Max Davidson plays the neighbour of a chicken-rearer with a prize bird, Brigham, in this zippy MGM comedy short. Largely Jewish in tone, his comedy is very much based on facial reaction shots to what's going on around him - namely the actions of his family when it is discovered that the juicy chicken on the plate to commemorate the engagement of Max's daughter to the neighbour Schultz's son.
Physical comedy, mainly with the young couple's attempts to convey what happened, behind Schultz's back, and lots of reaction shots between Max, his freckly son Ignatz who caused all the problems, and the bewildered Schultz, make up the bulk of this shot.
The best jokes are the ones which come early in the short - Max sows seeds in his garden which are pecked away by the chicken Brigham who is following in his footsteps. Then, when Max picks up the chicken and throws it over the fence, he is first hit on the head by the chicken coming back on its own, and then coming over the fence in tandem with lots of other chickens, who raise havoc with his carefully tended patch.
Davidson is not as celebrated as many other comics, and is rather neglected and forgotten today. On the evidence of 'Pass the Gravy', his humour was simple, but funny, and the rest of the cast give lovely performances as well.
Physical comedy, mainly with the young couple's attempts to convey what happened, behind Schultz's back, and lots of reaction shots between Max, his freckly son Ignatz who caused all the problems, and the bewildered Schultz, make up the bulk of this shot.
The best jokes are the ones which come early in the short - Max sows seeds in his garden which are pecked away by the chicken Brigham who is following in his footsteps. Then, when Max picks up the chicken and throws it over the fence, he is first hit on the head by the chicken coming back on its own, and then coming over the fence in tandem with lots of other chickens, who raise havoc with his carefully tended patch.
Davidson is not as celebrated as many other comics, and is rather neglected and forgotten today. On the evidence of 'Pass the Gravy', his humour was simple, but funny, and the rest of the cast give lovely performances as well.