Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Hard Boiled Synopsis
A musical-comedy troupe headed by prima donna Corinne Melrose is stranded in the little town of Nilesburg, Arizona, when the show's manager leaves town with all the money. When Corinne spends her last cent on a train ticket for one of the girls, she is advised by the station agent to seek assistance from a kindhearted old lady called Aunt Tiny Colvin. Aunt Tiny takes Corinne in but confesses that she, too, is in dire financial straits because the moneylender to whom she owes $200, Deacon Simpson, has demanded repayment. The deacon, a married man, becomes enamored of Corinne and makes improper advances towards her. Corinne threatens to expose his behavior to his wife and the townspeople unless he surrenders Aunt Tiny's bank notes, and to avoid the scandal, he complies. Billy Penrose, a tenor who is in love with Corinne, arrives in Nilesburg with news of vaudeville openings in New York, but she has become enchanted by the little town and convinces him to settle there with her.
The Hired Man Synopsis
Ezra Hollins, though a hired man, is ambitious because he loves Ruth Endicott, his employer's daughter. Ruth, not knowing of his love, helps him with his studies, though secretly, because she knows her father would not approve. Ezra passes his entrance examination, but at the last moment gives his tuition money to save the brother of the girl he loves from the results of his speculations from the bank. His failure to go to college is misunderstood, but in the end his name is cleared and Caleb is proud of his chosen son-in-law.
"Hard Boiled" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Hired Man" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Hard Boiled