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Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Kinkaid, Gambler Synopsis
George Arnold, head of the Paradise Valley Land Company, has been robbed of $10,000 by Jim Kinkaid, who has fled the country. Arnold secures the services of the Burton Detective Agency to get Kinkaid. Nellie is put on the case. She goes to the gambling house. Her ignorance of gambling nearly betrays her. Romero Valdez, Kinkaid's right-hand man, feels that everything is not on the square in regard to this woman. But Kinkaid has become strongly attached to Nellie and will listen to nothing against her. Nellie becomes aware of the goodness of Kinkaid's heart and finds the job of betraying him distasteful. She forces herself to the work and has succeeded in getting Kinkaid accustomed to cross the border with her. She then wires to New York for them to send the men to make the arrest. Letty Frank, a convict with a grudge against Nellie, manages to escape and goes to Mexico. He reaches Kinkaid's gambling house and recognizes Nellie as a New York detective. Kinkaid is told. Nevertheless, he takes his usual walk with her that evening. Seated on their accustomed bench, he tells her how he had discovered a number of foreigners on the desert absolutely destitute; they told him of how they were robbed of their life's savings by Arnold, through a crooked real estate deal. Kinkaid took care of the people and went to New York to see what he could do to get their money back. Upon asking Arnold to refund the money, he was laughed at, for the transaction was perfectly legal. Kinkaid, by force, took the money from Arnold, escaped into Mexico and returned it to the immigrants. Detectives arrive from New York. Nellie asks Kinkaid to go for a walk. Romero, not trusting her, has followed with two Mexicans, to be there in case of need. Kinkaid is arrested by Arnold and the detectives and Romero coming up with assistance, is deserted by his followers at a critical moment, and he is also arrested. In the jail, Kinkaid and Romero again become friends and Kinkaid wagers his entire possessions that Nellie will "run true to form." In her room, Nellie sees a way out of her difficulty. She steals the keys of the jail from the sheriff and opens the door. At dawn, Kinkaid, Nellie and Romero enter the town from the desert and are met by an ovation from their friends. Kinkaid gives to Romero the gambling house and everything connected with it, finding that his future and his happiness lie with Nellie, away from everything pertaining to his former life.
The Flames of Chance Synopsis
During World War I, Jeanette Gontreau becomes a "godmother" to three Allied soldiers imprisoned in a German camp. Describing herself as an old woman, she sends them cheerful letters and baskets of small gifts until one of the soldiers, Harry Ledyard, informs her that he has been released and will visit her in New York. Panic-stricken, Jeanette dons a wig and spectacles, and although she convinces Harry that she is old and gray, she soon falls in love with him. Harry worships his "godmother," and when secret service agents discover coded messages on her letters, he shields her by assuming the blame. Eventually, however, Jeanette's employer, Frederick Armstrong, confesses that it is he who is guilty of espionage. Jeanette reveals her true age to Harry, who joyfully proposes to her.
"Kinkaid, Gambler" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Flames of Chance" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Flames of Chance