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Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator
Looking back at the 1920 milestone that is Teasing the Soil, the cinematic shorthand used by Charley Chase is both ancient and revolutionary. Dive into this collection and find the spiritual successors to Charley Chase's vision.
As Charley Chase's most celebrated work, it defines to articulate the unspoken anxieties of United States's 1920 era.
The Brewsters are at their wits' end to solve the problems of the high cost of living. In an endeavor to reduce their household expenses, they have discharged their cook, but somehow it costs them just as much to live. With eggs at a dollar and ten cents a dozen, butter at ninety cents a pound and milk at twenty cents a quart, the Brewsters find themselves slowly but surely being driven into bankruptcy. Brewster reasons it all out to his own satisfaction. He is paying three prices for his food- to the producer, the wholesaler and to the retail dealer. The obvious way to cut down expenses, according to the Brewster idea, is the farm. Why not be a farmer and live for nothing? It's a great idea, and Brewster proceeds to carry it out in a practical way. He trades his city home for a farm with a cow and chickens on it and begins operations immediately. What Brewster doesn't know about milking cows, raising chickens and doing farm chores, would fill a big volume. Mrs. Brewster's knowledge of farming is on a par with her husband's, so their attempt to make a self-supporting institution out of their farm ends in a fiasco, but a comical one nevertheless.
Based on the unique cult status of Teasing the Soil, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Short cinema:
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: Charley Chase
The premise of this film is two rival men pursuing the same girl. In the mean time a gang of car thieves are going around town stealing cars and then reselling them to their original owners. The rich man takes the girl to see a minister to get married so the other man comes up with a plot to have the car thief gang help him win the girl back.
Dir: Reggie Morris
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
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Dir: Charley Chase
Snub, a henpecked husband, joins an equally unhappy man on the floor below. They rebel and turn the tables on their wives.
Dir: Henry Edwards
A millionaire bets £25,000 that he can earn his own living for six months.
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Dir: Charley Chase
Snub and his girl break a mirror, walk under a ladder, a black cat crosses their path, and they meet a cross eyed man. Some amusing misadventures follow.
Dir: Charley Chase
Misadventures of a traveling company of actors performing for one night in a small town. When the troupe's leading lady deserts the show for a better paying job as a waitress, a young woman from the town gets the role for one night.
Dir: Charley Chase
Two hotel bell hops get into all kinds of shenanigans between dames, baths and bags of loot.
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Dir: Charley Chase
Billy is mistaken for a dangerous Bolshevik, and thrown into jail.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Teasing the Soil
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Fitting Gift | Surreal | Layered | 96% Match |
| Don't Park Here | Surreal | Abstract | 93% Match |
| Striking Models | Tense | High | 96% Match |
| The Floor Below | Gothic | Abstract | 93% Match |
| The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss | Gritty | Linear | 86% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Charley Chase's archive. Last updated: 5/22/2026.
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