The Recommended Vault Parallel to the Artistry of The Romance of Tarzan: Cult Guide

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

A real desperado meets Bill in the road and compels him to exchange clothes with him and take his horse, the bandit, known as "Desperate Bill," having received word that the sheriff and a posse are gunning for him.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

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

Vowing vengeance on Edward Marriott, whom he believes to have dishonored his mother, The Shadow is a highwayman who robs only Marriott. The Shadow attracts the interest of Dorothy Harden, Marriott's fiancee, and finally he captures her. The action includes the kidnapping, by The Shadow's rival, Ben, of Dorothy; The Shadow's capture and escape; and his rescue of Dorothy. All is happily resolved when Dorothy declares her love for The Shadow and Marriott proves to be innocent of injuring The Shadow's mother.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

Concerned about the failing health of Rhoda Tuttle, his fiancee, John DeWitt takes her to the lavish Arizona home of his friends, Jack and Katherine Newman. Although the Newmans try to cheer Rhoda, who has lost her parents in a train wreck, she remains listless and melancholy. While walking in the desert, Rhoda is bitten by a tarantula but is saved by Kut-Le, a Yale-educated Indian employed as a superintendent on Newman's irrigation project. Because of his strong belief in the curative effects of life in the desert, Kut-Le kidnaps Rhoda and forces her to live in a manner far removed from the comforts and confinements of civilization. Outraged, John and Kut-Le's enemy, Billy Porter, search for Rhoda, but after they finally defeat the Indian in a fierce fight, she decides that she prefers to remain with the man who helped her regain happiness.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

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

The train stops on the moonlit desert while the crew tries to cool overheated bearings. Bill's wife sends him to take their Pekingese pup for his evening exercise. Mrs. Jim Frye quarrels with her husband and walks out into the desert in her nightie. Bill himself is clad in romantic pink pajamas. The train pulls out leaving them beneath the winking Arizona stars.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

An odd belief that the dead can be tormented through their surviving loved ones prompts Dr. Miguel Hernandez to seek revenge against the woman who shunned him through her husband, Matthew Vane, and daughter Mildred. With the help of some old love letters supposedly written by Matthew's deceased wife to another man, the doctor suggests that Mildred is not Matthew's daughter, whereupon the shocked father leaves the young woman with Miguel and departs on a journey. Purportedly testing Mildred to determine her true parentage, the doctor actually imprisons her, allowing her to see no one but the lecherous Ralph Jeffries, whom she loathes. Mildred smuggles a note to her sweetheart, Albert Moreland, who arrives with Matthew to rescue her just as Ralph is attacking her. The doctor's scheme is fully revealed, and Mildred is reunited with her father and sweetheart.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

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

Mary, the three-year-old daughter of John Denby, a railroad president, is kidnapped, and all trace of her is lost. Fourteen years elapse. There has been a terrible wreck on Denby's road and Graham, the engineer, is made the scapegoat. In spite of the fact that he merely obeyed orders, he is sent of to prison. Mary is returned to Denby, the kidnapper explaining that he stole her when his own little daughter was killed, but that now he feels he must return her to her parents. Denby's son, Jack, finds himself strangely attracted to the girl. He procures Graham's release, believing him to be blameless, and Mary tells that Graham is the man she has always known as "father." Graham confesses she is his daughter and that Mary was really kidnapped by his fireman in revenge for fancied wrongs. The child died and the confession enabled Graham to provide for Mary's care during his prison term. Denby is distracted at the idea of losing Mary, but young Jack solves the problem by marrying her.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

A girl, suffering from amnesia, shows up in a logging-camp in the northwest. There are those who know more about who she is than she does, including why she is there, and the helpless girl is soon at the mercy of the lawlessness in this far-flung frontier. Will some gentleman come to her aid?

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

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

A mountain girl, the daughter of one of Colonel Morgan's men, rides through the Union lines carrying a secret dispatch.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

In a provincial Spanish town, during the mid-nineteenth century, Manuela is sold as a dancing girl to a strolling musician. In their wanderings, she meets Don Bartolome, who left his poor father Don Luis to become a highwayman. Bartolome falls in love with Manuela and takes her with him after killing the musician. When they meet Osmund Manvers, an English squire, Bartolome wants to use Manuela to rob him, but Manvers rescues Manuela from a gang of drifters and carries her into the country. Later, Manuela stabs and kills Bartolome after he threatens her. Manuela flees and Manvers searches for her. When Don Luis learns about Bartolome's death, he challenges Manvers to a duel. After Manvers refuses, Tormillo, Don Luis' servant, stabs Manvers in the arm. When Manuela offers her life to Don Luis to save Manvers, Don Luis relents, but Tormillo remains frantic. Manvers' valet and friend, Gil Perez, prepares poison for Tormillo, but Tormillo demands that Gil Perez drink first. To save Manvers and Manuela, first Gil Perez drinks the poison, then Tormillo drinks it, after which they both die. Manvers and Manuela are now reunited.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

A crippled old man and his daughter plot to kill a young man they mistakenly believe was responsible for the man's injury. Matters get complicated when his other daughter, who is a twin, falls in love with the intended victim.