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Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Lost: A Wife Synopsis
Compulsive gambler Tony Hamilton bets his friend Dick $5,000 that he will marry Charlotte Randolph, despite the fact that she is a total stranger and is engaged to the Duke de Val. Tony wins his bet. During the honeymoon, Tony obtains Charlotte's permission to spend 10 minutes at roulette, and, after he has been gambling non-stop for 3 days, she returns to her mother and obtains a divorce. A year passes. Tony learns that Charlotte is about to marry a wealthy baron; he returns to France but is too late to prevent the marriage. Tony stages an automobile accident in front of Charlotte's mansion, and her servants carry him into the house. He hides in her room and gives her 5 minutes to decide whether to elope with him or face a public scandal. She insists that he prefers gambling to love, but he convinces her otherwise; and they take leave of the baronial mansion, once again to face the divorce court and the alter.
The Heir to the Hoorah Synopsis
The Hoorah, richest mine in California, has made millionaires of its three bachelor owners, Joe, Bud, and Dill. It occurs to the two latter men that this wealth, representing the labor and sacrifices of many long years, must, in the event of their death, revert to strangers. They decide that Joe, the most eligible partner, should marry and give them an heir. This Joe refuses to do. However, Bud and Bill set about to find a suitable wife for him. Their efforts are unrewarded, and Joe, in disgust, leaves town. Geraldine Kent, daughter of a poor but aspiring society woman, accepts the invitation of a friend to take a western trip. The mother, of her own invitation, accompanies them. Arriving at the hotel, they discover Joe in an undignified position on the floor playing with a youngster of five. The mother is shocked, but when she learns that Joe is wealthy, she is attentive to him, and persuades Geraldine to accept his proposal of marriage. Joe's lack of polish is such a source of constant embarrassment to him and his wife that his suggestion to Geraldine that they run away from it all is gladly accepted. Discovered by her mother just as they are about to leave, Joe is enlightened by Mrs. Kent's expression of her sorrow at forcing Geraldine to marry such a boor because they were so sadly in need of money. Heartbroken, Joe gives them the money and departs. At the end of a year, Geraldine sues for divorce. Bud and Bill leave Hoorah City for a trip to see Joe's baby. Not until Joe reads in the paper an account of the divorce proceedings does he know that he has a son. He also starts out to see the baby, and the three men meet. Both Bud and Bill claim the right to be the namesake of what they consider a "partnership baby," but learning the little one is a girl, they order at once baby wardrobes by the carload. Joe realizes the mother-in-law's responsibility for his unhappiness and sends her east by the first train. Geraldine has learned that Joe's greatest desire was for a child, and when he accuses her of marrying him for his money, she meets it with a statement that he married her for the baby. He suggests that she take the money and he the baby, but as the little one starts to cry, he is frightened, and hands it to the mother. As they look at the baby, and then at each other, they realize how foolish they have been, and Joe takes both mother and child into his arms.
"Lost: A Wife" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Heir to the Hoorah" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Lost: A Wife