Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

The 1918 release of Too Many Millions redefined the parameters of cult storytelling, the visual language established by James Cruze is something many try to emulate. Explore the following titles to broaden your appreciation for cult excellence.
Historically, Too Many Millions represents to synthesize diverse influences into a singular artistic statement.
Walsingham Van Dorn, a rather unsuccessful book agent, is stunned to learn that he has inherited forty million dollars from his two uncles. Van Dorn asks his attorney Wilkins to handle the responsibilities entailed in managing the fortune and then retires to his mansion. One evening, however, he is awakened by a young woman named Desiree Lane, who refuses to leave until the two million dollars that his uncles swindled away from her father is restored. Van Dorn tries to return the money but discovers that Wilkins has stolen it and fled. Van Dorn and Desiree set out to find him, but when the hotel in which they have stopped for the night burns down, they are left standing in the street clad only in pajamas. To avoid a scandal, they marry and happily settle down. Two years later, Wilkins, unable to handle the fortune, returns it, but the young couple wonders whether they will continue to be happy as millionaires.
Critics widely regard Too Many Millions as a cult-favorite piece of cult cinema. Its cinematic excellence is frequently cited as its strongest asset, solidifying its place in United States's film legacy.
Based on the unique cinematic excellence of Too Many Millions, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of cult cinema:
Dir: James Cruze
Well to do laundryman Franklin Pinney finds himself uninvited to a party his yacht club is throwing for a visiting Prince. However he does meet him , hiding from a band of anarchists who have mistakenly bagged another man in his place. To help his sweetheart's secret service father, Pinney and the Prince help capture the bad guys.
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Dir: James Cruze
When the brokerage firm of Blatch, Markham and Driggs dissolves, Markham steals company records and the option of a valuable mine. Meanwhile, Blatch, who wants the option to expire so he can then purchase it at a low price, hires attorney Burley Hadden to convince Driggs that he is trying to recover it. Hadden sees John Craig, a bungling construction contractor who needs $800 for his payroll, running nervously from the pop of a paper bag, and offers the supposed "dub" $1,000 to retrieve the papers, thinking he will fail. After Markham tries to dupe John, he meets Enid Drayton, Markham's ward, who is being held a virtual prisoner in Markham's mansion. With the help of a friendly burglar, they retrieve the option and other papers which prove that Markham and Blatch had been cheating Driggs for years. After Driggs rewards John and informs Enid that she owns a million dollar estate, she and John embrace.
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Dir: James Cruze
Dr. Hobart Hupp believes he can cure criminals by surgery, and experiments on Dago Red, who has been promised freedom if the operation is successful. Hobart drives to his wedding later that day, unaware that his fiancée, socialite Estrella De Morgan, is actually in love with young Arthur Simmons. Along the way, charming Annabelle Landis mistakes Hobart for her chauffeur, and he drives 300 miles to her home while deciding whether he wants to desert his waiting bride. Upon her arrival, Annabelle is intercepted by her parents, who demand that she marry the man of their choice. Dago Red comes to the doctor's rescue and they escape to an island, accompanied by Annabelle and a minister. There they find Estrella, who has eloped with Arthur. The parents arrive soon after to find Hobart married to Annabelle, and Estrella married to Arthur.
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Dir: James Cruze
Department-store clerk Larry Young is determined to marry a rich girl. He falls for Elaine Debaux, whom he believes to be the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder. However, when war breaks out Larry is drafted into the army. Before he is taken in, though, he and Elaine are rescued from gangsters by an ex-con named Mike Moran. It turns out that Moran wants to join the army but they won't take him because of his record. Larry, who doesn't want to go into the army because it will interfere with his plans to marry Elaine, comes up with an idea he thinks will work out for all concerned. Complications ensue.
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Dir: James Cruze
About a boob who put his town on the map by selling fake oil stock. For Gus didn't know an oil well from an oil stove, so the two crooks had easy pickings. Until the well started to spout.
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Dir: James Cruze
Reckless heir of an influential San Francisco family, Perry Danton must prove his worth by taking a job with the family lawyer before he is entrusted with the Danton fortune. When Perry's fiancée Camilla mistakes criminal Slim Attucks for Perry, Attucks realizes that he can take advantage of the resemblance and concocts an elaborate plan, installing his cohorts in positions close to the Dantons. He then has Perry shanghaied onto a steamer bound for Honolulu. Taking over Perry's job and fiancée, Attucks soon becomes so familiar with Perry's affairs that Perry can make no one believe his story when he returns. After enlisting the aid of the editor of a major newspaper, Perry confronts his double in the lawyer's office, where a test is administered that supports Attucks' claim, thanks to Perry's feeble knowledge of his own affairs. Perry is spotted by a banker whom Attucks had previously robbed and is subsequently arrested, but a reporter who believes Perry's story arranges for his release and for yet another confrontation, this time in Perry's home. All the evidence points against Perry until his dog recognizes his true master, exposing Attucks' charade. Camilla tells Perry that she has known of the deception for some time, but that she would not speak up until Perry had proved true to the Danton motto: "Always Audacious."
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Dir: James Cruze
When Mrs. Rolles (Farrington) insists that she will not have Austin Bevans (Reid) as a son-in-law, he insists that she will. But when his aunt dies and leaves Austin a girl's boarding school in her will, Austin gives up his suit of Susie Rolles (Bains) and decides to run the school.
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Dir: James Cruze
When Captain Dieppe, an American agent of French descent, refuses to divulge confidential information he gathered for a small Italian principality until they pay him, he is pursued by secret service agent Guilamo Sevier to Fieramondi in Northern Italy. Dieppe agrees to help the lonely Count Fieramondi convince his wife to return from her isolated wing of their castle. The countess, after convincing her cousin Lucia to take her place in the castle, goes to Rome to raise money to pay Paul Sharpe, who is blackmailing her because of her gambling debts. Dieppe falls in love with Lucia, whom he thinks is the countess, and after he fights Sharpe and steals the evidence of the debts, he sacrifices his own love by preparing a reconciliation between the count and the countess. After Dieppe obtains his money from Sevier, the real identities are revealed. Finally the count and countess are reunited, while Dieppe and Lucia maintain their romance.
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Dir: James Cruze
Lawyer George Howell leaves his bride Ottilie on their wedding day, having promised client Ned Pembroke that he would procure some old love letters from Vera Vernon, a chorus girl with whom Ned was formerly infatuated. George is detained for three days, and when he returns, Ottilie finds jewels and burglar's tools in her husband's suitcase which leads her to suspect that he is a thief. Susie, the maid, sees the jewels and decides to earn the reward for their return. In the meantime, King, the real thief, turns up with George's grip, the latter having taken his by mistake. Susie calls the police, who refuse to allow anyone to leave the house. King is detained along with everyone else, and after a series of misadventures, the real thief is apprehended, Ottilie is convinced of her husband's innocence, the letters are restored to Ned and all ends happily.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Too Many Millions
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorne of the U.S.A. | Tense | Layered | 94% Match |
| The Dollar-a-Year Man | Surreal | Layered | 85% Match |
| The Dub | Gritty | Dense | 97% Match |
| Crazy to Marry | Ethereal | High | 93% Match |
| Alias Mike Moran | Gothic | Dense | 85% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of James Cruze's archive. Last updated: 8/16/2026.
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