Cinematic Discoveries Resonating with the Themes of The Redemption of Dave Darcey: Cult Guide

Dir: Paul Scardon

Dorothy Arden is private secretary to Godfrey Lovell, known as the Croesus of Wall Street. His Western partner is Daniel Casselis, who has a daughter named Dorothy. Lovell has a son, Robert, and the two financiers are trying to arrange a match between their children. But Robert falls in love with his father's secretary and marries her, but on returning home to tell dad, he finds that Lovell is ill and has gone on a long sea voyage to recuperate. Bob is sent to Chicago to see Casselis and invite him and his daughter to come on the cruise with Lovell, and Dorothy is greatly distressed at this turn of events. Bob reassures her, however, and still they do not tell his father. Bob meets Miss Casselis on the Limited as she is returning from an Eastern trip and they become friends. Meanwhile, Dorothy has determined to go on the yachting trip, so when the whole party arrive at Frisco Bob finds his wife awaiting them. Many amusing complications occur during the voyage and jealousies are aroused. The yacht anchors off a lonely island in the Pacific and Bob, with the two Dorothys, goes ashore. The yacht is driven out to sea by a terrible storm, leaving the three stranded on the Island of Surprise. Bob is hurt in a terrific landslide and the blow causes him to lose his memory. Dorothy tries in vain to call to mind his marriage to her, and Miss Casselis, thinking Dorothy is merely bluffing, is not to be outdone and claims Bob is her husband. Bob finally settles an uncomfortable situation by telling the women he will simply remain their friend and protector. Meanwhile, the yacht has had to send out a boat for the nearest land, owing to engine trouble, and a man-of-war is met. She is directed to the island, and arrives just in time to drop a shrapnel among a horde of island savages who are attacking the three castaways and just about to annihilate them. Rescued by the navy men, the three castaways are reunited with their party. Bob recovers consciousness and recognizes his wife, and all ends in forgiveness and happiness.

Dir: Paul Scardon

John Olsen, the foreman in an iron foundry, is persuaded by two of the workmen to rob the company safe, an operation so successful that the three decide to embark on a career of safe cracking. While pulling a job, John breaks his leg and is forced to take refuge in the home of Belle Foliot, whose husband is serving a life sentence. As she tends John's injured leg, Belle falls in love with him and decides to join the gang, and when she becomes trapped during a robbery, John remains at the scene of the crime so that she can escape. Following his five year prison term, John declares that he is going straight, whereupon Belle leaves him. John marries and buys a farm, but one day his arresting officer, Lieut. Reilly, appears and reveals his past to his wife and the townspeople. As a result, the farmers shun him and his wife divorces him. He is about to break into the bank when Belle and Reilly arrive. Promising to go straight, Belle accompanies John out West to a new life.

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

Dir: Paul Scardon

Famous architect Harrison Stuart is taken over with alcoholism and begins living in flop houses, he is saved by Billy Lane, a young architect who has always admired the older man. Lane reunites Harrison with his family and falls in love with Harrison's daughter. After announcing his engagement to her, however, Lane himself becomes an alcoholic when another woman, jealous of his fiancée, spikes his punch and tricks him into heavy drinking. Then Harrison gives in to his old habit but before submitting completely, he kills himself. The suicide brings Lane to his senses; he swears off drinking and returns to Harrison's daughter.

Dir: Paul Scardon

Stanley Ormsby, a dramatic critic, runs foul of an author and dramatic company who have just put on a new play which he announces as "rotten." On his way home from the play, after waiving aside the author's pleas for a merciful criticism, his adventures begin. He interferes between a couple quarreling on the street and is rebuffed. Later he gets an assignment from his editor to go to a certain apartment house to interview a singer. Entering the place he is diverted from his mission by a woman falling apparently dead at his feet, before the door of Apartment 29. Carrying her inside he finds her to be the woman of the quarrel, and there finds also her husband shot. There alone, he realizes suddenly that circumstances are against him and wishes to flee. The playwright, who lives in the same building, offers refuge, but in return asks a large sum of money, which Ormsby is only too glad to give. A girl in the playwright's apartment hides him while the police search the place. He has a dozen hairbreadth escapes and is finally shocked as the playwright demands a bribe to keep him hidden. Finally Ormsby escapes from the house with the girl, only to run into a nest of thugs, who attack him. He is then rescued by the very police, who then charge him with murder, after which...well, it winds up all right, but it was a hair-raising experience, mates.

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

Dir: Paul Scardon

Polly Biggs helps care for her younger brother and sisters, while her widowed mother works hard as a seamstress to earn a living. Mayor Hoadley, Mrs. Biggs' brother, a crooked politician, calls to sympathize with her on the death of her husband, and Polly takes a dislike to him. Within a short time Mrs. Biggs dies and for the sake of appearances, Hoadley and his wife take the children to live with them. Oxmore, a reform candidate, opposes Hoadley's re-election. His son John, an artist, meets Polly and calls on her at the Hoadley mansion, where he saves her from the advances of Hawkins, a ward boss who "has something" on Hoadley. Hawkins threatens to "get" John for his interference, and the threat is heard by Hoadley. Polly and the children are treated so badly that they run away to the poorhouse, which later burns; Polly saves the children, and they wander to a bungalow in the woods, John, who owns the bungalow, finds them there, and permits them to stay all night. During the night Hoadley visits Hawkins and kills him in self-defense, using a cane that John has inadvertently left at his house, when John goes to town he is arrested. Polly and the children are his only alibi, and he cannot tell of Polly's presence. The evidence is strong against him, and if he is convicted his father will lose the election. Polly, who has been sent away by Hoadley, returns in time to straighten matters.

