Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

The United States-born brilliance of Felix in the Swim offers a unique artistic bravery, the profound questions raised in 1922 still require cinematic answers today. Our curated selection of recommendations echoes the very essence of Felix in the Swim.
In the Pantheon of Short cinema, Felix in the Swim to provide a definitive example of Otto Messmer's stylistic genius.
Felix lets a mouse out of a mousetrap. The mouse then offers to do Felix a favor--to help him sneak his friend out of the house so they can go swimming.
Based on the unique artistic bravery of Felix in the Swim, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Short cinema:
Dir: Robert Thornby
Mary Willard takes over her father's railroad after his death. Her major competitor is a ruthless crook named Harvey Judson. She arranges for Judson to be kidnapped and taken to an isolated spot deep in the forest and turned loose to fend for himself. She accompanies the kidnappers to the wild and Judson, not knowing who she is, begins to fall in love with her. Complications ensue.
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Dir: Otto Messmer
Master Tom (later known as Felix the Cat) helps a boy ditch his piano lesson to go swimming.
Dir: Reggie Morris
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
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Dir: Otto Messmer
Master Tom is lured away from his job of protecting the house from mice by the charms of "Miss Kitty". While he's gone, the mice trash the house. Complications ensue.
Dir: Frank Moser
The simple story is about two siblings, little brother Bud and big sister Susie. After they've been reading "Huckleberry Finn" they dream of adventures on the Mississippi River.
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Dir: Lloyd Ingraham
While walking along the street one day, Arthur P. Hampton, an impoverished young doctor, and his chums, Stub Masters and Johnny Stokes, are persuaded to part with their last remaining funds by tag day solicitor Mary Jane Smith, with whom the doctor promptly falls in love. Doc's friends then hit upon a get-rich-quick scheme. Knowing that his Uncle George has promised a large sum of money upon his nephew's marriage, they persuade Doc to send out fake wedding invitations naming Mary Jane as the blushing bride. Uncle George, elated at the good news, writes to Mary Jane's aunt, Angelica Burns, an old sweetheart, to invite Mary Jane and Angelica to be his guests on an ocean voyage. Meanwhile, Mary Jane pays a visit to the doctor's office and, upon seeing the wedding invitations, becomes so flustered that she trips and sprains her ankle. Doc comes to her rescue and then begs her to pose as his wife. She agrees, but at ship-side, Stub and Johnnie confess all to Uncle George, who flies into a rage until Doc announces that he and Mary Jane have chosen a wedding at sea.
Dir: Richard Smith
Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.
Dir: Maurice Campbell
Carver Endicott, a young sophisticate, is rejected by his fiancée for being too foppish and dull. When she feigns an interest in his father, Carver attempts to disgrace his family name by working as a farmhand and later as a busboy in a hotel. However, the newspapers only praise him for his self-sacrificing principles; and finding that he cannot bring shame to the family through menial labor, he takes up with a notorious actress. But when this maneuver also fails, he returns to his former fiancée, who has no further complaint about his being an inexperienced dullard.
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Dir: Charley Chase
A young married couple volunteer to take charge of several orphans after the asylum has burned down. Of course they find their hands full with their troublesome charges.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Felix in the Swim
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Deadlier Sex | Gothic | Layered | 97% Match |
| Musical Mews | Ethereal | Dense | 87% Match |
| Striking Models | Tense | High | 96% Match |
| Feline Follies | Gritty | Abstract | 96% Match |
| Down the Mississippi | Gritty | Linear | 92% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Otto Messmer's archive. Last updated: 6/26/2026.
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