This short comedy is something of a change of pace for Charley Bowers, in that it relies mostly on slapstick and some themes familiar from other comedies of the era, rather than his usual array of gadgetry and special camera effects. It works well enough, though, at least as long as you don't have the wrong expectations, and it has some amusing material.
The story is fairly simple, with Charley trying to become a policeman in order to win the approval of his girlfriend's father. The early part, which sets things up, is a bit slow aside from a couple of good visual gags. It hits its stride when Charley gets on the job, and there are some very good visual gags as well as some decent slapstick.
"Nothing Doing" is a much more conventional comedy than is usual for Bowers, and the same kind of story could have been made by some of the other comics of the era. But he does perfectly well at this kind of material. His character is his own, and he gives it a slightly different feel than it would have had with someone else in the role. While his calling card usually featured unusual camera effects and the like, Bowers also knew how to perform this kind of material pretty well.
The story is fairly simple, with Charley trying to become a policeman in order to win the approval of his girlfriend's father. The early part, which sets things up, is a bit slow aside from a couple of good visual gags. It hits its stride when Charley gets on the job, and there are some very good visual gags as well as some decent slapstick.
"Nothing Doing" is a much more conventional comedy than is usual for Bowers, and the same kind of story could have been made by some of the other comics of the era. But he does perfectly well at this kind of material. His character is his own, and he gives it a slightly different feel than it would have had with someone else in the role. While his calling card usually featured unusual camera effects and the like, Bowers also knew how to perform this kind of material pretty well.