Recommendations
Archivist John
Senior Editor

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
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
A young man infiltrates the underworld by pretending to be a convicted burglar. While undercover, he meets a young woman who turns out to be no more a part of gangland than he, but with similar reasons for disguising herself.
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Dir: James Cruze
Jack Temple adores his wife, but she remains extremely jealous of him. At an ice-cream parlor, Jack is attracted to a flirtatious vamp and meets her again later on a department store's roof garden. They linger so long that the store closes and the couple are locked out for the night. The next day, realizing that his wife will not believe the truth, Jack tells her that he spent the night with his friend, John Brown. Mrs. Templeton, suspecting that this is a lie, wires John Brown to come. Jack then convinces his friend Frank Fuller to pose as Brown, but the real Brown, who is Mrs. Temple's Italian hairdresser and is secretly in love with her, arrives on the scene. Brown's wife follows in a jealous panic. Then the vamp appears and confesses that she is actually Mrs. Temple's cousin, who hatched the whole scheme to cure her cousin's jealousy.
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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
Heeding the pleas of Bobbie Brown, Jimmie Jones packs his trunk full of liquor to present to his desperate friend and hops on a train. Upon his arrival, Jones discovers that his cargo has been purloined in transit, and while attempting to replenish his supplies by bargaining with the local bootlegger, is detected by the local sheriff. To escape arrest, Jones impersonates reformer Anthony Goodley but his ruse takes him out of the frying pan and places him in the fire when some troublemakers decide to disrupt his lecture on the evils of tobacco. Matters are further complicated when Goodley's old maid fiancée begins to focus her attentions on the disguised Jones. After several harrowing brushes with the crowd, Jones escapes with his fiancée, Cissy Smith, leaving the real Goodley behind to face the music.
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Dir: James Cruze
Rival logging companies battle for the Valley of the Giants (redwood trees) when a young engineer returns home to help his father by building a new rail line to transport the logs to the sawmill. A romance between the engineer and the rival's niece complicates the situations.
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Dir: James Cruze
Sylvia Figueroa, the orphaned daughter of an impoverished aristocratic family, loves Watt Dinwiddle, a struggling young attorney who has ventured to San Francisco to make his fortune. When, after his departure, Sylvia fails to hear from her lover, she follows him to the city. After spending weeks vainly searching for a job, Sylvia is forced to accept a position in the chorus line of "Vanities." Her performance is a huge success and soon she is featured as "Mabel Flowers, the Kissing Girl." Becoming disgusted with the milieu, however, Sylvia soon quits. Meanwhile, Watt has been cultivating the wealthy Jack Horner, whose wife Nancy desires a divorce because of her husband's lack of social standing. Sylvia agrees to act as corespondent in the suit in return for the promise that Jack will turn over his legal affairs to Watt. However, love triumphs as Nancy realizes that love is more important than social position, and Watt forgives Sylvia for her scandalous conduct.
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Dir: James Cruze
Young Jack Wright offers his hand in marriage to the winner of a lottery, but after committing to the winner falls in love with another woman.
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Dir: James Cruze
A young man pursues a young lady with the same energy he applies to his other obsession in life, auto racing.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Too Many Millions
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Charm School | Gritty | Abstract | 94% Match |
| The Love Burglar | Gritty | Abstract | 92% Match |
| Mrs. Temple's Telegram | Surreal | Dense | 89% Match |
| Always Audacious | Ethereal | Dense | 92% Match |
| Hawthorne of the U.S.A. | Tense | Layered | 94% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of James Cruze's archive. Last updated: 5/13/2026.
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