Deep Archive Finds in the Vein of The Wild Horse Stampede: Cult Guide

Dir: Clifford Smith

Bosom friends Jeff Flagg and Jim Lee launch a cattle-raising business, but their prospects are so seriously threatened by Ed Crane and his nearby copper mining operations that Jim moves to another town. Crane tries to assault Jeff's sweetheart, Helen Dryer, and in the attempt is shot and killed by her brother Vic. Jeff, accused of the murder, leaves town closely pursued by Sheriff Sol Durkee, who hopes to identify Jeff by the scar on his left arm. In a faraway town, Jeff meets up with his old friend Jim, who, in a poker game brawl, shoots the scar away from Jeff's arm. The two return home, and when Vic finally confesses that he killed Crane to preserve his sister's honor, Jeff is exonerated. Jeff and Jim discover rich copper deposits on their ranch, and Jeff, now a wealthy man, proposes to Helen.

Dir: Clifford Smith

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

"Cactus" Bob Crandall wakes up to find his cattle and his ranch foreman gone, he journeys across the Mexican border to investigate. There he discovers that an American girl, Helen Ware, and her father are being held prisoner by Mendoza, leader of a group of bandits. Cactus and his friend Carter rescue Helen and her father and ride back to the Crandall ranch with the bandits in close pursuit. While the cowboys and bandits are fighting, Mendoza enters the house and carries Helen off, but Cactus overtakes them and kills Mendoza. Soon after, the foreman and missing cattle, who had been delayed on the road by a stampede, arrive.

Dir: Clifford Smith

Frank Borden, who is in poor health, goes West penniless. He faints from exhaustion and is found by Pete Morton, who gives him aid. In shaving off his mustache, Morton is startled to discover that he is Borden's double. He decides to use Borden in his plundering expeditions. Morton holds up a stagecoach while Borden, whom the townspeople think is Morton, stays in town. But the undoing of the bandit is brought about when the father of Nan Christy, who befriended Borden upon his arrival in the west, is shot, and Morton confesses. The picture ends with Nan and Borden plighting their troth.

Dir: Clifford Smith

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

Bashful ranch hand Aleck is in love. To help him get his girl, Red Saunders goes to town and convinces Lindy, whom Red thinks is the object of Aleck's affections, to come to the ranch. Meanwhile, Ah Sing, "the ranch Chinaman," steals the cowboys' clothes and pawns them. Red and Lindy meet with Ah Sing and the pursuing, half-clad cowboys at a gambling hall and regain the lost clothing. Red discovers he has brought the wrong girl, but the situation brightens when she consents to his proposal.

Dir: Clifford Smith

After Bob Baldwin is fired for playing too many jokes on the tenderfoot owner of the Diamond K Ranch, he sets out for the nearby town of Freloe Beanos and meets Percival Longstreet on the way. Percival has been seriously injured in an accident and is therefore unable to assume his duties as the town's new schoolmaster. Distressed, Percival confesses that he and his sister Dolly, who is en route to the town, are doomed to starve, which so moves Bob that he agrees to serve as the schoolmaster during Percival's convalescence. Although the uneducated cowboy suffers great discomfort in the classroom, he pleases the town authorities and charms Dolly, who soon falls in love with her supposed brother. Actor Otheloe Actwell becomes jealous of Dolly's affections for Bob, and upon discovering that the cowboy is an impostor, he has Bob fired. Soon afterwards, Bob prevents Actwell from robbing the box office, whereupon the townspeople elect him the new sheriff.

Dir: Clifford Smith

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

Charles Easton returns to his ranch to find his property in a shambles and his chances of marrying politician Oscar Davison's daughter Rose extremely slim, after losing the election for sheriff of Pyramid County to Ethan Ransford. However, Rose appears and begs him to find the man who robbed and beat her father. Charles rides into the desert with Ethan but quarrels with his rival and shoots him. With a price on his head, Charles takes refuge at Hawk's Nest, a seemingly invulnerable retreat for bandits, and soon gains the outlaws' respect and confidence. Later he rides into town leading the two guilty men in handcuffs and explains that Ethan's shooting was merely a ploy to gain entrance into the outlaws' stronghold. Ethan appears, confirming the story, and turns his office over to Charles, while Rose gladly accepts the new sheriff's proposal of marriage.

Dir: Clifford Smith

Jim Walton, the sheriff of El Dorado, orders Joe Malone to stop working an abandoned mine that he has uncovered. Later, Malone recognizes Edith Strang, the dancing girl who is passing through town with the quack Doc Hamilton, as the rightful heir to the abandoned mine. Malone informs the doctor of the fabulous riches within their grasp, and the doctor departs for the East to interest capital in the property. While he is away, Malone tries to double-cross the doctor by marrying Edith, but Walton discovers his plan and offers the girl protection. Upon his return, the doctor reclaims Edith from the sheriff, and that night, sensing wrongdoing, Walton goes to the doctor's cabin. There he finds that Edith is being forced to sign away her rights to the mine. Walton forces Malone to confess that the mine belonged to Edith's dead parents, and thus restores the girl to her birthright. Edith then prepares to go to school in the East, but at the last minute decides to remain and marry the sheriff.

Dir: Clifford Smith

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

The story of a circuit-riding, sagebrush parson who flew in the face of providence with both guns blazing.

Dir: Clifford Smith

The heroine of "The She Wolf" walks into "The Last Hope" saloon in "Mad Dog" one night, and discovers the Chinese owner and a crooked sheriff cheating a stranger at a game of cards. Drawing her shooting irons she starts to take a hand in the game herself. During the fighting that follows, the stranger is wounded, and the heroine carries him off to her shack and takes care of him. Several days later, the sheriff, who is the head of a band of outlaws, robs the mail coach and leaves a number of letters scattered on the road. The two-gun young woman picks up one of the letters and learns that it was written by Sallie Bigby to her sweetheart, John Williams. It tells him that Sallie's father is in the power of the Chinese saloon keeper, and that she will be compelled to marry him unless she is rescued. "The She Wolf" goes to the place, starts a lively scrap for the second time, and carries Sallie off to her cabin. Here matters are arranged properly. Sallie and her sweetheart meet and the stranger lets it be known that he intends to make the girl who nursed him back to health his wife.

Dir: Clifford Smith

Texas Ranger Jack Keith, is instructed to track down a gang called the Border Wolves, whose brutal raids have terrorized the countryside. When several members of the gang murder a band of squatters, Black Bart, the head outlaw, has Keith arrested for the crime, but the ranger escapes and flees to a lonely cabin. There he meets Hope Waite, who has come to the Southwest to meet her father, General Waite, and look for her long lost sister. Keith takes her to a boarding-house and places her in the care of Mrs. Murphy, but Bart, having met the girl earlier, discovers her whereabouts. The crook asks her to cash a check for him without revealing that he stole it from General Waite, whom he believes he murdered with the gang of squatters. General Waite arrives in town unharmed, followed by Christie McClaire, his missing daughter. After the family is reunited, Keith rounds up the Wolves and returns the general's check to Hope.