Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Swim Girl, Swim Synopsis
Serious university co-ed Alice Smith, is wholly engrossed, it would appear, in chasing butterflies and rare insects under the guidance of her friend, Mr. Spangle, Ph. D., though she secretly yearns to be an athlete and thus win the admiration of Jerry Marvin, a popular schoolmate. She takes up swimming, making herself the campus joke because of her ideas on the subject, which result from the spiteful influence of Helen Tracey. She is persuaded to enter a channel swim, but en route she is relieved by Spangle's boat; through a heavy fog, Spangle maneuvers the boat unwittingly in the direction of the finish line; and when they collide with a fishing boat, Alice is thrown into the water and is acclaimed the winner. Jerry begins to fall for her as a result and introduces her to Gertrude Ederle, who trains Alice in swimming; learning of the previous deception, Jerry rejects her, then relents when she enters another race and wins on her own merits.
Almost a Husband Synopsis
Homely schoolteacher Sam Lyman arrives from New England to settle in the Mississippi Valley town of Old Ebenezer, Arkansas while he studies law. During a game of forfeits given at the annual town social by Banker McElwyn, the richest man in town, Sam marries the banker's daughter Eva, the prettiest girl in town, in a fake ceremony. The couple later discovers that the marriage is legal and Sam offers to bow out, but Eva, who does not want to marry her father's choice, rich mule dealer Zeb Sawyer, persuades Sam to continue the marriage in name only. After Sam withstands slander from Zeb and McElwyn, they send night riders to horsewhip Sam and run him out of town, but he stays. When Zeb launches a run on McElwyn's bank, Sam saves it by depositing money he receives from writing a novel and bags marked $20,000, which are filled with horse shoes. Afterward, Eva refuses to have the marriage annulled.
"Swim Girl, Swim" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Almost a Husband" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Swim Girl, Swim