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The Definitive Watchlist For Devotees of A Perfect 36: Cult Guide

Author

Senior Film Conservator

9 June 2026

6 min read

The United States-born brilliance of A Perfect 36 offers a unique artistic bravery, the juxtaposition of artistic bravery and narrative makes it a Short outlier. Dive into this collection and find the spiritual successors to Al Christie's vision.

The A Perfect 36 Phenomenon

In the Pantheon of Short cinema, A Perfect 36 to elevate Short to the level of high art.

Bobby is asked by a stranger to start his car. Bobby accommodates the gentleman, realizing too late that he is a master automobile thief. The latter spots the police and makes a safe getaway, while Bobby is chased. He finds his way into the home of a friend who masquerades him as his wife. Enter his father and sweetheart and the trouble starts anew with the police hot on his trail. The father welcomes "the wife" and invites her to a cruise, where the officers are still in hot pursuit. Escape seems impossible and his friend is hopeless "in wrong" with his sweetheart, who believes she has been jilted. Bobby detects the thief and makes a dive for him, thrashes him severely and everything clears up satisfactorily happy for everybody concerned.

The Definitive Watchlist For Devotees of A Perfect 36

Based on the unique artistic bravery of A Perfect 36, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Short cinema:

A Flirt There Was scene — Scene from A Flirt There Was

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of A Flirt There Was perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A Flirt There Was

1. A Flirt There Was 1919

Dir: Al Christie

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Sally's Blighted Career

2. Sally's Blighted Career 1919

Dir: Al Christie

At a choir festival, country girl Sally is kidded by traveling show people into believing that she has a grand opera career. The twist to the story of the ambitious girl going to the city and getting into the chorus comes when she proves to be a "boob," gets ejected from the theater, and is returned to the cows and chickens far from Broadway.

Sally's Blighted Career scene — Scene from Sally's Blighted Career

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Sally's Blighted Career perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A Roman Scandal

3. A Roman Scandal 1919

Dir: Al Christie

A company of barnstormers goes on strike in the middle of a performance and a number of local amateurs are prevailed upon to furnish the show, which they do in more ways than one.

Cupid's Hold-Up

4. Cupid's Hold-Up 1919

Dir: Al Christie

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

A Roman Scandal scene — Scene from A Roman Scandal

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of A Roman Scandal perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Too Many Wives

5. Too Many Wives 1919

Dir: Al Christie

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Mrs. Plum's Pudding

6. Mrs. Plum's Pudding 1915

Dir: Al Christie

After Eddie Plum discovers oil on the family ranch, he and his widowed mother move to the city where they meet Lord Burlington, a British fortune hunter. Burlington introduces the Plums to two socialites, Mrs. Van Zant and Betty, her daughter, and while Burlington woos Mrs. Plum, Eddie falls in love with Betty. A double wedding is arranged, but on the day of the ceremony, Mrs. Plum announces that the deed to her land has been stolen and without it she has no claim. Devastated by the news, Burlington requests a postponement and leaves. In spite of the apparent disaster, Eddie and Betty elope while Mrs. Plum, hurt by the Lord's sudden departure, plans to return to the country. Realizing that his affections for the widow are genuine, Burlington asks for her forgiveness and insists on the marriage. Her faith restored, Mrs. Plum reveals that the stolen documents were fakes, and that her oil millions are safe.

Cupid's Hold-Up scene — Scene from Cupid's Hold-Up

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Cupid's Hold-Up perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Rowdy Ann

7. Rowdy Ann 1919

Dir: Al Christie

Ann is one tough cowgirl. After she beats up Hank, her parents send her East to college, hoping she'll come back a lady.

Go West, Young Woman

8. Go West, Young Woman 1919

Dir: Al Christie

The mayor of a town out in Texas receives word that his niece from the East is about to pay him a visit. The young woman is shown on the train, then landing in the town. Here she finds that the place is literally going to the dogs. The sheriff cannot keep order, and a bandit is in the habit of riding into town and robbing it whenever he takes the notion. Her uncle is about to lose his office, and matters are in a bad way for him. Determined to help him out of his troubles, the girl has the mayor appoint her sheriff. With the help of a female police force, she starts a reform administration which amounts to a moral whirlwind. The bandit is captured after a terrific fight, and the girl herself, finding that the ex-sheriff is in league with the robber, goes gunning for him. She wakes up in the middle of a lively shooting match, to find herself still on the train. Apprehension of what the town may be like has caused her bad dream. Met at the station by her uncle, she discovers that the place is as quiet and well-behaved as a New England village.

Too Many Wives scene — Scene from Too Many Wives

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Too Many Wives perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

He Married His Wife

9. He Married His Wife 1919

Dir: Al Christie

Edith and Neal have just been divorced and the judge ordered Neal to pay $300 a week alimony. Neal tried to slip out of the country on the first alimony day, but was caught in an airplane chase. Then next alimony day he got what he thought was a brilliant idea. He left his clothes on the beach and pretended to have killed himself. So Edith took possession of the house and the judge started courting her. Then Neal was informed by his lawyer that he was legally dead and his wife automatically inherited everything and in order to get his money back he would have to marry her again. So Neal disguised himself with whiskers and had a couple of thugs accost Edith so he could play the hero with her. But in the sham fight one of the thugs apologized to Edith for hitting her husband so hard and spilled the beans generally. So Edith took him in the house and nursed him back to health and he proposed. After telling him how like her poor, dear, dead husband he was, she consented, and he had to wear a suit of her supposed dead husband's to get married in. The "guests" were all detectives, the minister himself being a detective. Just as Edith was about to say "I do," she said "I don't " instead and disclosed Neal's identity. The lawyer arrived just then and said in reading over the old will he found a clause saying that quarrels in the family would have to be patched up or the money would go to charity. So they were married all over again - by the judge of the divorce court. Motion Picture News, November 1, 1919

Two A.M.

10. Two A.M. 1919

Dir: Al Christie

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Cinematic Comparison Matrix

Analysis relative to A Perfect 36

Film Title	Atmosphere	Complexity	Similarity
A Flirt There Was	Gritty	Dense	88% Match
Sally's Blighted Career	Surreal	Layered	89% Match
A Roman Scandal	Gritty	Linear	98% Match
Cupid's Hold-Up	Gothic	Dense	98% Match
Too Many Wives	Ethereal	Layered	97% Match

* This matrix is generated based on structural DNA and genre proximity to the 1923 classic A Perfect 36.

This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Al Christie's archive. Last updated: 6/9/2026.

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