The Recommended Vault Deeply Connected to The Flaming Disc: Cult Guide

Dir: Robert F. Hill

This serial deals with the attempt of a master detective, a man of science, to overcome an equally brilliant inventor who is a criminal and whose warped mind caused him to seek to overthrow society, his genius making him the leader of a band of anarchists. The action hinges on the fight of these two for the possession of a secret invention by which radio messages may be recalled from the air. The success of the criminal right at the start succeeds in nearly electrocuting the detective so that he has only a few months to live.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

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

When Jane is abducted by Arab slave traders, Tarzan comes to her rescue, only to see her kidnapped again by Queen La of Opar. To save Jane, Tarzan must battle both the queen's minions and William Clayton, who seeks Tarzan's family title.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

A young man who believes, because everyone else believes, that he is a half-breed Indian, meets and falls in love with a circus woman who is heiress to a fortune but does not know it. The man's love is reciprocated, but he is restrained by the supposed barrier of blood. His greatest enemy is his own half brother, who also is a suitor for the hand of the circus performer. The hero avoids all the traps his enemy lays for him, and when his and his sweetheart's identities are cleared up the two are married.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

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

Larry Barclay fights to save his dead father's tire factory from his father's enemies.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

Reluctant to arrest Billy Carson, a crook who once befriended him, Officer Quinn forces him and Dan, his confederate, to spend a year in a small town. There, Carson falls in love, reforms, and saves his future father-in-law's business. Dan also settles down and marries.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

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

Ben Darby and Pancake, his father, are owners of a mining claim in Northwest Canada. Ben goes to war, leaving Pancake to run the mine. During Ben's absence three claim jumpers take possession of the mine: one of the men is the father of Beatrice, Ben's sweetheart; another, a rival suitor. Pancake is murdered when he and Ben plot to regain the claim. Ben kidnaps Beatrice, resolving to obtain revenge through her. Ben finds that she knew nothing of the stolen claim and that her father was innocent of Pancake's murder. Ben wins back the claim and marries Beatrice.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

Newlywed Nila Drew is cured of thrill-seeking when she is finally rescued by her husband after being kidnapped, stuffed into a mummy case, and shipped to an Egyptian who calls her the Queen of Pharaoh and threatens to put her back into the tomb. Her husband, Arthur, arrives in time to save her and reveals that it was all a trick to cure Nila of her desire for excitement.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

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

Jack Foley, a tough policeman who patrols the city's worst beat, loses his nerve when he believes he has hurt Tillie Miller, the girl he loves, but he recovers his confidence after he finds that her injury was inflicted by Spike Kennedy, a gangster. He beats up Spike, thereby permanently cleaning up the neighborhood.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

Colonel Faraday asks his daughter, Diana, to recover some letters he wrote to Yvette, an adventuress, when she tries to blackmail him. Diana is vamping Gerald Skinner, Yvette's partner, so as to get the letters when a football hero in love with her, Royall Randall, piqued at being stood up, bursts into the cafe, starts a fight, and manages to recover the letters.

Dir: Robert F. Hill

Kerry Reynolds' friends pull off a prank by tricking him into thinking he has discovered a damsel in distress. After becoming involved in a sticky predicament involving a diamond necklace he marries the girl, and a happy ending prevails for all.