Top-Tier Alternatives In the Shadow of Wives of Men: Cult Guide

Dir: John M. Stahl

John and Irene Emerson's marriage begins well enough, but it is not long before John becomes less attentive. Feeling neglected, Irene spends more time with her girl friends, and John, consequently, falls prey to the vamping wiles of his secretary, Jean Ralston. When John comes home from the theater smelling of Jean's perfume, Irene procures a divorce; John then marries Jean. Grandma Sutton cleverly maneuvers John and Irene into her house and has it quarantined. They realize they love each other; John divorces Jean, remarries Irene, and takes her on a second honeymoon.

Dir: John M. Stahl

On the day of her wedding to Jimmie, Mary finds she has not lost her affection for another sweetheart, Joe. A confrontation arises when Jimmie discovers that Joe has come along on their honeymoon.

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

Dir: John M. Stahl

Elliot Worthington falls in love with Myra, the maid in his sister's household. Myra is dismissed; Elliot finds her, proposes marriage, and returns home with his new bride. She is snubbed by his relatives and shocked by the hypocrisy of his wealthy friends. Disillusioned, she runs away: Elliot follows and saves her from being hit by a train when her foot gets caught in a switch.

Dir: John M. Stahl

Young Brierly struggles to save his father, Major Brierly, from the clutches of alcohol after the Great War. At the same time, he prepares Major Brierly's horse, which served bravely with the Major at the front, for the Kentucky Derby.

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

Dir: John M. Stahl

Mary and John Emerson have been married for 22 years, and she treats him more like a son than a husband. Stung by her rebuffs, he succumbs to the youthful charms of Gloria Sanderson, whom he meets on a business trip. But just after he mails a letter to Mary telling her that he will not return, John finds Gloria in her fiancé's arms. Realizing his foolishness, he races to the train to retrieve the letter. He fails, and Mary receives and reads the letter; but she too has seen her error, conceals her knowledge of the letter's contents, and accepts John's professions of love.

Dir: John M. Stahl

On the day of their wedding, a groom is shocked when his bride reveals that she is the mother of a young child.

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

Dir: John M. Stahl

James Brunton's wife, Molly, believing she has found her husband to be unfaithful, leaves him without asking an explanation. The 'other woman,' however, is Brunton's sister-in-law, whom he is supporting. In his search for his wife Brunton is hurt and temporarily blinded in an automobile accident. He is carried to the very house in which his wife has secreted herself. She nurses him back to health without his recognizing her until, when his sight is restored, the sister-in-law appears on the scene, an explanation is made, and Brunton and his wife are reconciled.

Dir: John M. Stahl

A bitter outcast named Garnett runs a road house of low character called "The Owl" in backwoods Alabama, his only friend is Dr. Hamilton, and he keeps the secret from his old blind mother who believes he had a noble death. One night, the Doctor intervenes when the KKK tries to hang Garnett. Hamilton tells his patient turned girlfriend, Faith, that he must find Garnett's wife before his rampant illness kills him. He finds that Faith is in fact the missing wife, and he has betrayed his old friend.

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

Dir: John M. Stahl

When Rosamond, a convent girl, discovers that her mother is Baby Brabant, a notorious queen of Petworth's gambling house, her ideals are shattered and she denounces her mother's life. Following her daughter's departure, Baby leaves the gambler and resorts to opium in her remorse. Rosamond becomes a successful actress and falls in love with Ned, the foster son of a wealthy man, Brabazon, who advises Ned to treat her as a plaything, but he refuses to drop her. Brabazon then learns that Baby Brabant is his former wife and that Rosamond is his own daughter. Ned and Rosamond are united after her mother dies.

Dir: John M. Stahl

Faced with deciding between two suitors, James Brunton and Bob Standing, Grace chooses James. Aristocratic Mr. Brunton gives his son James a sumptuous wedding at home, which is interrupted when the father is suddenly shot through a window. Before he dies, Mr. Brunton speaks with James, making him promise not to apprehend the murderer. Later, the marriage is troubled when Grace is led to believe that James is involved with another woman, Helen, and is giving her money. Crushed, Grace leaves home and has a miscarriage after settling in another town. Meanwhile, James believes that she has run off with Bob. One day, James has a car accident and is taken to Grace's house nearby, where she cares for him. The mystery is solved with the arrivals of Helen and Bob, when it is revealed that Helen is actually James's sister, and that Mr. Brunton had abandoned Helen's mother Alice years before. Mr. Brunton knew that it was Alice who had shot him, and he wanted James to try to make up for his neglect of the mother and daughter. Bob then becomes interested in Helen, and James and Grace are reconciled.