The Global Archive For Devotees of The Strength of Donald McKenzie: Cult Guide

Dir: Jack Prescott

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

Lowell Sherman believes that his marriage is perfect, but behind his back his wife Alice has begun an affair with his best friend, Cyril Carr, who is also married. Finally, Lowell finds out about the romance, and for revenge he ruins Cyril financially. Cyril commits suicide after going bankrupt, and Alice leaves Lowell when she finds out that he knew about her infidelity and plotted against her lover. Suddenly feeling guilty, Lowell starts supporting Cyril's young son Tommy, and from his frequent visits with the boy, he falls in love with Cyril's widow Muriel, whom he marries as soon as his first marriage is annulled.

Dir: Jack Prescott

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Man Who Would Not Die perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Millionaire John Huntley-Knox, the owner of the Boston Star , fights political corruption with the aid of William Wendell, the reform district attorney. One day John receives word that he will be visited by Janet Dare, the daughter of a man who once saved John's father's life. John's mother, apprehensive about the "Western" girl's visit, writes a friend about it, but her letter gets crossed with one extending an invitation to Janet. Although she is Eastern bred, Janet decides to play the part of a wild Westerner. Despite her tricks, she and John fall in love. One night, while looking through some papers, John learns that Janet is heiress to a large fortune. He also discovers a confession signed by a man who committed a murder of which John's father was accused. When the gang that is trying to ruin John attempts to kidnap his sister Henrietta but gets Janet instead, John and a group of boy scouts come to her aid. They discover, however, that Janet has held her own against her captors with a gun. All ends well when Janet is freed, John wins an important city election, and Wendell, who loves Henrietta, discovers that she loves him too.

Dir: Jack Prescott

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

Young Tom Weston romances Marie Bolton, who is the daughter of his boss, but the relationship doesn't last long because Tom finds out that she is engaged to another man, Jack Hillman. Marie dumps him. and an embittered Tom vows that from then on he will treat women the way Marie treated him. He keeps his promise, and as his reputation in the business world grows, so does his reputation as a ruthless womanizer. After he becomes wealthy, he decides to take his revenge on his former employer, James Bolton, and ruin him. However, things don't turn out exactly as he had envisioned.

Dir: Jack Prescott

Ward and Clyde Kingsley are twin brothers whose resemblance is so much alike that even close friends find it hard to distinguish between then. Ward loved Agnes Pendelton, an heiress, but because he feared the world would say that he married her for her money, he gave her up and went away. His brother, Clyde, not burdened with such fine feelings, but a dissolute character at heart, eventually marries Agnes. As the story opens they are living in California and Agnes' fortune has been squandered by the irresponsible Clyde. With Steve Mercer, a disreputable friend of many years, Clyde plots to insure his life for $100,000 and after he has arranged for a corpse for the occasion, to disappear and have his wife, Agnes, collect the insurance, later dividing the ill-gotten gains with Mercer. Agnes revolts at the gruesome plan and denounces him as a scoundrel. Later on she pays her respects to Mercer, who has always looked upon her with lustful eyes. Just at this time Agnes receives a letter from Clyde's twin brother Ward, now in a New York hospital, that he is given up to die and informing them that this is his last message and blessing. Clyde immediately goes east, ostensibly to consult a specialist, and requests Agnes to give out the information that his heart is troubling him. Arriving in New York, he visits Ward, and much against the latter's finer feelings and on the plea that it is for the good of Agnes, he induces Ward to go west to die and be buried as Clyde. Under the ministrations of Agnes, Ward recovers eventually, and the anxious Clyde, waiting in New York, receives word to that effect. Later, Ward writes him that he may now return, as he, Ward, is leaving California. The old attachment between Ward and Agnes has grown up afresh, and they make ready to part, with breaking hearts. In the meantime, Steve Mercer and a female nemesis, who has been following Clyde for years, plot to put Ward out of the way. He is to be lured to a lonely spot and thrown over the cliff. Clyde, however, gains secret entrance to his own home, and witnessing an affectionate scene between Ward and Agnes and misinterpreting their relations, fells Ward with a blow and escapes thinking he has killed him. He rushes to the ambush to tell Steve and Beth that he has killed Ward. They mistake him for Ward and the fate intended for Ward is visited upon Clyde, Mercer shooting him. As he falls over the cliff he clutches Beth and drags her with him. Ward is slowly recovering when Mercer rushes to the house to tell Agnes that Ward has been killed and that Clyde is his murderer. Thinking that no further barrier can be imposed between him and the accomplishment of his desire, he seizes Agnes and rains kisses upon her unwilling lips. Weak as he is, Ward rises from the couch and attacks Mercer. The latter seizes the desk phone and is about to brain Ward when the butler fires, killing Mercer instantly. Agnes faints in the arms of Ward. A later scene shows the happy bride and groom at last.