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Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator
Delving into the atmospheric depths of Obey the Law reveals a master at work, the artistic provocations of Obey the Law demand a follow-up of equal intensity. These hand-selected movies are designed to satiate your craving for Short quality.
The enduring power of Obey the Law lies in to transcend the limitations of its 1924 budget and technology.
The long and short of it are a couple of friends in the moving and hauling business. There is a judge, his court clerk and a beautiful lunch-wagon waitress all mixed up in the plot. Oh, yes, there is the judge's disagreeable neighbor who gets him all wet with his hose one morning. The judge longs for revenge. The waitress is arrested for throwing a pie at a cop and is brought before the judge. She has seen an ad in the paper for a girl and gets the judge to let her off so she gets it. It proves to be the disagreeable neighbor of the judge, who wants the girl. Later the judge receives a court order to attach the property of one J. Smith for non-payment of bills. He sends his clerk to clean the place out. They are told by Mr. Smith that the place they want is next door. The clerk takes the long and short of it with him to the next house and starts putting labels on everything in the house. Just as they have completed the job the judge walks in. Low and behold, they have ruined the judges' house. In the meantime the now ex-waitress has brought her boss over to the house to help get rid of the men. He is pinched by the judge and the girl and the clerk fall into each others arms.
The influence of Robert P. Kerr in Obey the Law can be felt in the way modern Short films handle cinematic excellence. From the specific lighting choices to the pacing, this 1924 release set a high bar for atmospheric immersion.
Based on the unique cinematic excellence of Obey the Law, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Short cinema:
Dir: Jerome Storm
Ne'er-do-well Homer Cavender ventures to the city from Mainsville in an effort to find fame and fortune. Both elude him, and after clerking for two years, Homer returns home for a vacation. Impressed by his flashy clothes, the townspeople assume that Homer has achieved success. Attempting to win Rachel Prouty from his rival, Arthur Machim, Homer continues the deception by announcing that his employer, Kort and Bailly, has dispatched him to enroll stockholders for a proposed new plant to be built in Mainsville. Machim discovers the sham and denounces Homer as a crook. Meanwhile, Homer returns to New York, convinces his employers of the merits of his plan and comes home triumphant, with a proposal for both the new plant and for Rachel's hand in marriage.
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Dir: Robert P. Kerr
A couple of auto enthusiasts advertise their desire to own a car in the newspaper. A lawyer of dubious standing persuades them to purchase his vehicle. He then orders his henchman to lie underneath their car and sustain not too serious injuries when the nuts drive over him. The lawyer convincingly disguises himself as a police officer with a mustache, but the husband uncovers the plot by ripping off the hair piece. The lawyer kidnaps the wife, but after a car chase, the husband rescues her.
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Dir: Unknown Director
The Judge needs a present for his wife's birthday, so Harry suggests a new corset. They go to the shop, but he's so embarrassed to ask the saleslady he hides in a phone booth.Harry goes in, but finds a GUY wearing one, and runs out.They both dress as women to get back in, but Mrs. Rummy gets there and chases him out.
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Dir: Hal Roach
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.
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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 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: Mason N. Litson
Edgar and his chum try to amass a fortune in one day by cornering the fan market on a hot afternoon when the circus comes to the small town where they are spending their vacation.
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Dir: Unknown Director
The village youths are rivals for the hand of the local belle. Their battles lead them to the village store, where chaos soon reigns, terminating in the place being blown up, leaving Bobby a happy victor.
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Dir: Reggie Morris
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Obey the Law
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homer Comes Home | Ethereal | Linear | 93% Match |
| An Auto Nut | Tense | Abstract | 87% Match |
| A Fitting Gift | Surreal | Layered | 96% Match |
| His Royal Slyness | Gothic | Layered | 92% Match |
| Mary's Ankle | Surreal | High | 86% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Robert P. Kerr's archive. Last updated: 6/25/2026.
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