Essential Cult Cinema Mirroring the Impact of Taxi: Cult Guide

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

Pursued by two men, a wealthy banker Roderick Duncan and brash interloper Richard Morton, Patricia Langdon favors Duncan until her father, finding himself in dire financial straits, appeals to his prospective son-in-law for help. Patricia, believing that she is regarded as mere human collateral, insists upon making a legal transaction out of her engagement, with loan papers duly signed. Resentful, Patricia begins to encourage Morton's attentions, and when the two suffer an auto accident, they go to a country shack for the night. Meanwhile, Duncan, fearful for Patricia's safety, begins to search for his fiancée, arriving just in time to save her from Morton's advances. The incident forces Patricia to realize that Duncan's intentions are truly honorable and that she is much more than human collateral to the man who loves her.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Nothing But Lies perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

George Cross, a junior partner in the advertising agency of Nigh and Cross, goes to his office one evening to get a plate for a newspaper and surprises Allan Nigh, his partner's son, who has been distributing a leaflet exposing the lies of the advertising firm. Rosie, a member of the "Truth Society" to which Allan belongs, is hiding in the next room. George sends Allan to the newspaper office and then discovers Rosie. Shortly thereafter, Nigh and his daughter Ann, who is also Allan's sweetheart, arrive and George lies his way out of a compromising situation. Soon after, a detective arrives to investigate a front-page exposé on the circulars that Allan has written. When the advertisers realize that the exposé is actually the best campaign ever conceived, the supposed detective offers Allan a tremendous salary to write ads for him, Rosie reveals herself as a reporter from the Journal and Allan and Ann reconcile.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

Maida Brown, a rich widow, is being visited by wealthy aircraft manufacturer Louis Letchworth at the Brown family estate in Bayport. The family maid notices the pair's affectionate behavior toward each other and, aghast, reports the incident to Maida's father, the head of the local Purity League. The local citizenry is so outraged by this scandalous behavior that they force Maida to leave town. Meanwhile, Harold Brown, her late husband's brother, is aware that the family estate will revert to him if Maida remarries, so he spies on her in order to prove that she and Louis are married, so Harold can get the family fortune for himself.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

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

Becky Warder constantly indulges in the telling of little white lies. In an innocent effort to ease the troubled marriage of her quarreling friends Eve and Fred Lindon, Becky meets secretly with Fred, thereby constructing a web of deceit that leads Eve to suspect Becky of trifling with her husband's affections. Eve informs Becky's husband Tom of these meetings and Tom, suspicious, accuses his wife of infamy. After denying her participation in the matter, Becky goes to Baltimore to see her father Stephen Roland, who, like his daughter, is a schemer. Roland begins to construct an elaborate plan by which his daughter can win back her husband and so sends a false telegram to Tom notifying him that Becky is extremely ill. Rushing to Baltimore, Tom overhears Becky inform her father that she will not participate in any more lies, and, elated by his wife's reformation, Tom forgives her.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

Gilbert and Edith Goodhue lack nothing in life except a child, which they desperately desire. Edith's brother Alan, who is interested in eugenics, suggests that they pay their chauffeur Joe and maid Nora to have a baby for them. While awaiting the proper time to elapse, Edith and Gilbert travel to Palm Beach for an extended vacation, where Gilbert, attempting to obtain a child for his wife, vamps a dancer with a baby. Edith misunderstands and becomes desperately jealous until Gilbert finally explains his motives, causing the two to renew their love with ardent fervor. Returning home, they discover that the maid has given birth to a baby boy, but is loath to part with him. Embarrassment follows as the couple puzzle over what to tell their friends who are awaiting the blessed event until Edith discloses that the Florida sunshine has worked wonders and that another baby is on its way.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

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

The "true story" of baseball great Babe Ruth; Ruth plays himself.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

