Masterpiece Selection Resonating with the Themes of Until They Get Me: Cult Guide

Dir: Frank Borzage

Ward Curtis, president of a development company, comes to the western town of Los Huesos with his daughter, Wynne, to investigate a report made by one of his field scouts that there is a gold stream on the land occupied by the Bar C outfit. The Bar C people have no legal title to the land, but they have terrorized the neighborhood, and intimidated the government officials. The land is used for grazing purposes, and the Bar C people know nothing about the gold stream. There has also come to Los Huesos a cowpuncher known only as "The Stranger," the only man who refuses to be intimidated by Bar C crowd. Curtis meets the Stranger, who consents to assist Curtis in his undertaking, hoping to win favor with Wynne. She is mildly interested in him, but is disappointed and bored by the town and its people, and after a week or so packs her bags and leaves for home, saying that the Stranger is the only picturesque thing she has seen in this land of lizards. Near the Bar C holdings is a small sheep ranch operated by Dave Moore and his daughter, Bobbie, as a blind to cover more important operations, by moonlight Moore secretly pans the gold stream on the Bar C ranch. Bobbie maintains a disguise as a boy for her own protection from the lawless cowpunchers, and to keep them from becoming interested in her father's affairs. The Stranger sets out to investigate the placer site, and stops at the Moore cabin to make inquiries about the Bar C crowd. He meets Bobbie without suspecting her disguise, and she manifests considerable interest in him. The Stranger locates the placer stream, but is observed by Moore, who hastens to the land office and files on the creek bed. By moonlight Moore builds on his claim, but is discovered by one of the Bar C outlaws and killed. The Stranger, who has set up his camp in a blind canyon known as the "Cow's Mouth" near the creek, hears the exchange of shots, gets into the scrap and drives away the outlaw, then brings Moore's body to Bobbie. The Bar C crowd, led by Moran, set out to "get" the Stranger. They come to Bobbie's cabin, but she directs them to town. They search the town, then decide that Bobbie has lied to them, and start again for her cabin. The Stranger discovers that Bobbie is a girl, and falls in love with her. He leaves the cabin and goes to the Cow's Mouth to "hide out" from the Bar C crowd. The Bar C boys come to Bobbie's cabin, and she is handled brutally by Moran to get her to tell what has become of the Stranger. Her hat falls off, and her secret is discovered. Moran claims her as his personal prize, and they set off to pursue the Stranger. They see him enter the narrow passage into the Cow's Mouth. Inside he starts a grass fire, then slips out with his horse through a secret passage which is unknown to the Bar C fellows. Leaving one of their number to guard Bobbie, the others go in after the Stranger, but are soon driven out by the fire. As they come single file through the passage the Stranger picks off the first two or three with his gun; the rest surrender. Moran is one of the men who was killed. Bobbie is taken to the Bar C ranch house by the outlaws. The Stranger rides into town and turns his captives over to the authorities, and enlists the men there to go to Bobbie's rescue. Later, as Bobbie and the Stranger are about to board a train for their honeymoon, Curtis rushes up to them and announces that, by the death of her father, Bobbie is now the owner of the gold stream claim.

Dir: Frank Borzage

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

Successful model, Phyllis Clyne, convinces a down-and-out nobleman, Billy, to pass her off in society as titled gentry. They fall in love and when it turns out that her late father actually was a lord, they decide they now can marry.

