The Auteur's Selection In the Shadow of Grandpa's Girl: Cult Guide

Dir: Gilbert Pratt

Two playful young ladies make the acquaintance of two idle sons, who follow them, persistently forcing their way into a dancing academy, much against the dancing master's will. One of them gets a bright idea, and with the help of two pieces of mirror and a long pipe making a periscope, watch the dancing lessons. They are much interested in the dance of the seven veils, when the dancing master spies the periscope. He comes down, scares Monte away, and takes his place beside the unsuspecting Joe. Joe finally evades him, the two again resume their persistently in forcing their way into the place, assuming two suits of armor, being brought to the academy. Queer things follow rapidly on top of one another, winding up with the two running, as the picture fades.

Dir: Gilbert Pratt

Harold must have $5,000 to win the girl and manages to get it out of her father in a novel way.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Wanted - $5, 000 perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: Gilbert Pratt

Jimmy is compelled to retreat when he tries to flirt without a license. He annoys the park policeman who chases him, He comes upon Stella Flip, seeking her run-a-way dog, He helps her hunt for the dog, finally resting on a bench, Jimmy is surprised suddenly by the dog jumping upon the bench with friendliness to him. He falls asleep on the bench and dreams the following. Mr. Jipper, more of a robber than the usual hotel proprietor, is caught in a safety first trap, when he tries to pick Willie Hold's pocket, and Willie, who is a salesman for the Safety First Trans tries to sell him a trap, Jimmy arrives with the dog, meets Stella and returns the dog to her. He is trying to make a hit with Stella, when the proprietor interferes, and has him kicked out, Jimmy, nothing daunted, finds his way back, as a bell hop. After causing considerable trouble, he finally lands in the crook's den, and the proprietor, who is also the leader of the gang, makes him a member of it. During the course of his operations as one of the gang, Jimmy is forced to operate on an audience in the hotel room, which was borrowed to display some of the latest creations and shapes. Caught in the act by the policeman, Jimmy makes his escape, seeking safety behind the curtains of the stage. When the curtain goes up he has assumed the disguise of a nifty bathing suit - and again as Madame Peekaboo, when the cop and proprietor discover him. There is a wild chase, Jimmy finally wakes up, the policeman rapping him with his club, and finds the dog next to him. He grabs up the dog, and runs with it, as the policeman looks after him, scratching his head in perplexity.

Dir: Gilbert Pratt

Honorable Mike O'Flannigan; duke of Dublin, and the Honorable Patrik O'Toole, count of Cork, touring the country, receive an invitation from their friend. Barney, to pay his two nieces a visit while in their town. Finding that her demand for rent meets with no response, the landlady collects her boarders clothes, Monty and Rock, two of the non-paying boarders, finding their clothes gone, steal the suits from two dummies which the second-handed clothes dealer had nought from a thief who had stolen them from the two Irish men, Pat and Mike, Dressed like "Beau Brummels" but without a cent to their name, the two, Monty and Rock, pose as the count and the duke, and call on the two nieces. Invited by the two girls to go to the cafe, the two accept with great willingness, it so happens that the two Irishmen go to the same cafe. Finding the bill, far, far above their expectations, and not being able to pay it, Joe manages to get the money from a "drunk", and is seen by the waiter who takes it from him, Monty seeing what is going on, picks the waiter's pocket, putting a salt cellar in its place. The ''drunk's" dog takes it from Monty's pocket and returns it to his master. Waiter discovering..how he has been fooled, chases them out. Meanwhile, Mike and Pat have discovered the girls, recognize them and go over to them, Monte and Rock return, and there is much comedy in their discovering the real duke and count, Mike and Pat start "some thing". In avoiding the count and duke, Monty and Rock come face to face with the landlady and the second-handed clothes dealer, who have suspended business for pleasure, and in the melee that follows, every one is hitting some one else, Monty manages to creep out, and is taking the girls out to the car to safety, where they meet Rock already in the car. Just as they are about to drive away, Mike and Pat who have "cleaned up" the crowd, come out, and start in pursuit of the car, which speeds away, the four looking out through the window of the hood at Mike and Pat, both angry, vengeful men.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Flips and Flops perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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.

Dir: Edgar Jones

A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Girlies and Grubbers perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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.

Dir: Unknown Director

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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

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: Gilbert Pratt

At a powder mill, the formula for an all-destroying explosive is sought by enemies of the mill owners, and the chase for this provides a riot of fun.