I. Solomon, a humble tailor on New York's East Side, dreams of being a designer with a shop on Fifth Avenue, but he makes no headway until a dress that he designs for Mary Bell, a laundress who suddenly becomes a movie star, attracts attention and becomes popular. Three years later Solomon has a successful Fifth Avenue shop, but his prosperity is too much for his wife, Rosie, who succumbs to a scheming Greenwich Village pianist, Orlando Kolin. Resigned to giving Rosie her freedom, Solomon, with Mary's help, stages evidence to give Rosie a reason for divorce. Fortunately, Rosie realizes her mistake in time and falls into Solomon's arms; Mary resumes her romance with Solomon's lawyer.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

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

Doris Wynne, at boarding school in France, is hardly acquainted with her mother, most of the dealings between them handled by a firm of lawyers. So when she falls in love with the brother of a schoolmate, she obtains her mother's consent through the attorneys. Alys Wynne's reasons for seeing so little of her daughter are that she is the companion in crime of "Python" Grant, international swindler. Having ruined a young nobleman and causing him to commit suicide, the pair escape to America. Doris, the daughter, in the meantime, is happily married to Keith Bourne, a young American. An uncle leaves him a million dollars and they decide to return to the United States. Grant and Alys discover Keith and cultivate him. That he is the husband of Doris is unknown to the mother, who is still young and beautiful herself. Grant pretends to abuse his wife and Keith comforts her. A suit for alienation of affection is the result. Bourne settles for $40,000 rather than have his young wife misunderstand him. But the swindlers try the "Follow-up" and when Keith refuses to be led further they telephone his wife and tell her the story. Through the attorneys she asks her mother to come to her. Alys goes and hears the story. She is thunderstruck to learn that her victim is the husband of her daughter. She advises the younger woman to believe in her husband and disappears. She tells the police where to find Python" Grant and next day the happy couple read in the paper that the woman accomplice of the swindler was found dead. It means nothing to them.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

As an accountant Philander Jepson was a corking good gambler. He knew Dame Fortune has cast her optics on him at the start of his career and played his hands with corresponding confidence. After plucking a select bunch of cronies for a considerable wad he caressed his rabbit's foot and started on the annual two weeks' tour of the summer resorts. Enter Brunhilda, a young lady of quite some appearance, whose parents regard her as the family jewel and stood watch accordingly. In the eyes of Philander this surveillance was nothing more nor less than a dare. The result was romance. Unfortunately, at just this time Madame Fortune took a much-needed rest and trouble suddenly planted itself squarely in young Jepson's path. Brunhilda's pater discovered all there was to know about his gambling proclivities, and the gamblers suddenly proved that a bartender's foot on a victim's chair out-jinxes the strongest combination of horseshoes and four leaf clovers. When Philander realized what he was up against he determined to make a fresh start. Rather, he commenced to start for, after leaving his former job by request, the best he could land was fifty dollars a week work for ten per. He cast tokens, signs and omens to the winds, and strange to relate, found things were actually breaking right for him. And then, when he took the annual outing and discovered Brunhilda knew all about his changed circumstances, had been watching him all the time from a distance and thought more of him than ever; well, he could only feel thankful that good sense came to him as soon as it did.

Dir: Lawrence C. Windom

When Miriam Smith's devoutly religious aunt and uncle insist that she marry pious Simeon Althoff, she answers an ad in a matrimonial newspaper and runs away to New York to meet her correspondent. Upon learning that Miles Sprague, the man in the ad, is coming to claim her, Miriam gets cold feet and begs her experienced friend Kittie Swasher, the hotel telephone operator, for help. When Miles arrives, Kittie pretends that she is Miriam and the three go to a cabaret. Meanwhile, the detectives employed by Miriam's aunt and uncle to bring her home appear and arrest Kittie, thinking that she's Miriam. Simeon arrives soon after and identifies the real Miriam, who is then taken home and locked in her room. Kittie and Miles follow and rescue Miriam, who realizes that she has fallen in love with the man from her ad.