Dir: Paul Scardon

Lieutenant Commander Colton, U.S.N., is in love with Caroline Austen, daughter of a prominent political power in Washington. Colton has a rival in James Archer, a journalist of prominence, unscrupulous and secretly in league with the Ruanian Ambassador, who is endeavoring to obtain for his country inside information as to the United States naval resources. Gilman Austen, Caroline's brother, receives an appointment to the Naval Academy. He is much in love with Ethel McMasters, daughter of a superintendent, and pays so much attention to her that his term marks in navigation are so low as to preclude his passing the semi-annual examination. He is told of this by Captain McMasters, and Colton, Caroline Austen and Ethel McMasters then get busy in Oilman's behalf, Caroline working with Colton, who is in love with her. and Ethel attempting to influence her father, but these two officers absolutely refuse to exercise any influence in Oilman's favor. Mr. Austen, Sr., then takes a hand in the game, but finds naval men a different proposition from politicians, and as a result Gilman is forced to leave the Academy. Mr. Austen uses his power and has Colton transferred to the command of a collier. Gilman Austen, however, grits his teeth and 'lists in the navy as an apprentice, and here we see him carried through all his training experiences. Colton being of an inventive turn of mind and realizing the weakness of the submarines is in the battery, invents a new battery. Archer hears of this and informs the Ruanian Ambassador, who offers the traitorous journalist almost any sum to secure these plans. Archer is prevented from securing them by Gilman Austen, who is now a full-fledged able seaman, serving under the name of Roger Brown. The Ambassador then determines upon a big coup. He directs Archer, who now is completely in his power, to have a Ruanian merchant ship lay a series of mines in the channel through which the warships must pass. Colton has been placed in command of the submarine flotilla, and Gilman Austen is on duty with the D-2. Through Caroline Austen, Colton learns of the plot, and as the ships are due to arrive that night, Colton takes command of the D-2, goes out and submerges his boat. Time is precious, and Colton realizes that he cannot take the D-2 through the mines, so he has himself shot out of a torpedo tube and swims through the mines, goes on board the merchant ship and blows up the mines just before the fleet comes in. Colton is badly wounded and is rescued by Gilman Austen and the submarine crew. For his work in this action, as well as his general reputation and good character, Gilman Austen is sent back to the Naval Academy. Colton marries Caroline.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Apartment 29 perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Paul Scardon

At a reception given for the vacationing Prince Zarl of Zorania, secretly the emissary of Zorania set on negotiating a treaty with the United States, Geoffrey Wynne, apparently a society dandy, but in reality a secret service agent, meets the prince. During the reception, Wynne is summoned to Washington where he learns that the treaty has been stolen and is being held for $15,000,000 ransom. Discovering that one of the thieves is an Italian named Farnelli, Wynne enlists the aid of his fiancée, Irene Mitchell, in apprehending the thief. Irene meets the Italian who offers to accompany her to New York. En route, Wynne overtakes them, chloroforms Farnelli and rips off his disguise to reveal Prince Zarl. Zarl then admits that he has stolen the treaty in order to cover his gambling debts.

Dir: Paul Scardon

Jimmie Hallet is walking through a heavy fog one night when, seemingly out of nowhere, a girl appears, shoves a bundle of papers and a slip of paper with an address on it into Jimmie's hands, then disappears. Intrigued, he goes to the address on the paper, and is promptly knocked out by a blackjack. When he wakes up the next morning he discovers the dead body of a man named Greye-Stratton and learns that the "mystery girl" was Stratton's daughter Peggy. Jimmie soon finds himself questioned by the police about her father/s murder and mixed up with a gang of thieves and killers led by a mysterious thug named Ling.

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

Dir: Paul Scardon

Mr. Curtis returns to his Alma mater and regales students with stories about the Civil War, which ended fifty years before. He tells them about his college friends, Dick Randolph and Watkins, who were at first rivals for Marian - who far preferred Dick - and then rivals on the battlefield. Watkins, a Union officer, captured Dick, a Confederate, but Marian helped her sweetheart escape. Watkins and Dick were then wounded in the same battle and died in each other's arms after asserting their friendship and forgetting their past differences. Back in the present, an aged Marian joins the group. She dies while listening to Mr. Curtis, and fifty years after she and Dick had been lovers in the flesh, her spirit goes to join his.

Dir: Paul Scardon

Jerry Rufus, a river pirate, loves Claire Dawson, an actress, but because she has so many wealthy suitors, he incorrectly believes she plans to marry for money. Jerry learns that a large gold shipment secretly stored in nail kegs is to be delivered to a certain dock, and by substituting kegs of sand for the ones containing gold, he succeeds in obtaining the treasure and sinking it near the shore. When he proposes to Claire, he is astonished to learn that she has always loved him, and the two marry. Soon, however, Detective Ryan, who has been trailing Jerry for some time, convinces Claire to badger her husband for money. Anxious to please her, Jerry digs up the kegs, and as he is about to open one, Ryan appears. Ryan is discouraged and Jerry relieved to find that the barrel contains only sand, the pirate having stolen the wrong kegs.