, the daughter of Hembly's henchman. Keith's opportunity to topple Hembly presents itself when he rescues Bill Wheeler, who, out of gratitude, confesses that it was Hembly who dynamited the log jam years earlier. With the lawyers and the courts in the palm of his hand, Hembly is acquitted, but the townspeople are so outraged that they capture Hembly and tie him to the whipping post. He is rescued by Keith, who forces a full confession for all Hembly's crimes and then allows him to leave town. Keith is then made district attorney, Thora becomes his bride, and Copper City becomes a decent place in which to live.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

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

The valet of Lord Harold Varden, on a secret mission to our Government, has been murdered. Dick Holloway, a reporter, detailed to the story, calls on Lord Varden just as the latter feels the effects of poison administered to him. He takes the place of the nobleman when his American cousins come for him, and not only saves his lordship's papers, but captures the spies detailed to get them.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

"Tough Luck" Baxter, returning from a prospecting trip, meets Happy Jack Clarke, a former citizen of Baxter City, a boom town which became a ghost town when the gold petered out. A game of cards decides that Clarke will go back to Baxter City with "Tough Luck" in search of ore. Meanwhile, the Firefly, a New York music hall entertainer out of a job, is ordered by her parasitic husband Bert Wilcox to perform at the dance hall in Baxter City. Upon her arrival, she finds the town deserted and strikes out on the open trail. Overcome by the desert, she is rescued and brought back to Baxter City by Danny Ward, a former Yale athlete. Together, "Tough Luck," Clarke, Danny and Firefly organize a family and strike gold. Danny, having fallen in love with Firefly, proposes to her on the very night that her worthless husband comes to town. Wilcox loots the assayer's office, is caught, convicted, and thrown out of town. Out of loyalty, Firefly accompanies him. Danny follows them and finds Firefly abandoned in the desert by Wilcox who has stolen her money and water. Justice is served when Wilcox perishes in a den of rattlesnakes, thus freeing Firefly to return with Danny to Baxter City.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

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

Julie Davenant is the neglected daughter of a Parisian dancer who, tired of her life, commits suicide. With her last breath she tells Julie not to trust men. Julie begins her battle with life as a nursemaid. Sculptor John Ramsey spies the beautiful little girl, gives her his card, and when she is discharged from her nursemaid position she becomes his model. She becomes the most talked-of model in Paris, and modiste Hermineux pays her a handsome sum to have her likeness made in wax, on which he displays his gowns. Julie meets Melville Ilchester, who seems "different." He also falls deeply in love with her. Ilchester, to satisfy a query in his mind if Julie is really "different," goes to her flat at night and walks in just as she, on a dare, takes a sip of wine and lights a cigarette. He refuses to listen to her explanation. In a moment of despair, Ilchester smashes both window and model at the Hermineux shop. Julie surmises Helen (Ilchester's sister) and Ramsey's plan to elope, sends Ilchester a note to go to Ramsey's because a friend is in danger, tells Helen that Ramsey is married, and hides her as Ilchester enters Ramsey's studio. Ilchester, believing this is a ruse of Julie's, leaves, still refusing to allow Julie to explain. Heartbroken she abandons her profession as a model and becomes destitute. She sends Ilchester a last note of appeal, which Helen accidentally sees, and after hearing the truth from his sister, Ilchester hastens to Julie, explanations are made and their happiness is assured.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

Colonel Dabney Mills, whose Southern plantation is heavily mortgaged, makes a trip to New York hoping to borrow money from James Adams, his granddaughter Anna Belle's husband. When the colonel arrives, he learns that Adams's entire capital is tied up in a big stock deal, and that he is therefore unable to lend the colonel any assistance. While Adams is away, one of his business partners entrusts the colonel with $5,000 to retain for his grandson-in-law. Desperate, the colonel speculates in cotton on the tip of an old friend and loses the money. Conscience-stricken, the colonel returns to his plantation determined to take his life, but Adams, successful in his deal, arrives just in time to prevent the tragedy.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

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

Dr. Manning cherishes Gloriana, his newly-adopted young daughter, but Mrs. Manning, who directs overseas charity projects, has as little concern for Gloriana as she does for the poverty-stricken people in her own city. After listening to her new mother philosophize about the importance of charity, Gloriana takes some money from Mrs. Manning's desk and gives it to Miriam, her impoverished governess. Mrs. Manning at first accuses Miriam of theft, but when Gloriana confesses, Mrs. Manning suddenly realizes that she has been blind to the poverty that surrounds her, and she vows to start devoting her energy into helping those who are closer to home.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

Weak-willed Roy Hanford, driven from his father's house by the coldness of his stone-hearted wife and the sanctimonious attitude of his father, the deacon, flees to the city. There he is befriended by Breeze Ballard, a salesman for the Ajax Hardware Company who arranges for Roy to work in the office. Roy falls in love with the firm's secretary, Jeanie MacGregor, and the two are married. A year later, Roy is happy with his wife and newborn child when his father appears, accompanied by an officer carrying a warrant that charges Roy with bigamy. To save himself from the penitentiary, Roy denies the marriage and deserts Jeanie. Jeanie follows her drunken husband, who falls from a cliff and dies. She then becomes a target for the hypocritical deacon who attempts to rally the villagers to drive her from town. The deacon is defeated by the appearance of Breeze, who produces proof of Jeanie's marriage and pledges his own love to her.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

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

Social worker John Warfield meets socialist radical Guido Garcia, and together they establish a refuge in San Francisco for life's unfortunates. Goldie Shepard, whose father is an alcoholic, develops an interest in socialism and becomes Warfield's stenographer. Goldie's hatred of the rich increases when her father is killed by an automobile in which society woman Lorraine Van Allen is riding. As a result of the accident, Lorraine becomes a supporter of the refuge. Meanwhile, Warfield's mother dies in England and leaves him a large estate. When Warfield marries Goldie and takes her to England, he is shocked to see her fondness for luxury, and soon decides to donate his estate to the poor and return to San Francisco. Guido, who had been Goldie's suitor, learns of her marriage and murders her, after which he leaps from a bridge to his death. Later, Warfield marries Lorraine, and they convert the English mansion into a children's home.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

Young engineer Tom Morley is building a railroad through Imperial Valley. Tom's father also wants the job and tries to persuade his son to give up the work, but Tom refuses. Tom falls for a society girl named Alice Hale, who marries him to bring prestige to her family. Initially, Alice plots against Tom, but Tom wins her over and they work together to defeat those who are plotting to destroy Tom's work.

Dir: E. Mason Hopper

Charlotte Carter, a young songwriter, moves to New York and settles in the city's Bohemian quarter. When Peter Ladislaw, one of her admirers, confesses that he has forged a number of checks and is in danger of arrest, the good-hearted girl promises to help him. Olga Grey, a dishonest schemer, convinces Charlotte to marry wealthy arts patron Gerard Townshend, who has been injured in an auto accident and is near death. Charlotte consents and the two are wed, but following an operation, Gerard recovers. Ashamed, Charlotte confesses that she married Gerard for his money, and he forgives her. Olga and Peter try to frame them for a divorce, but the couple, now deeply in love, rid themselves of the crooks and begin their marriage again.