Editor's Top Picks Following the Footsteps of Horse Tears: Cult Guide

Dir: Unknown Director

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Charley Chase

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

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: Fred Hibbard

We'll call the lady Milt for short because she impersonates a young sailor lad. Milt's captain was a baseball fiend and had to have his ball games on board. For a target he used an ebony head, but the target was held in place by the first mate who had a whip in hand. Milt was a regular jazz baby. He shimmied and jazzed and played his ukulele all day long. Landing Day arrives and Milt is as signed to tie up the ship at the dock. The captain, as all sailors do, had a sweetheart in every town. In this particular town, Edith Roberts was his sweety. But she had more than one suitor. There were three, four and five hanging around her door at all times, and dad kept his shotgun busy chasing them. She falls in love with a dude and they elope; but little do they know they escape on an enemy's ship. Her sweetheart's rival was no one else but the captain and when he discovers who is on board, the fun begins. The sweetheart is thrown into prison, and the girl is put on K. P. Milt was the chief chef and Edith was made his assistant. While Milt has his back turned, Edith puts some gun-powder in the cake dough, and blows poor Milt to smithereens. She helps her lover to escape and they both jump overboard. They are picked up by a cruiser and the guns are trained on the pirate ship. The boat sinks with all the bad men, but Milt manages to escape in a rowboat. He takes off his civvy clothes and swears never to leave the jungle again.

Dir: Richard Smith

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Good Ship Rock 'n' Rye perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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: Fred Hibbard

In Youthville, a specialist in everything is seeking patients by running around on the street with a huge sign under his arm with the legend "Doctor" in large letters. A millionaire's daughter is leaving home with her father to attend the fashion domestic science school conducted by Prof. P. Soop. She is forced to leave her beau, a tiddley-winks champion, behind but drops a note out of the train window giving him much courage. He drives behind the train on the track all the way. The ingenue is given her assignment to a bed in the girls dormitory and takes a fit on it at once. There is a chance for the doctor. He arrives and proceeds to look her over when several lions happen to escape from a wharf upon their arrival from Africa and they infest the dormitory. A terrible scramble takes place and there is more excitement than ever when the lions begin to attack the girls. They roll the bed together and save themselves temporarily by making cages of the bed springs. The doctor finds refuge in an ice box and the colored errand boy in a red hot oven. The doctor is overcome by the heat and the colored boy catches a cold in the oven. A wild chase winds up with general happiness and the love sick maiden'-marries the tiddle-winks' champion.

Dir: Fred Hibbard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Lunatics in Politics perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dr. Cutup paid so much attention to sport that his bank-roll was getting low and he was forced to devise an unusual means for getting business. Baseball was his great diversion and when the Female Giants hove into sight he deserted business for the ball grounds. But his wife and baby needed money so he hired Mrs. Joe Martin to carry out his pet scheme of filling the office with business. He made Mrs. Joe Martin dress up as office boy and sent her out for a dozen bananas. "Eat them and shatter the peels right in front of my door". The scheme was successful beyond even his expectations and the accidents which happened on banana paved side-walk brought a golden trickle into his till. Highly satisfied with the business Dr. Cutup put on his hat and decided to go out for an evening's entertainment, when kerflop. he went broke on his own business scheme.

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: Hal Roach

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of African Lions and American Beauties perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

An American book salesman (Lloyd) is persuaded to go to the kingdom of Thermosa to impersonate the Prince. He is greeted by a peasants' revolt before the real prince shows up to claim his throne and princess. The revolution succeeds, and the American is elected president of the new republic.

Dir: Fred Hibbard

Chocolate Drop was out of work and when he sees a sign on one of the circus tents reading "'Lion Feeder" wanted - he applies. He is given the job, but when he sees the lions, and they playfully try to snap his hand off, chew his hat up, and a few other pranks, he hot foots it to the nearest river and in he goes. Jimmy, the Village Peeper, is caught flirting with the Queen of the circus, through the tent flaps. The watcher of the circus wallops him and sends him spinning. He lands in front of the manager of the circus. The manager asks him if he is looking for a job, to which he answers in the affirmative. He is given the job of a clown and all around helper. He waters the elephants, feeds the lions, imitates a rope walker and everything that's possible he is, and does. A little side show takes place when the peanut man gets in the way of the angry mob when the gates are opened. A three cornered jealousy springs up between the manager, the lion tamer and Jimmy. They all are madly in love with the Queen of the Circus. To get even with the lion tamer, Jimmy lets the lions out of their cages. Then the fun begins. The lions are starved and make one bee line for the audiences. Several of the lions go into the various tents, where the freaks are having their show. One [man]'s eyes go back on him when he sees the lions and refuse to turn back, they become crossed. His feet, however, are his friends, and they sure do make some speed in getting away from the lions. The lion tamer, Jimmy and the Queen try to wrap themselves up in one of the tents to escape the lions, but leave it to the Hons to get into anything. We see the lion emerge from the tent with all kinds of clothing draped around hint, and when all is quiet, the lion having gone further looking for trouble, we see the three "chicken " hearts come up out of the ground.

Dir: Ralph Ince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.