Essential Cult Cinema Mirroring the Impact of The Traffic Cop: Cult...

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Although they have a happy marriage, explorer Sir Charles Chatham and his American wife Lady Marion have been unable to have children. After Charles goes to Egypt, his sister Gertrude and her sweetheart Stephen Hartley, an American consulate attaché, take refuge from a storm in a deserted tower. Frightened, Gertrude yields to Stephen's advances. Although he intends to marry Gertrude, Stephen is suddenly called to deliver supplies to starving women and children in Russia. Marion takes pregnant Gertrude away to have her child, and notifies Stephen, but because he is shot during Bolshevik rioting, he returns too late to marry Gertrude, who dies after giving birth. To honor Gertrude's dying request and provide Charles with a much-desired child, Marion telegraphs Charles that the baby is theirs. However, when he returns, his mother, who wants the estate for her son George, tells Charles that Hartley is the father. To stop Charles from shooting Hartley, Marion confesses the truth, whereupon Charles adopts the baby.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

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

One night at a party, when her drunken husband Tom makes a fool of himself, Bess Rutherford becomes so humiliated that she accepts long-time admirer Jim Carpenter's offer to leave Tom for him. Bess goes to New York with Jim, who persists in postponing their wedding date, forcing her to live as an illicit woman. Bess's son Jack suspects nothing of his mother's circumstances until his fiancée's mother, Mrs. Dexter, asks him to stop seeing her daughter Gladys. Finally learning of Bess's scandalous living conditions, Jack confronts Carpenter, who is secretly hoping to win Gladys, and in their confrontation, Carpenter is shot and killed. Bess, hysterical, drinks poison, but then realizes that the whole scene was a nightmare which ends happily when Tom promises to never drink again.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

In Red Dog, Nevada, a lawless mining town, Ann Murdock attempts to oust the reigning politicians, all of them corrupt, by persuading women to run for office. Because the women cannot vote, they convince their husbands to vote for them, and as a result all of the elective offices in Red Dog come to be held by women. The men, meanwhile, remain at home to care for the houses and babies. Disgruntled by his loss of power, the former town boss has the new town officials locked in jail. Tenderfoot Leonard Blair tries to assist them but is arrested on a trumped-up robbery charge. Ann finally rescues Leonard, with whom she has fallen in love, and the women are released from jail to continue their petticoat politics.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

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

Peter Brent discovers silver in the Cobalt mining district and sends for Jim Symonds, an acquaintance, to assist in developing the vein. Although the mine proves to be worthless, Symonds sells stock to exploit the local citizens. Brent is buried in a cave-in caused by one of Symond's crooked pals, but a neighbor and her father rescue Brent and he arrives in time to force Symonds to return the citizens' money.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

A doctor's typist Shirley Brown lives vicariously through the romance novels written by Philip Smith. When the author comes to live at her boardinghouse, her admiration is fostered by sympathy upon realizing that her idol is losing his eyesight and that it can only be saved by a specialist in Italy. Sacrificing herself to help Philip, Molly makes him believe that she is an old maid who has been waiting forty years to find a husband, and she induces him to marry her in return for $5,000, half the legacy she is to receive on her wedding day. Philip consents, travels to Italy and regains his sight after which he becomes interested in Marion Sutherland. Upon returning, he neglects Shirley, who decides to kindle her husband's interest by disguising herself as an Alsatian maid in his employ. After several adventures, Philip realizes that he is in love with his maid, who then reveals herself to be his wife.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

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

Carteret, an artist, adopts Célestine, a French orphan who makes evasive replies to inquiries about a certain young "man," her close acquaintance. A detective watches the movements of Célestine and the mysterious stranger, whom he believes to be implicated in a murder case. The artist, realizing he is in love with his adopted daughter, is about to propose to her when she "elopes" with the stranger, who is actually the girl he had adopted and who has married an army officer, Célestine acting as her proxy. Delighted with the turn of events, Carteret decides to marry Célestine at once.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

