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The Fair Barbarian Synopsis
An Englishman who has made his fortune in America decides to return to England. He takes his daughter Octavia to pay a visit to her relatives, especially Miss Belinda Bassett, an aunt whom she has never seen. An important business cable calls the father to America, and Octavia goes on alone to her aunt. The aunt's home, Slowbridge, is a sleepy little English village whose snobbish small-town aristocracy is headed by pompous Lady Theobald, who has everyone under her thumb, including Miss Bassett and her own granddaughter Lucia, a sweet, shy English girl. Octavia has the effect of a dynamite bomb in Slowbridge. Her dresses, her breezy ways, her unconventional conduct, all infuriate Lady Theobald, and at first terrify her aunt. Little by little, however, Octavia becomes a general favorite. She enjoys engineering a love affair between bashful Lucia and a fine young man who has no social standing in Slowbridge just because he is a mere manufacturer and not a "gentleman of leisure." The worst blow to Lady Theobald comes when her nephew Captain Barold becomes exceedingly fond of Octavia. His manner of demonstrating his affection does not please Octavia; he seems to feel that he is doing her a tremendous favor in bestowing his affection upon her. She decides to teach him a lesson. Lady Theobald wants Captain Barold to marry her niece Lucia, who is actually in love with the manufacturer. Lady Theobald is horrified when she sees Octavia snatching this wonderful catch away from Lucia. Just when Slowbridge is about to blow up with agitation, Captain Barold puts his fortune to the test. He asks Octavia to marry him. She refuses, thereby succeeding in injuring his bump of conceit. Octavia's father arrives with the news that he is more than a millionaire; that his mining stock has recently doubled in value. With him comes Jack Belsays, an energetic American youth who is a type as foreign to Slowbridge as Octavia. What is the surprise of the small township to learn that Octavia has been engaged to Jack all the time, and never at all anxious to fasten herself upon English small town society or to intrude into their affairs. A marriage ceremony follows in Miss Bassett's little villa with young Poppleton, the curate officiating. Through Octavia's good offices, another wedding follows later, that of Lucia and the young manufacturer, whom even Lady Theobald has come to realize is fully worthy of respect, and of the hand of her granddaughter Lucia.
Fallen Angel Synopsis
Jill Cummings and her sisters Marguerite and Jane are left penniless when their father dies. To provide for the family, Jill accepts a sales position in a department store, where she attracts the attention of her unhappily-married boss, George Hemingway. Desperate to escape her difficult circumstances, Jill accepts Hemingway's proposal that she live as his mistress and subsequently is kept in high style in a large, beautiful house. Some years later, Hemingway dies, and with the fortune he leaves her, Jill tours Europe. There she becomes engaged to Harry Adams, but when George Hemingway, Jr. appears to act as best man in the wedding, Jill is forced to confess her past to Harry. The two separate for a year to think things over, and when Harry returns, he suggests to Jill that they live together "in a happy way." Jill leaves him and continues her life alone.
"The Fair Barbarian" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Fallen Angel" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Fair Barbarian