Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of Traps and Tangles: Cult Guide

Dir: Larry Semon

Larry is a mighty hunter, unafraid of rabbits, canaries and field mice, and also quite unafraid of the hundred-off wives of the Sultan, but he reverts to Semonesque agility when a half dozen lions are let loose in the conservatory.

Dir: Larry Semon

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

Larry, the stage hand, invariably is missing when there is work to be done. But when he's missing things run smoothly. Inadvertently, the rug is unrolled, on the stage and he appears, the stage manager loses control of himself and upsets Larry and everything else, including a can of gun powder which he is gallant enough to carry for the leading lady to her dressing room. The stage hand disobeys the rules of the house and lights a cigarette, dropping the match in the string of gunpowder. The explosion eliminates the seat of the stage manager's ample trousers. Striving to change to another pair he rushes into the dressing room of the chorus, from which he is rapidly thrown out - out onto the stage in his checkered lingerie. To escape his retaliation Larry nails the manager down the basement, but opens a stage trap by accident. The primadonna in the midst of her act is precipitated from the stage down into a cask of black paint. Larry seeks safety in the loft from which altitude he manages to ruin all the acts on the bill. When the star calls for artificial fog, he gives him a barrel full of it and wrecks the show. They all strive to get after him, but Larry comes out victor as the picture fades.

Dir: Larry Semon

A small town hick falls in love with a beautiful farmers daughter but her father opposes their marriage.

Dir: Larry Semon

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

Such plot as there may be concerns the endeavors of the local, sheriff and his merry men to arrest the elusive Larry for speeding. The sheriff is the devil and Larry's farmer employer is the deep sea. between the two, poor Larry has a rough time, but he finishes, as he deserves, in the arms of the farmer's lovely daughter, to whom he is married amidst the debris of a shattered motor-car, in which the entire wedding party have just leaped over a cliff.

Dir: Larry Semon

What with pretty women lounging around the lobby, Larry's existence as a secret guardian of a hotel is all roses until a valise filled with jewels is left in his hands for safekeeping. Larry locks it up in the hotel safe, but not before crooks have caught a glimpse of the gems. Thenceforth every art and artifice is employed by them to separate Larry and the hotel from the jewels.

Dir: Larry Semon

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

Larry suspects that Millionaire Manybucks has some well defined reason for not wanting him to marry his daughter, inasmuch as the staff of the household has met him with uninterrupted violence. After skidding on his nose down the stone steps Larry realizes that no one, save the girl, craves his company. However, he is determined and braves the house again only to suffer ignominious defeat. A brilliant reception is to be held for the daughter. The Lizard, a polished adventurer, with whom most of the household help are in league, aims to attend and win the girl. At the affair, which is a magnificent spectacle, the girl and her father scorn him. Indignant, he orders his aids to destroy the father, A cigar loaded with T.N.T. is given the father, who does not smoke it, tut tosses it out the window where Larry finds it and has it taken away from him by a policeman. The officers smokes it and it completely disrobes the officer. This failing, the biscuits are laden with explosives and with these and the heiress' playful monkey much havoc is wrought. The villains dash through the house to steal the heiress. The momentum hurls them through the upper windows into a fountain in the garden. The police hold a net for the heroine. Before Larry can follow her the net is removed and he is forced to land on his nose. The major-domo follows him in flight and Larry sees his heiress kidnapped by airplane by the Lizard, He leaps aboard a motorcycle, catches a rope ladder dangling from the aircraft and disables the machine a thousand feet above the ground. The heiress and himself drop to earth in parachutes. The air plane makes a nose dive and is wrecked with the villain, Larry takes the propeller and drives his rival into the ground. He wins the heiress with this last bold stroke.

Dir: Larry Semon

The story follows Larry as he attempts to help his sweetheart escape an unwanted wedding to a wealthy but unattractive suitor. The film concludes with a high-speed chase involving a car and a bed.

Dir: Larry Semon

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

The waiters of a fancy restaurant go on strike for better wages, threatening harm to any replacements that may be hired. Larry is among scabs hired to replace the striking waiters they must wait on tables and fight off the strikers.

Dir: Larry Semon

Larry is the booby sheriff of a Western town named Beer Bottle Bend, whose lawlessness matched his witlessness. A demure little thing from the East arrives on the same stage with a consignment of $100,000 to the sheriff, and the town proceeds to celebrate. After reforming the champion "elbow-bender" of the community, the demure one inspires the sheriff to action against the lawless element. The $100,000 changes hands in rapid and humorous fashion, and finally comes into the possession of the demure thing who had followed the cash all the way from New York. Larry proceeds to make a few cursory remarks on women.

Dir: Larry Semon

A lawman out to get moonshiners runs into a female director filming a movie with a female cast. Chaos ensues.