The Definitive Watchlist Seeking the Same Brilliance as The Sign Invisible: Cult Guide

Dir: Edgar Lewis

Poverty-stricken John Hargrave is forced to beg employment from rich mill owner Roger Winton in order to save his sick mother's life. Winton refuses to help, and when Hargrave's mother dies, he swears revenge. Eighteen years pass and Hargrave is now owner of a large paper mill, in competition with Winton. Hargrave and Winton's son, Roger Jr., are also rivals for the same woman, Irene Foster, who desires Winton's love but Hargrave's money. Winton, Sr., in an attempted takeover of Hargrave's stock, bribes labor agitators to create turmoil in Hargrave's plant. Hargrave discovers the plot, foils the scheme and discovers Irene's disloyalty. Although stricken with blindness because of the agitation in his life, Hargrave finds true love with his secretary, Margaret Carlisle. Once his sight is restored, he marries Margaret.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

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

Philip Morrow grows to manhood in the belief that the blood in his veins is the most aristocratic in the South. "Clif" Noyes, a distiller of whiskey of the fiery brand manufactured for consumption, persuades Morrow to run for Governor. Upon his election to the Governorship he decides to sign a Prohibition Bill which means the ruin of Noyes' business. Noyes visits Morrow. He has found papers proving that Morrow has blood in him. Morrow, undaunted, makes the Prohibition Bill a law, and resigns his office and sacrifices his love to devote his life to the uplift of the Negro.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

Stolen when a baby by a mulatto woman, who becomes a half-crazed witch, and raises her to beautiful womanhood with the belief that she is her own daughter, Belle cannot bring herself to mix with her race and accept the attentions of a noble character in the person of Ben Swift, in whose veins the blood of the red, white and black races are mixed. A handsome white stranger. Page Warren, from the North, who believes her a white girl, falls in love with her. She returns his love while at the same time hiding the fact that she is the negro witch, Lindy's, daughter. Page incurs the hatred of the bad element among the blacks, while failing to appreciate that there is also a good element among whom are men and women as noble as any of his white companions. He incurs the hatred of Ben Swift, who misinterpreted his attentions to Belle, and resents the mixing of the races, not knowing that Belle has not disclosed her identity to Page. The attacking of Page by a gang of bad blacks, following his fight with one of their leaders, his rescue by Ben Swift, who has learned of Belle's love for the white man. the discovery by Page that Belle is a mulatto, the sensational disclosure of the fact that she is the last daughter of a prominent Southern family, the death of Ben Swift while defending Page and Belle from an enraged mob and the beautiful handling of the subject of the spiritual equality of men makes "The Bar Sinister" an intensely interesting drama with a powerful appeal to all classes.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

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

Montana cattleman Austin Brandt is jilted by Rosemary, who elopes with stranger Royce Greer, but he is consoled by his 20-year-old niece Joan. Rosemary later returns to Custer City to run a dance hall with her husband, who mistreats her. Eastern capitalist Robert Barton comes to town with his son Ford to settle a financial misunderstanding with Brandt. After reprimanding his son, Robert Barton is later found dead in his bed. Knowing of their financial argument, Ford believes Brandt is responsible, while Greer and his gang claim that Ford committed the murder. Convinced of his innocence, Ford asks Brandt to help him find the murderer. They discover that Barton was shot with a .38 caliber bullet, and Greer carries such a revolver. Meanwhile Greer's mob storms Brandt's house demanding Ford be taken prisoner. Brandt forces a confession from Greer, who is dragged away. After her husband's death, Rosemary departs and leaves a note explaining her love for Brandt. Joan and Ford find happiness together.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

A barrier stands between Lt. Meade Burrell and Necia, the woman he loves. That barrier is the fact that she's a "half-breed"--half-Indian and half-white, with an Indian mother and John Gale, a white trader, for a father. Although he has proposed marriage to Necia, she releases him from it when she realizes the damage that marrying a half-breed would do to him personally and professionally. One day a man arrives in town with information that could solve everyone's problems.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Calibre 38 perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Bill Matthews and his partner, owners of the "Croix D'or mine, are beset on all sides dues to the schemes of a trusted colleague who plots to take their mine away from them, and leaves no under-handed method un-attempted in the process.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

