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Editor's Top Picks Following the Footsteps of Once a Plumber: Cult ...

Author

Senior Film Conservator

30 May 2026

4 min read

Witnessing the stylistic evolution of Eddie Lyons through Once a Plumber is profound, this Comedy landmark continues to dictate the rules of its category. If Lee Moran, Jane Elliott, Sydney Deane impressed you, these next recommendations will too.

The Once a Plumber Phenomenon

The synthesis of form and function in Once a Plumber to maintain its cult relevance across several decades.

Plumbers William Wilson and Joe Blynn are partners who share quite different ambitions. Will aspires to wealth and glamour while Joe is content with their plumbing business. While fixing a leak in the Hoban mansion, millionaire Hoban overhears Will's grumbling and offers the pair a chance to participate in a business deal. Will jumps at the offer, and soon they are arrayed in fine clothing and appointed to the posts of president and secretary of the Scandia Copper Company, while two attractive vamps make them forget their own sweethearts. All goes well until a raid by the United States Secret Service discloses that the Scandia Corporation is a bogus company that has been defrauding people through the mails. The erstwhile plumbers are arrested and injured in a fight while escaping, and then land in the hospital. Finally matters are cleared up; they are reunited with their sweethearts and promise to forget high society.

Editor's Top Picks Following the Footsteps of Once a Plumber

Based on the unique artistic bravery of Once a Plumber, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Comedy cinema:

Shot in the Dumbwaiter scene — Scene from Shot in the Dumbwaiter

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

Shot in the Dumbwaiter

1. Shot in the Dumbwaiter 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

Mr. Ups likes the gay life and Mr. Downs is a "stay-at-home." One night when Ups is out sporting and Downs is home in bed, Ups arrives at the entrance of the apartment house at the same time with Downs' wife. Ups' wife, who is at home, hears the cat ransacking the milk cans in the kitchen and thinks a burglar is in the house. Then Mr. Ups and Mrs. Downs arrive and the chase starts. Up and down the dumbwaiter goes Downs and Mrs. Ups, looking for the burglar, one in his bathrobe the other in her pajamas. The mystery is solved and the two couples become the best of friends.

The Tail of a Cat

2. The Tail of a Cat 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

Eddie and his wife have four kittens and the domineering janitor wants to kill them. An uncle and aunt, who are visiting the newlyweds, think the janitor is trying to make away with them.

The Tail of a Cat scene — Scene from The Tail of a Cat

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Tail of a Cat perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The Dodgers

3. The Dodgers 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Mum's the Word

4. Mum's the Word 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

The troubles of two quarreling couples, the Blacks and the Whites. They get divorces, and Mr. Black weds Mrs. White and Mr. White weds Mrs. Black.

The Dodgers scene — Scene from The Dodgers

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

The Bullshevicks

5. The Bullshevicks 1919

Dir: Eddie Lyons

Eddie and Lee are newspaper reporters and Mildred is a vamping Russian countess in a laughable "Bolsheviki" burlesque in which Eddie and Lee find themselves obliged to commit all sorts of crimes, but wake to find it all a dream.

Lunatics in Politics

6. Lunatics in Politics 1920

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.

Mum's the Word scene — Scene from Mum's the Word

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Mum's the Word perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Damaged Goods

7. Damaged Goods 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

Bernie and Sidney are a buyer and a salesman who smash each other's hats before becoming acquainted. Their wives afterward mix in at a hat sale and later all meet at dinner, when the riot begins again.

Frenzied Film

8. Frenzied Film 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

A burlesque on the making of a picture based on an Alaskan story.

The Bullshevicks scene — Scene from The Bullshevicks

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

The Knockout

9. The Knockout 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

Nifty Ned is a heavyweight champion that meets all comers. He is successful through the fact that he manages to back his opponents against the scenery at the back of the stage ring. From a vantage point behind the scenes, Happy Harry whacks the opponent on the head with a club, invariably causing the "knockout." The end comes when the "heavyweight" is pushed against the scenery by one of his opponents, and Happy Harry knocks out the wrong man.

Whose Baby Are You?

10. Whose Baby Are You? 1918

Dir: Eddie Lyons

Eddie has a wife and baby. Lee plays his well known role of janitor, who finds himself with the baby, a dog and a parrot on his hands, after a mix-up in the apartment house, but eventually gets them in the hands of their proper owners.

Cinematic Comparison Matrix

Analysis relative to Once a Plumber

Film Title	Atmosphere	Complexity	Similarity
Shot in the Dumbwaiter	Gritty	Dense	97% Match
The Tail of a Cat	Ethereal	Layered	85% Match
The Dodgers	Gritty	Linear	92% Match
Mum's the Word	Ethereal	Layered	97% Match
The Bullshevicks	Tense	Layered	91% Match

* This matrix is generated based on structural DNA and genre proximity to the 1920 classic Once a Plumber.

This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Eddie Lyons's archive. Last updated: 5/30/2026.

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