Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

If the cinematic excellence of Charles Reisner's work in Flying High left an impression, the cinematic shorthand used by Charles Reisner is both ancient and revolutionary. We've prioritized films that capture the 1931 aesthetic with similar precision.
By merging cinematic excellence with Comedy tropes, it to articulate the unspoken anxieties of United States's 1931 era.
An eccentric inventor and his new flying machine are the focus of this musical comedy.
Flying High was a significant production in United States, showcasing the immense talent of Gus Arnheim, Janet Currie, Edna Callahan. It continues to be a top recommendation for anyone studying Comedy history.
Based on the unique cinematic excellence of Flying High, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Comedy cinema:
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.
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Dir: Maurice Elvey
A lady marries a horse trainer but withholds herself until her crippled brother is cured.
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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: 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: Victor Heerman
In the gold fields of the Canadian Northwest, a man is falsely accused of a crime and determines that a lookalike is responsible.
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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.
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Dir: F. Martin Thornton
In Paris an orphan cartoonist loves a man with a mad wife, who dies in time to prevent her marriage to a jilted Comte.
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Dir: Raoul Walsh
Dave Henderson, an orphan who has become the beneficiary of a rich man's will, falls in with race-track crooks Martin Tydeman and Bokky Sharvan who bilk him out of his $100,000 inheritance. In retaliation, Dave steals the money from Tydeman's safe, but is caught and sentenced to five years in jail. In prison, Dave becomes friendly with Millman, who is about to be released, and reveals the money's hiding place to him, arranging to rendezvous at the end of Dave's term. Once released, Dave is hounded by members of Tydeman's gang as well as the police, who are waiting for him to retrieve his bounty. While taking refuge at the house of Capriano, an old bomb maker, Dave falls in love with the old man's daughter Teresa. However, Capriano sets a trap for Dave, who awakens in a drugged state to find the $100,000 missing. With the help of Millman and Teresa, Dave recovers the money, turns it over to the police and resolves to go straight.
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Dir: Malcolm St. Clair
A dancing instructor gets involved with a newly rich family.
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Dir: Reggie Morris
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Flying High
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary's Ankle | Surreal | High | 86% Match |
| The Hundredth Chance | Gritty | Dense | 87% Match |
| An Amateur Devil | Tense | Linear | 98% Match |
| The Deadlier Sex | Gothic | Layered | 97% Match |
| The River's End | Gothic | Linear | 91% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Charles Reisner's archive. Last updated: 5/22/2026.
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