The picture opens in Pennsylvania 25 years ago, during the winter of terrible drought. Vogel, the village's most prosperous farmer, is called to his only brother's bedside to take charge of his 4-year-old nephew George. On his way home from the suicide's house, Vogel finds an old gypsy woman carrying an infant almost frozen to death. Vogel takes the infant home with him and the next day adopts her with George. The old gypsy is paid a sum of money to give up all claim of the child on condition that she will not interfere in the future. She accepts and departs. Marika and George are known in the town as the calamity children. Three years later, a daughter, Gertrude, is born to Vogel. The family is returning from her christening when the old gypsy woman suddenly seizes Marika and caresses her. The crowd drives off the old woman, the the incident makes an impression on Marika's young mind. Marika and George become childhood sweethearts, and when George is 12, he and Marika plant a little tree in the garden behind the house and call it their sweetheart tree. Seeing this, Vogel chides George for being so sentimentally silly, and orders him to get to work filling the grain bins. George resents Vogel's manner, and Vogel angrily flings out that George's father was a suicide who left Vogelto pay all his debts and bring up his son. George runs away, vowing that he will not return to the village until he can repay Vogel in full. Years pass and Marika and Gertrude are grown to young womanhood. Marika, with the memory of George ever in her heart, learns that he has prospered and is about to return to the village. Vogel, who hears this news, decides that George is the man to marry his daughter Gertrude. George returns, and is hailed with delight by all except Marika, who, actuated by a motive of gratitude because of all Vogel has done for her in the past, stifles the call of her own heart and keeps her love for George locked within her own breast. Later George asks Marika why she avoids him, but she's evasive, and he, in a fit of pique, proposes to Gertrude. When she hears of this, Marika insists upon fitting up the new home which George and his future bride are to occupy in a neighboring village. This necessitates her making frequent trips at night, returning to her home the following day. On one of these trips Marika again meets the old gypsy woman, who seizes her and calls her her daughter. Marika rushes to her home and later, as she hears the family discussing the incident of meeting the gypsy years ago, she realizes for the first time that the old hag is her own mother. It is St. John's Eve, two days before the wedding of George and Gertrude, and Marika is to make her last trip to the couple's new home. The family have retired and George has remained up to keep Marika company until train time. As she realizes that George is soon to go out of her life forever, Marika is unable to restrain the pent-up passion of years, and she begs George to take her in his arms. This action is seen through the window by the old gypsy, who realizes that from now on she can secure money from George to keep the facts of what took place from the public. As the day dawns George begs Marika to let him go to Vogel and tell his love for her, but she, knowing that the shock would kill Gertrude and break her foster parents' hearts, refuses. Later she silently looks on with breaking heart as George and Gertrude are married. During the wedding ceremony the old gypsy enters Vogel's house and is found by the returning guests in the cellar, intoxicated. She is arrested and taken to jail. Marika learns of this and goes at once to her mother, and finds her very ill. She dies in delirium. The next morning Pastor Hoffman, who has always loved Marika, comes to the cell and finds his beloved bending over the body of her mother. He takes her into his arms and she leaves the prison with him.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