In France, artist Arthur de Sivry, also known as the Marquis of Savoy, falls in love with Marie Gautier, a peasant girl from the country. His depraved uncle, Count de Baudine, who leases his farm to the Gautiers, makes unwelcome advances on Marie until she joins a troop of entertainers in Paris. Arthur follows her to the city and offers the use of his vacant apartment. Upon learning of their arrangement, the count spreads rumors to ruin Marie's reputation and claims that Arthur is engaged to another woman. Marie's father returns from a visit to Paris and, believing the rumors to be true, tells his wife of their daughter's downfall. However, Arthur finally proposes to Marie and all ends happily.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

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

Hoping to reconcile her divorced parents, Norris Gradley remains with her father, Giles, after he marries another woman. The new Mrs. Gradley snubs and mistreats Norris, who earns money by disguising herself as a boy and playing the violin at dances. Claude Wolcott, employed by Giles to drill oil wells, falls in love with Norris. When Giles discovers Rodney Bates trying to rekindle his romance with Mrs. Gradley, Claude prevents his employer from committing murder. The enraged Mrs. Gradley rushes from the house and falls to her death into an abyss. Norris reunites her parents and marries Claude.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Beebe, a Belgian peasant girl of rare beauty, sells flowers in the marketplace where she meets unscrupulous artist Victor Fleming. Fleming eventually succeeds in making the innocent girl love him, much to the sorrow of Jeanot, a farm boy who loves the girl. Fleming has a sweetheart, however, Lady Magda, who begs Beebe not to take Fleming from her. The artist rejects Lady Magda but leaves Beebe behind when he returns to Paris. Beebe pines for her artist lover, and later, hearing that Fleming is ill, she goes to him. Arriving at his studio in the middle of a wild orgy, Beebe's illusions are shattered. She returns home to her village and accepts the simple love of Jeanot.

Dir: Howard M. Mitchell

Heart-of-Oak, an Indian, shakes the dust of a Western reservation for a college career in the east. Heart-of-Oak is the son of a noted chief, and has taken the preservation of his race deeply at heart. His younger sister, Little Fawn, worships him. At college the Indian quickly becomes a favorite. He wins a place on the varsity crew, and finds a friend in a fellow oarsman Granville Wingham, a young American of wealthy parents. Granville's sister Carolyn also has a high regard for Heart-of-Oak, though the attachment never becomes romantic, Carolyn being betrothed to a young man whom she has known since childhood. Little Fawn wins a scholarship in the Indian school in the West, and surprises her brother by announcing that she is ready to return east with him the second year to share his studies. Carolyn befriends Little Fawn in her strange surroundings. At the sophomore ball, dressed in an Indian costume, she innocently captures Granville's admiration. On their return West for the summer Little Fawn secretly cherishes memories of the handsome white student who has covertly made love to her. Wingham, the elder, owns a ranch near the reservation. His son and daughter visit the property. They see a great deal of Heart-of-Oak and his sister. With deep foreboding the Indian watches Little Fawn and his friend. He talks gravely with the girl, telling her that for the sake of her own people she should not think of marriage outside her ancestral race. The Indian puts his trust in his college friend, whom he believes to be the soul of honor. When the disillusionment comes Heart-of-Oak tracks the runaways into the wilderness. The deep-rooted passion of the redskin for revenge takes possession of this educated Winnebago, who reverts to the type of his savage forebears. Ordering his sister into the hills, he closes in ferocious man-to-man battle with her lover, until the white man, bound and helpless, lies at the mercy of his erstwhile friend. Meanwhile, Carolyn has been summoned by the ruthless Indian. His vengeance is to be complete. But Little Fawn, driven back to the place by anxiety for the man she loves, is in time to sacrifice her own life for the safety of the white woman, his fury quenched by the sight of his sister, dead at his feet, Heart-of-Oak commands his victims to return to their own people, that he may be alone with his next of kin.