Masterpiece Selection Resonating with the Themes of The Fighting Trail: Cult Guide

Dir: William Duncan

To escape the pain of a failed love affair, Jim goes to Wolfville, a rough Western town populated by gamblers and Indians. Shortly after he meets Cynthia, a sweet-natured local girl, Ellen, his former lover, arrives from the East and flirts with an Indian to make him jealous. The Indian, who takes Ellen's attentions seriously, sends her some ponies, which she accepts unwittingly as a gift. When she discovers that by Indian custom her acceptance amounts to a marriage agreement, she turns to Jim, promising to marry him in exchange for a way out. Jim kills the Indian in a duel, but Ellen reneges on the deal and jilts him once again. In the gambling saloon, "Smiling Jack" Douglas plots to kill Jim, but Cynthia intercedes by replacing his gun's bullets with blanks. To "Smiling Jack's" surprise, Jim resists his shots and charges him, eventually driving him from the town. His courage proven, the tenderfoot wins the heart and hand of Cynthia.

Dir: William Duncan

A group of ranchers band together to construct a railroad through a western valley but are met with opposition by a rival railroad's owner and his henchmen who raid and destroy their efforts. The ranchers hire construction engineer, Bruce Boyd (William Duncan) to finish their project but he has only limited time and money to work with.

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

Dir: William Duncan

Mrs. Austin is a penniless society matron whose only hope is in a wealthy marriage for her daughter, Ethel, who favors engineer John Manning while the mother prefers wealthy lawyer Frederick Apthorpe. Manning, determining to secure his position, leaves with Milton Hulst, a crooked lawyer, in search of gold in the North, secretly marrying Ethel before departing. Manning, Hulst, and a third partner, MacRoberts, strike it rich, but Hulst steals the gold and murders MacRoberts with Manning's revolver. Manning is arrested but escapes the police and is cared for by an Indian. Meanwhile Ethel marries Apthorpe, who has become district attorney; when Hulst tries to blackmail her with evidence of her previous marriage, Manning intervenes and Hulst is killed by Ethel. Manning confesses to the crime, is prosecuted by Apthorpe, and is sentenced to be hanged. When Apthorpe is elected governor, he refuses to keep his promise to pardon Manning until Ethel threatens to expose Apthorpe and kill herself. When Manning is freed, Ethel and Apthorpe separate and she is reunited with Manning.

Dir: William Duncan

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of No Defense perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: William Duncan

Roaming cowboy Jerry Hoskins wins Old Man Webb's newspaper in a poker game and resolves to help rid the town of crooked Sheriff Gideon. In the guise of "Terrible Terry," Jerry robs stagecoaches, ridicules Gideon as a coward, and proclaims his fear of Bill Rucker. Rucker is elected sheriff; Jerry discloses his ruse and wins Beth Webb.

Dir: William Duncan

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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

Dir: William Duncan

The adventures of fur trappers in the Pacific Northwest, as they fight Indians, the elements and each other.

Dir: William Duncan

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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

Dir: William Duncan

When sawmill owner Helen Cole is kidnapped by bandits, it falls on lumberjack Dan Stevens to rescue her, but "Wirenail" Hedges is not willing to give up without a fight.

Dir: William Duncan

Re-edited version of the 1919 serial of the same name, released as a feature.