It's very fortunate that this Roscoe Arbuckle feature has been rescued and carefully restored, because it is a very funny and enjoyable feature from one of the finest screen comics of the era. Much of the story consists of familiar material, but it adds some good variety as well, and it has a brisk pace and many good quality slapstick gags. Just seeing Arbuckle, Al St. John, Monte Banks, and Frank Hayes romping around and chasing each other provides numerous laughs and smiles.
The story has a setup that Arbuckle used numerous times, with Roscoe's character in love with a girl whose father (played by Hayes) prefers a rival played by St. John. Banks is added to the mix as a farmhand who joins in the romantic tangle as something of a wild card. At various times the characters whack each other with brooms, fall down wells, get into trouble with ladders, and find themselves in numerous other predicaments.
One thing that really makes this one work is the camaraderie among the characters as they scheme against each other and occasionally shift alliances with one another. The cast works together very well. Also, the timing, aside from a couple of awkward moments in setting up some of the more far-fetched gags, is expert. The combination makes the good comedy ideas very funny, and it makes even the familiar ones amusing.
The notes that come with the Laughsmith/Mackinac Media collection of Arbuckle features give a detailed description of the painstaking and time-consuming process by which this feature was finally re-assembled and restored. All of those involved in the project can take satisfaction in having provided a very welcome surprise for everyone who enjoys silent comedies.
The story has a setup that Arbuckle used numerous times, with Roscoe's character in love with a girl whose father (played by Hayes) prefers a rival played by St. John. Banks is added to the mix as a farmhand who joins in the romantic tangle as something of a wild card. At various times the characters whack each other with brooms, fall down wells, get into trouble with ladders, and find themselves in numerous other predicaments.
One thing that really makes this one work is the camaraderie among the characters as they scheme against each other and occasionally shift alliances with one another. The cast works together very well. Also, the timing, aside from a couple of awkward moments in setting up some of the more far-fetched gags, is expert. The combination makes the good comedy ideas very funny, and it makes even the familiar ones amusing.
The notes that come with the Laughsmith/Mackinac Media collection of Arbuckle features give a detailed description of the painstaking and time-consuming process by which this feature was finally re-assembled and restored. All of those involved in the project can take satisfaction in having provided a very welcome surprise for everyone who enjoys silent comedies.