Masterpiece Selection that Capture the Essence of The Lottery Man: Cult Guide

Dir: James Cruze

Jack Temple adores his wife, but she remains extremely jealous of him. At an ice-cream parlor, Jack is attracted to a flirtatious vamp and meets her again later on a department store's roof garden. They linger so long that the store closes and the couple are locked out for the night. The next day, realizing that his wife will not believe the truth, Jack tells her that he spent the night with his friend, John Brown. Mrs. Templeton, suspecting that this is a lie, wires John Brown to come. Jack then convinces his friend Frank Fuller to pose as Brown, but the real Brown, who is Mrs. Temple's Italian hairdresser and is secretly in love with her, arrives on the scene. Brown's wife follows in a jealous panic. Then the vamp appears and confesses that she is actually Mrs. Temple's cousin, who hatched the whole scheme to cure her cousin's jealousy.

Dir: James Cruze

Dr. Hobart Hupp believes he can cure criminals by surgery, and experiments on Dago Red, who has been promised freedom if the operation is successful. Hobart drives to his wedding later that day, unaware that his fiancée, socialite Estrella De Morgan, is actually in love with young Arthur Simmons. Along the way, charming Annabelle Landis mistakes Hobart for her chauffeur, and he drives 300 miles to her home while deciding whether he wants to desert his waiting bride. Upon her arrival, Annabelle is intercepted by her parents, who demand that she marry the man of their choice. Dago Red comes to the doctor's rescue and they escape to an island, accompanied by Annabelle and a minister. There they find Estrella, who has eloped with Arthur. The parents arrive soon after to find Hobart married to Annabelle, and Estrella married to Arthur.

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

Dir: James Cruze

A young man infiltrates the underworld by pretending to be a convicted burglar. While undercover, he meets a young woman who turns out to be no more a part of gangland than he, but with similar reasons for disguising herself.

Dir: James Cruze

Sylvia Figueroa, the orphaned daughter of an impoverished aristocratic family, loves Watt Dinwiddle, a struggling young attorney who has ventured to San Francisco to make his fortune. When, after his departure, Sylvia fails to hear from her lover, she follows him to the city. After spending weeks vainly searching for a job, Sylvia is forced to accept a position in the chorus line of "Vanities." Her performance is a huge success and soon she is featured as "Mabel Flowers, the Kissing Girl." Becoming disgusted with the milieu, however, Sylvia soon quits. Meanwhile, Watt has been cultivating the wealthy Jack Horner, whose wife Nancy desires a divorce because of her husband's lack of social standing. Sylvia agrees to act as corespondent in the suit in return for the promise that Jack will turn over his legal affairs to Watt. However, love triumphs as Nancy realizes that love is more important than social position, and Watt forgives Sylvia for her scandalous conduct.

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

Dir: James Cruze

A young man pursues a young lady with the same energy he applies to his other obsession in life, auto racing.

Dir: James Cruze

Reckless heir of an influential San Francisco family, Perry Danton must prove his worth by taking a job with the family lawyer before he is entrusted with the Danton fortune. When Perry's fiancée Camilla mistakes criminal Slim Attucks for Perry, Attucks realizes that he can take advantage of the resemblance and concocts an elaborate plan, installing his cohorts in positions close to the Dantons. He then has Perry shanghaied onto a steamer bound for Honolulu. Taking over Perry's job and fiancée, Attucks soon becomes so familiar with Perry's affairs that Perry can make no one believe his story when he returns. After enlisting the aid of the editor of a major newspaper, Perry confronts his double in the lawyer's office, where a test is administered that supports Attucks' claim, thanks to Perry's feeble knowledge of his own affairs. Perry is spotted by a banker whom Attucks had previously robbed and is subsequently arrested, but a reporter who believes Perry's story arranges for his release and for yet another confrontation, this time in Perry's home. All the evidence points against Perry until his dog recognizes his true master, exposing Attucks' charade. Camilla tells Perry that she has known of the deception for some time, but that she would not speak up until Perry had proved true to the Danton motto: "Always Audacious."

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

Dir: James Cruze

Department-store clerk Larry Young is determined to marry a rich girl. He falls for Elaine Debaux, whom he believes to be the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder. However, when war breaks out Larry is drafted into the army. Before he is taken in, though, he and Elaine are rescued from gangsters by an ex-con named Mike Moran. It turns out that Moran wants to join the army but they won't take him because of his record. Larry, who doesn't want to go into the army because it will interfere with his plans to marry Elaine, comes up with an idea he thinks will work out for all concerned. Complications ensue.

Dir: James Cruze

Lawyer George Howell leaves his bride Ottilie on their wedding day, having promised client Ned Pembroke that he would procure some old love letters from Vera Vernon, a chorus girl with whom Ned was formerly infatuated. George is detained for three days, and when he returns, Ottilie finds jewels and burglar's tools in her husband's suitcase which leads her to suspect that he is a thief. Susie, the maid, sees the jewels and decides to earn the reward for their return. In the meantime, King, the real thief, turns up with George's grip, the latter having taken his by mistake. Susie calls the police, who refuse to allow anyone to leave the house. King is detained along with everyone else, and after a series of misadventures, the real thief is apprehended, Ottilie is convinced of her husband's innocence, the letters are restored to Ned and all ends happily.

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

Dir: James Cruze

An inventor travels to the South Seas, where there is buried treasure belonging to a girl. The girl's father is being held captive by cannibals until she returns a pearl that belongs to one of their idols.

Dir: James Cruze

Railroad magnate Gordon Rogers agrees to allow his daughter, Helen, to marry wealthy idler Billy Deering, Jr., but only if the latter can hold the same job for one month. Billy is hired for an array of jobs, including office clerk and xylophone player, but always quits just before being fired. He then finds work in a restaurant where he is required to dress as a knight in armor and pose as a statue. On one occasion, Gordon, Helen, and Billy's romantic rival, Tom, enter the restaurant, and Billy is nearly fired when Helen recognizes him. Meanwhile, Gordon plans to merge one of his railroads with a company that is in a dispute with Tom's uncle, an unprincipled financier. Acting on the promise of a generous cash reward, Tom is determined to steal documents relating to the merger. Billy manages to stay at his job for thirty days, and in the process, exposes Tom's scheme, winning Gordon's consent to marry Helen.