Essential Cult Cinema Drawn from the Same DNA as Howling Lions and Circus Queens: Cult Guide

Dir: Vin Moore

Cohen and Kelly families go to Africa to buy elephant tusks.

Dir: Vin Moore

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Vin Moore

A rare example of a short with the Silent female comic, who was compared to Chaplin, here as a rural milkmaid who gets mixed up with various problems including a bootlegger.

Dir: Vin Moore

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

Last Chance Valley fairly wallowed in wickedness. To it came Professor Polonius Pinhead upon the back of his donkey and boon companion, King Solomon, and there he found two shrinking flowers of the valley. One's name was Violet and the other was Molly, whose expansion was in direct contrast to Violet's shrinking. She weighed 350 and could juggle a bean-shooter as well as any gun-toter. And, of course, there was a bad man. His name was Howling Hank, and he was a union villain licensed by the Moving Picture Theater Villains' Association, to wear the official black mustache and carry forty-seven shots in his six-shooter. Now, Howling Hank was determined that Violet should work in his dance-hall, and Molly was just as determined that Violet should not. Into this life and death struggle King Solomon, the donkey, kicked Professor Pinhead, and this elongated individual eventually obtained Dutch courage enough to route the villain, to save Violet, and to marry Molly.

Dir: Vin Moore

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Vin Moore

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Donkey Did It perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Runt Simpkins and his pal, fired by the ranch manager, ride away to seek a new job. They see a child in danger and rescue it, only to find that the infant is a dummy being used by a company of movie actors. The two cowpunchers are smitten at the sight of Queenie LaRue, the leading lady, and both go home and press up their clothes to pay her court. Using gasoline to clean his pants, the runt lights a cigar over the gasoline bottle. His pard, enraged at his foolhardiness, throws the cigar and box of matches out of the window and both pairs of pants are burned up. They cut cards for a pair of pants stolen from a neighbor. The runt wins, but while he is bathing, the other double-crosses him, steals the pants and goes to see the movie queen at the hotel. Simpkins filches a suit from a fleeing crook and goes to the hotel to out-Romeo his betrayer. He is taken for the crook and arrested, his pal declaring that he never saw him before. Simpkins breaks jail and follows his pal to the country where he is buckboard driving with the queen. A rear wheel comes off and the runt catches up, pulls out his gun and forces the double-crosser to take the place of the missing wheel, holding up the back of the wagon all the way back to town, while he rides in state with the film vamp. She recognizes her husband, who chases the two sparkers whom he engages for a bank hold-up scene on the following day. The robbers speed away in a car with the loot, followed by the two cowpunchers who think it is a real robbery and put on a great scene, bringing back the money. They are rewarded for their bravery with the stage money and the movie crowd departs, giving them the laugh.

Dir: Vin Moore

A scrub woman and the janitor she loves procure dress clothes and invade a society ball.

Dir: Vin Moore

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Too Much Progress for Piperock perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Lucy Whittacker is returning home from her finishing school and bringing her teacher with her. She warns the community teacher is a heart-breaker. Teacher brings her pet monkey with her, but hardly comes up to her advance billing, in the way of looks. Pa Whittacker details Dirtyshirt Jones on a ride through a bandit-ridden territory. Magpie is jealous and rigs up a speaking tube with which he waylays them on a lonely road. Through the speaking tube Magpie orders Dirtyshirt Jones to beat it with the homely girl and leave Lucy behind. Magpie then puts in a timely appearance and rescues Lucy, whom he takes to the circus, where he is met by Dirtyshirt and the teacher. The latter's monkey plays havoc with the sideshow attractions and eventually Magpie and Dirtyshirt are thrown on the back of an elephant. After a wild ride they are rescued by the local fire department.

Dir: Vin Moore

The adventures of an escaped convict.

Dir: Vin Moore

Everybody was talking about poor Minnie because she couldn't shimmies. So poor Minnie buys a book that guarantees to teach you how to shimmy. She puts a piece of ice down her back and lo and behold she is an expert at "it". Hubby has to do all the k.p. work, mind the baby, feed the cows and chickens and everything while wifey shimmies. The yearly train arrives, bringing with it a theatrical troupe,who stop at the hotel conducted by Minnie. The vamp of the troupe, looses no time in winning the affections of "hubby", but is foiled by "Bob" the clever dog, who always has his mistress's interest at heart. He pulls Minnie by her skirts into the room where the vamp and hubby are making love. Hubby disappears under the bed but "Bob" goes after him and forces him out. "Bobby" does some clever work; he minds the baby, and is general housemaid in the hotel. He discovers hubby and the vamp making love under the table with their feet. He bites Hubby's foot. Hubby accuses his neighbor of stabbing him in the leg with a fork. An argument follows, during which "Bob" gets away with the sausages. Everybody chases "Bob", and he leads them a lively chase.