Andrew Sheldon is so busy perfecting a new explosive for the United States' effort in the Great War that he fails to realize that his butler, cook, housekeeper, and chauffeur are all German spies. However, his two mischievous daughters Katherine and Jane make life difficult for the spies by throwing pies at the Kaiser's picture and clipping the butler's long, Prussian-style mustache while he sleeps.
Raymond L. Schrock, Arvid E. Gillstrom, Hamilton Thompson
United States
The Architecture of Domestic ResistanceCinema in 1918 was an industry grappling with its own potential as a weapon of statecraft. Amidst the grim realities of the Great War, Swat the Spy emerged not as a somber reflection on trench warfare, but as a riotous, almost anarchic celebration of American domesticity. Directed...
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Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
Arvid E. Gillstrom
Arvid E. Gillstrom
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"The Architecture of Domestic ResistanceCinema in 1918 was an industry grappling with its own potential as a weapon of statecraft. Amidst the grim realities of the Great War, Swat the Spy emerged not as a somber reflection on trench warfare, but as a riotous, almost anarchic celebration of American domesticity. Directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom, a man whose comedic sensibilities were forged in the fires of early slapstick, the film serves as a fascinating specimen of the 'Fox Kiddies' sub-genre. Jan..."