Dir: Frank Borzage

Josiah Pringle, a benevolent old musician, who ekes out his livelihood by giving music lessons, after playing the organ for twenty years in the church of a little New England hamlet, must make way for a younger man, Gordon Howard, who comes from Boston. Faith Pringle, adopted by Josiah and his aged sister, Letitia, is leader of the choir, and when Pringle is replaced, she refuses to sing, but relents at Pringle's gentle insistence. When the new organist appears, Pringle's pupils leave him for the younger man, but he feels no resentment against Howard and compliments him on his playing. A young ruffian attacks Faith, but Howard rescues her and Pringle, deeply appreciative, invites Howard to the house. For many years Pringle has been working upon an improvement in organs. He shows the model to Howard who discovers a point that has baffled the old musician for ten years. The young ruffian, seeking a way to revenge himself on Howard through Pringle, shows Pringle a newspaper bearing the picture of a young man, resembling Howard closely, sought as an embezzler, but Pringle, in his kindly way, says that if Howard has reformed, he will not be the first to persecute him. Pringle places his model in the hands of Howard, to obtain a patent. Howard writes that he has secured an advance of $20,000 royalties and they hear nothing further from him. As the weeks drag by and Pringle's small store of money is exhausted, he and his sister are forced to the decision that Faith must be returned to the orphanage whence she came. The day of her departure comes all too soon. At the last moment, Howard comes in and explains that after receiving the money he placed it in a safe for the time being. In passing a building in the course of construction, he was injured. At the hospital to which he was taken, no means of identification were found on him, and just as soon as he recovered his memory he returned to the Pringles. The cloud on his antecedents is cleared when he looks at the newspaper pictures and says "My brother, the poor fellow is dead now." Through Howard's influence, Pringle is reinstated as organist and the friendship between Faith and Howard quickly ripens into love.

Dir: Frank Borzage

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Life's Harmony perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Con-men Wallingford and Chester decide to pull the money from a small town by posing as business men looking for an opportunity to invest. With the town's money they build a factory to produce carpet tacks. Stockholders suspect this as a fraud, but Wallingford can convince them. Suddenly there is a offer of somebody to buy them out....

Dir: Frank Borzage

Jennie is a slavey in a theatrical boarding house. To her the actors are all wonderful, but Montague Booth is the chief. In an accident Booth is disfigured for life and is saved from suicide by Jennie. They join a medicine show in which Booth is lecturer, but Jennie cannot stand the road. Booth leaves the show and takes up a homestead claim. The manager of the show sends one of Booth's old loves to get him back, for his services are valuable, but Belle fails after very nearly wrecking everyone's happiness.

Dir: Frank Borzage

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The matriarch of a poor Jewish family nurtures her talented son's dream of being a great violinist, but as an adult, global events call for him to postpone his dream.

Dir: Frank Borzage

A soldier inaccurately reported as dead returns home to his Spanish family's estate in California, only to find his father deceased and his ancestral land in the hands of strangers.

Dir: Frank Borzage

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

Hester Bevins is a simple country girl who yearns for adventure. Though she has a handsome young man, Jerry, who is devoted to her, she leaves her village and goes to New York in search of a grander life. There she becomes the lover of a wealthy and unscrupulous businessman. But when Jerry returns blinded and dying from the war, Hester must choose between her new life and the man whose loyalty to her has never failed.

Dir: Frank Borzage

In the Latin Quarter of Paris, American artist David Lane (Norman Kerry) marries his model Yvonne (Olive Thomas), but just prior to the birth of their baby, David's mother dies, and he is forced to depart for the United States. In David's absence, his father hires a lawyer to convince Yvonne that David has abandoned her, and grief-stricken, she dies soon after her little girl is born. Yvonne's trusted friend Pierre rears the girl as a boy, whom he calls Toton, and trains her to become a skilled pickpocket. Meanwhile, David adopts a boy named Carew, and when he grows to manhood, the two move to Paris to establish an art studio. In robbing the studio, Pierre recognizes David, and to avenge Yvonne's death, he claims that Toton has been taught to hate her father. Later, Pierre becomes convinced of David's innocence, and before he dies, he reveals the truth to Toton. Finally, the girl is reunited with her father and marries Carew.

Dir: Frank Borzage

Shopgirl Rhoda Regan is in love with the Harmony Lad, the leader of a New York street gang called the Hudson Dusters. After two gang murders are committed in the Pepper Box, a local cabaret, the Harmony Lad promises his worried sweetheart that he will abandon the gang for a singing career, and true to his word, he soon accepts a job on the Pepper Box stage. When Stumpy Darcy, the new leader of the Dusters, kills rival gang leader Wedge Barker, who had flirted with Stumpy's girlfriend, Mamie Conlon, the Harmony Lad flees to New Jersey to escape police interrogation. In order to throw the police off the track while her lover escapes, Rhoda dances all night long with Stumpy, who has come to a masked ball dressed as Charlie Chaplin. Stumpy follows Rhoda home, where the police, imagining him to be the Harmony Lad, arrest him. His name cleared, the Harmony Lad marries Rhoda and embarks on a promising career in vaudeville.