Must-Watch List in the Vein of Let 'er Go: Cult Guide

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The Let 'er Go Phenomenon

Whether it's the artistic bravery or the thematic depth, this film to capture the existential zeitgeist of 1920.

On the usual thread of romance in this kind of Mack Sennett comedy, are hung a series of amusing situations, and one of the most original is where one of the "fighting gentlemen" attempts to keep the tail of the cow he is milking still by tying it to his suspenders. When the cow takes fright and decides to make her getaway it is easy to imagine what happens. This, however, is only the outcome of another funny incident in which the dog and a couple of his grown-up playmates are engaged in a game of "blind man's buff" and he who happens to be chosen "it" gets in the way of an old-fashioned swing in motion. He is knocked into the midst of several hives of bees, and his mad rush to escape the stings of the insects sets several other comedy properties in motion. An old automobile, a team of horses in a runaway dash, driven by a tiny baby boy, and various persons on bicycles and otherwise propelled enter the chase. Another amusing and original incident is where Louise Fazenda, in a perfectly modest bathing suit, is fished from the stream by the hook of a young man's fishing pole. - Moving Picture World, 12 June 1920.

Must-Watch List in the Vein of Let 'er Go

Based on the unique artistic bravery of Let 'er Go, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Short cinema:

★ —

1. A Lion Special 1919

Dir: James D. Davis

Down on the farm old Pop Hebenezer had his troubles keeping his two daughters from spooning with his hired help. Luke loved Lucy, the younger daughter, and Billy loved Sally, the older one. The girls were serving their sweethearts with food but they forgot the food and made love. In the meantime the animal family, consisting of a goat, a donkey, a dog and a pig, were hungry, too. The dog spied the tray of food on the table, jumped through the window, grabbed the food and, ran away. Charlie, the oriental cook, the greatest little K. P. that ever was. He happened to pass outside of the window where the lovers were deeply engrossed, when they suddenly discovered the loss of their food, and blamed Charlie. They threw a pail of water over him for revenge. Pop invented a Nutt motor that would make anything on wheels stand as permanent as rock. The girls are keen about this, invention and all have a hand in perfecting it. When Pop looks around for his help he discovers Luke and Lucy on top of the barn on a see-saw. They had assigned the goat to beat the carpet and water the lawn, the donkey to put the hay in the loft, and the dog to mow the lawn. Sally and Billy camouflaged themselves like trees and were having a wild time all by their lonesome. Pop chases the lovers back to work and all is peaceful again. Two crooks are on their way to steal Pop's new invention, but the chief of police advises Pop of their arrival. The daughters put a lion in the case where the Nutt motor originally was, and the crooks steal this case and are very much surprised to find a not too loving lion staring them in the face. An uproarious chase follows, wherein the lion scares nearly everybody half to death.

Film Title	Atmosphere	Complexity	Similarity
A Lion Special	Gritty	Layered	92% Match
A Fitting Gift	Surreal	Layered	96% Match
In the River	Gritty	High	92% Match
Her Whirlwind Wedding	Tense	Dense	97% Match
Don't Weaken!	Tense	Dense	89% Match

The Let 'er Go Phenomenon

Stylistic Legacy