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

Captain Gray, of the United States Army, detailed to quell the Indian uprising, is wounded. A courier is dispatched to Gray's home with the news. Mrs. Gray, about to become a mother, receives a violent shock at the recital of the details of her husband's injury by the courier. The child born at this inopportune time is Wallace Gray. The prenatal influence exercised over the child at the time of his mother being informed of her husband's injury marks him as a coward. The report of a shot or the sound of an explosion throws the lad into spasms of fear. He is sent to college and there forms a strong comradeship with Swiftwind, an Indian, sent by his tribe to be educated. Wallace also forms a strong attachment for Florence Dunbar, a ward of his father, who is now Colonel Gray. Swiftwind is made acquainted with the moral defect inherent in Wallace and pities and protects him whenever the lad is made the subject of the jeers of his friends because of his born defect. Swiftwind becomes a graduate physician and receives a commission as assistant army surgeon, detailed to Fort Terry, in command of Colonel Gray. His immediate superior is Dr. Sherwood, an unscrupulous man. Florence Dunbar and Wallace Gray, traveling in a stagecoach to Fort Terry, are attacked by Indians. Wallace, with a cringing fear, deserts his companion, who is saved only by the timely arrival of Dr. Sherwood and troops. Sherwood marries Florence, nothing more being heard of Wallace, who, however, enlists in another regiment under General Crook, deserts under fire, and ultimately surrenders himself to his father, in the hope that he will be condemned to death. The boy, however, is sentenced to the "pyramids." While working under "ball and chain" he hears that his father and a small band of Americans are hemmed in a canyon by Indians with no hope of relief. The latter, having observed the Northern Lights in the heavens, follow their belief that the "Lights" foretell victory in battle and start on a massacre. General Crook calls for a volunteer to pass through the Indian lines to deliver a message to Colonel Gray. Swiftwind volunteers, but being weak from exhaustion and privation, falls as he is about to commence his ride. Wallace begs for the opportunity to redeem himself, and mounting his horse, arrives with the message to the besieged band just as they are about to recognize a false flag of truce of the Indians. Sherwood attempts to kill his wife by substituting cholera germs in a bottle labeled morphine. He is injured, however, and Swiftwind, intending to alleviate Dr. Sherwood's suffering with morphine, inoculates him with the cholera germs, unwittingly putting an end to him. Wallace's redemption restores him to the affection of Florence, whom he marries.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

In order to avoid exposure attendant upon the birth of Harold Gage, the fatherless son of Constance, he, through arrangements made by Lady Staunton, the haughty sister of Constance, is placed under the care of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, who are paid to rear the boy as their own, cautioned against revealing to him or the outside world his true identity. Mrs. Marshall's real son, in the early years of his life, acquainted with the doubtful parentage of Harold, taunts him. The two engage in a boys' fight, Harold being severely cut on his left arm by a scythe in the hands of his young foster brother, the wound leaving an ugly scar. The lad, sensitive of the treatment of his foster brother, finally migrates to Australia as a stowaway, where, by reason of forced circumstances and his near starvation to death, become a bush-ranger. Because of the rapidity of his operations, and his ability to escape detection and arrest, he, as the unknown bushranger, received the sobriquet of "Capt. Swift." He attempts to hold up a traveler, George Gardner, who is willing to suffer death rather than part with his gold. "Capt. Swift," hesitating to take a human life, compels him to alight and rides away with the wayfarer's mount. Swift, after having robbed the Queensland bank, suffers remorse, and determines to reform. Under the name of William Wilding, being the name of his companion in Australia, who died of starvation and thirst on the desert, he returns to London, where, at an opportune moment, he saves James Seabrook. whose life is in jeopardy by reason of a runaway horse. "Capt. Swift," invited by Seabrook to his home, there meets Mrs. Seabrook, their daughter Mabel and their niece Stella Darbisher. Harry Seabrook. brother of Mabel, a whole-hearted but impetuous young man, takes immediate dislike to Swift, whereas Stella Darbisher, a girl of romantic disposition, admiring the brave spirit inherent in Swift, becomes strongly attached to him. Marshall, the foster brother of Swift, is now employed as butler in the home of the Seabrooks. At a gathering the conversation is directed toward the escapades of one, "Capt. Swift," in Australia, whose name had become almost a household word throughout England. In the course of conversation, George Gardner, who is a friend of the Seabrooks, having returned from Australia, calls at their home, and there identifies Wilding as the notorious "Capt. Swift," and is in turn recognized by Swift, but his identity is not revealed to the others. Mrs. Seabrook recognizes a strong similarity between the man Swift and her boy, given away in adoption to the Marshalls. Her fears are later justified, when, at a dramatic and tense moment, she proves the fact to him. Swift, however, in order not to stigmatize his mother, determines to leave the household of the Seabrooks. Stella Darbisher's infatuation for Swift has progressed to such a point as to cause a strong reciprocal feeling on his part for the girl. The rivalry of Harry Seabrook for the hand of Stella causes a violent quarrel between him and Swift, the consequences of which are avoided by the timely intervention of Gardner. Marshall, eavesdropping during a conversation between Swift and his mother, Mrs. Seabrook, learns of the identity of Swift, and further proves it by a scar on Swift's arm, the result of the wound inflicted by Marshall when the two were boys. With this knowledge Marshall attempts to blackmail Swift, and being repulsed, acquaints the police with his whereabouts. A detective from Australia has arrived in London to apprehend Swift, having traced his movements to that place. Gardner, strongly admiring the manhood of Swift, determining if possible to save him, warns him. Swift, cornered in the home of his mother, rather than suffer arrest, together with the attendant exposure, and the possible revelation of his real identity, and to save the girl he loves and his mother the disgrace that would necessarily follow, jumps out of a window, knowing that the possibility of escape is meager. Marshall, working in league with the detective, is hidden in the shrubbery, and seeing Swift, fires, mortally wounding him, at the same moment that the detective from a window above shoots, the cross shot which strikes Marshall, puts an end to him. The denouement ends without the identity of "Capt. Swift" being revealed to the others.

