Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of The Toy Shop: Cult Guide

Dir: Martin Justice

Nevada Warren is a poor girl who can neither read nor write and suddenly finds herself surrounded by luxury. Nevada's father dies, and she is sent to live with his wealthy brother in New York. Her cousin, Barbara, soon becomes jealous of the attentions that Gilbert Ross, an artist, is paying her, and when he sends Nevada a note about some flowers, Barbara tells her it is a request for her to come to Gilbert's studio at midnight. Nevada goes, thinking Gilbert is ill. He is surprised to see her, but as he really loves her, and learns of Barbara's deception, proposes an immediate elopement, to which Nevada agrees with alacrity. She confesses to Gilbert that she cannot read or write, but he says that can easily be remedied, and that the note about the flowers proved to be the best letter he ever wrote.

Dir: Dallas M. Fitzgerald

Confidence artist Flossie Golden attempts to fleece foolish but wealthy James Venable with a breach-of-promise suit. Venable's shrewd attorney, Richard Harding, outwits Flossie by proposing that she marry Venable and live on an allowance of $3,000 per year. Flossie is determined to get even with Harding for ruining her plans. In an attempt to con him, she poses as Innocence Page, but falls in love and marries him instead. Larry, Flossie's former accomplice, endeavors to blackmail her with her errant past, but Harding is already cognizant of the facts and Larry fails.

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

Dir: Edgar Jones

A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.

Dir: Martin Justice

Towers Chandler saves a little out of his weekly pay from an architect's office and uses it to have a night on the town every few weeks. On one outing he meets a shop girl. When he boasts of his yachts and polo ponies she disdains his lack of a worthy purpose in life. The shop girl, though, is in reality the daughter of a tycoon. Her father decides to build a country house and employs the firm where Towers works. He brings the architectural plans to the tycoon's house and when the girl sees him meaningfully employed she realizes his does have a purpose in life.

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

Dir: Martin Justice

John Lorison, self-exiled to New Orleans, meets Norah Greenway in a cheap restaurant. They soon become friends, but each night, Norah inexplicably leaves John at 8 o'clock at the same corner. One night, Lorison realizes that he is no longer willing to be left on the corner of life alone and, dreading her reaction, he tells Norah that he loves her but that his past is marred by a charge of theft and that he dare not ask an untarnished woman to marry him. Norah eases his mind by disclosing that the crime of theft also lurks in her past. The night of their marriage at Father Rogan's house, Norah asks Lorison to leave her at the corner for one last time. His suspicions aroused, Lorison interrogates the priest who takes him to Norah's home where the new husband is confronted with a little child who tells him that the girl has promised that this is the last night she is going to stay out. These circumstances lead Lorison to believe that his wife is a street walker until the priest takes him to the dressmaking shop in which Norah has been laboring day and night in order to earn enough money so that she might brighten the life of her little brother. Father Rogan then explains that Norah had told a beautiful, desperate lie.

Dir: William Parke

Bruce Wendell, the son of West Virginia coal mine owner James Wendell, graduates from West Point and prepares to lead a fighting unit to the front during World War I. As his father lies dying, however, he convinces Bruce to remain at home and guard the mine. Bruce's fiancée Ann Blair assumes that he is a coward and breaks off their engagement, but her brother Bobbie remains Bruce's loyal friend. Meyer, a German agent, persuades railroad president Parrish to refuse to transport Wendell's coal, but when Bruce adamantly refuses to close the mine, the spy's men decide to blow it up. While Ann is being abducted by Meyer, Bobbie is buried in an explosion at the mine. Bruce rescues Bobbie and then sends a plea to Lieutenant Parrish to rescue Ann. Meyer and his gang are captured and Ann renews her vow of love to Bruce.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Lost on Dress Parade perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Martin Justice

Maida and Grace of the Busy Bee Department Store, are chums, but rivals for the hand of Mr. Ramsey, head clerk at the store. They both consider him extremely eligible and a good catch, for he is about to be taken into partnership. Old Bachman, the proprietor, always gives a Thanksgiving dinner to his employees, and for this particular occasion, Maida has managed to buy the material for a purple dress. She tells Schlegel the tailor that she will pay a balance owing of four dollars the night before Thanksgiving. Her friend Grace had spent her room rent on a new dress to attend the Thanksgiving dinner, and so Grace will not be thrown out of her room, generous Maida advances to her the small sum she had put aside as the final payment on her purple dress. After the dinner she leaves and goes to the tailor, and to her surprise he gives her the dress. She discards her old one and starts forth with the new purple beauty. On the way she meets Mr. Ramsey, and she makes such an impression on him that he decides that now is the time to get married.

Dir: Alexander Butler

In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.

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

Dir: Richard Smith

Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

Dir: Robert N. Bradbury

A simple country girl, brutally mistreated by her stepfather, awakens first the sympathy, then the love, of The Boy. The Spider, who lusts after The Girl, makes a bargain with the stepfather and takes her to the city where, kept prisoner, she is soon broken in health and spirit. Cast out and near death, she is taken in by The Boy. Following the demise of The Spider, The Boy takes her to church, where he prays, and after many hours she is restored to health.