Underground Favorites Parallel to the Artistry of Untamed: Cult Guide

Dir: Clifford Smith

Old-fashioned rancher Joe Warner is suspicious of the modern methods employed by his new neighbor, George Merritt, but when Joe's villainous foreman, Pete Wright, suggests that George is a thief, Joe's dislike turns to hostility. Furious over pretty Ruth Warner's love for George, the jealous Pete joins forces with a bandit named José Mardones to run cattle off of Joe's ranch while blaming George for the thefts. Finally, Pete and José stage a major raid on Joe's ranch, and Joe's cowboys, imagining that they are fighting George's men, are losing the battle until George arrives to help drive off the real bandits. During the shootout, Pete kidnaps Ruth, but George pursues them and rescues her. Joe then happily accepts George as a son-in-law and as his new partner.

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.

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

Bob Allers, an unfortunate consumptive, and his wife are traveling to Arizona for medicinal purposes. On the way, a highwayman robs them of horse and money. Destitute, they are befriended by William "Red" Saunders, whose sympathy and innate love for his fellow man lands Allers a job in the local saloon. Soon after, when the same highwayman attempts to rob the saloon, Allers kills him with a hammer thrown in self-defense, unaware that the outlaw is the brother of the sheriff. Convicted for murder by the vengeful sheriff, Allers is defended by "Red." The corrupt jury makes its final decision based on whether a crawling fly reaches the top of a window pane. Allers is acquitted, then reunited with his happy wife and newborn child, and they all leave together.

Dir: Clifford Smith

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

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.

Dir: Clifford Smith

Jim Benton has been too busy making money to learn to read and write, but he persuades Evelyn Hastings to open school on his ranch and he is her most devoted pupil. The sheepmen carry out their threat to cut off Benton's water supply and Evelyn makes him promise to shoot only in self-defense. He keeps his promise, but still he has to kill, and a packed jury of sheepmen bring in a death verdict. The cattlemen attempt a rescue, but it is Evelyn who saves the day.

Dir: Clifford Smith

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Keith of the Border 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

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 The Learnin' of Jim Benton perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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

"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

Meg Carter is the daughter of the man who runs the "Hell's Agony" saloon. He is killed in a row, and Meg takes it upon herself to keep the business going. This requires her to mix in and put a stop to any and all fights, which she does with the assistance of her constant companions, her two revolvers. Brian McTavish, who is supposed to help maintain law and order in the town, tries to take advantage of Meg, and a man by the name of Bad Lands O'Connor prevents him. For this McTavish determines to get even. A number of murders have been committed near O'Connor's cabin, and McTavish fastens them on his rival by lying. The crowd is about to hang the innocent man when Meg effects his rescue. She gets McTavish to consent to a test of marksmanship with her and defeats him, the life of O'Connor being her prize. There is a wedding in town shortly and Meg and O'Connor are the principals.