Dir: Edgar Lewis

The scene is set in the Pennsylvania petroleum region. Oil worker William Brett has used his scanty hoard of savings to send his daughter Jane to the city to secure a higher education. Completing her course as a trained nurse, Jane visits her old home. Amid the settlement's corroding influence, her brother becomes a thief. Jane's sister Annie falls a prey to the blandishments of a tempter from the city. Fired with indignation against the injustice of affairs, Jane devotes herself to the double mission of avenging and of righting the wrongs of which her family and the community in general have been subjected. Her father is seriously hurt in an accident at work, and his pay is stopped. Jane hastens to the city, determined to make an effort to awaken William Jameson, the millionaire owner of the oil field, to a realization of the wrongs imposed upon the workers. She arrives at a time when the millionaire's son John Jameson, who glimpsed the light of uplift, is vainly pleading with his father to listen to his plans for the betterment of the workers' conditions. Jane is compelled to force her way into the Jameson mansion during the progress of a bal masque given in aid of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She accosts William Jameson in his study, and wild with anger and further maddened by the millionaire's gibes, she tries to kill him and is arrested by detectives. Although she and young Jameson have not met, the latter is instrumental in obtaining her release. Jane goes back to the workers and a secret strike is formed, Jane being the ring-leader. They determine to fire the wells to teach Jameson a lesson. It is at this time that John Jameson comes to the oil wells to investigate conditions. His identity is not known by anyone except the superintendent. Morgan, the ringleader of the workers, is in love with Jane, and on the eve of the firing of the wells he learns of Jameson's identity by breaking into his cottage. The same evening, to save the property, young Jameson goes to Jane, confesses his identity, and pleads with her to help him save the property. Jane is in a quandary. She has fallen in love with the man, whom she believed to be a workman, and he with her. Finally, when she goes to the meeting place of the strikers and pleads with them to hold off, Morgan, who has just broken into Jameson's hut, rushes in, and accuses her of being a traitor. There is a fight. They trample over Jane and rush to the wells. Jane, realizing that they will turn to her unsuspecting lover and try to kill him, drags herself to him and just in time throws herself in front of him as the strikers rush to kill him. However, John Jameson bares himself to the strikers, asks them to listen to him, and proves to them that he is there on their behalf. He then goes to his father and forces him to give in to the strikers, and all ends happily.