User Reviews

This is one of the most enjoyable films made by Charley Bowers, a newspaper cartoonist-turned-animator-and-comedian. Bowers was fairly obscure even in his heyday, then completely forgotten until several of his films turned up in France in the late 1970s. In recent years, as his work has become more widely available, appreciation for this highly original artist has slowly but steadily grown.

I like most of Bowers' comedies a great deal, although I wouldn't call them Ha-Ha Funny so much as Weird Funny, if you get the distinction. When writing about some of his other movies I've found it difficult to avoid over-using such terms as "bizarre," "mind-boggling," "surreal," etc., and there's a good reason for that: the guy was a genuine eccentric who explored his oddball obsessions in his films, like a 1920s version of David Lynch or Tim Burton. Based on his work it appears that Bowers' obsessions included elaborate machinery, eggs, strange birds, and eating through feeding tubes. Perhaps eggs should be at the top of the list, as every extant Bowers film features eggs in one context or another. Bowers smashed a lot of eggs in his comedies, and more than once he animated machines hatching from eggs. A Freudian could write a lengthy dissertation on this guy.

Anyway, A Wild Roomer is perhaps slightly more conventional than some of Bowers' other films in certain respects. The plot is farcical (Charley must successfully demonstrate his new machine within 24 hours in order to earn an inheritance), but not completely outlandish or dreamlike. And there are some bits here that are reminiscent of other comedians, i.e. when Charley has trouble getting his enormous machine through the doorway of his cramped apartment Buster Keaton fans will be reminded of a comparable situation in The Boat (1921); and when the machine goes rumbling through the city streets some silent comedy buffs might be reminded of a similar scene in Snub Pollard's The Big Idea (1924). Still, there's one area where Bowers is absolutely unique, and that's animation. The animated sequence in this film is one of Bowers' very best, and it's also quite touching and sweet: Charley's machine produces a baby doll which is brought to life before our eyes. A pair of gloved hands attached to robotic arms emerges from the machine, gently inserts a heart into the doll's chest, then delicately sews up the hole. The doll is dressed and fed, then meets a squirrel (an animated puppet, that is, not a real squirrel) that helpfully provides several useful items: a comb, a nutcracker, scissors, thread, etc. The doll then mounts the squirrel and rides it into the machine. Does that sound strange? Trust me, for a Charley Bowers movie it's nothing unusual.

The doll sequence -- unquestionably the highlight of this film -- is one element that makes A Wild Roomer one of Bowers' most accessible, satisfying comedies. It's also notable that he's more solicitous than usual to his leading lady here, and that the plot is neatly resolved in the end. (Bowers frequently left viewers a bit deflated with downbeat or inconclusive endings, but not this time.) Over all, A Wild Roomer is a most enjoyable film, and a good place to begin an acquaintance with this remarkable artist.

In the mid-late 1920s, Charley Bowers made a few dozen short comedies. While he's practically unknown today, his extant films are truly unique and enjoyable. In most, like this one, Charley plays a crackpot inventor--all made rather realistic using stop-motion--and he was one of the best stop-motion film makers there ever was.

The film begins with all kinds of stuff disappearing (literally) and appearing in Charley's room at the rooming house. He needs all these things for his latest invention but the other tenants aren't too pleased with how it's affecting them. Later, Charley finds out when his grandfather's will is read that he'll get all of the guy's fortune IF he can prove that his crazy invention works. So, in a funny twist, Charley takes this enormous almost room-sized invention out for a stroll! The scene of it dropping through the floor of the rooming house and then rolling down the street is pretty amazing. During this time, the uncle (who will inherit the money if the invention fails) keeps trying to destroy the device. But, by the end, the uncle gets his comeuppance. There's much more to it than this, but I don't want to talk about the machine at all--it might spoil the crazy fun. It's one of these films you just need to see to believe.

Overall, one of Charley's best films. I still think I prefer NOW YOU TELL ONE, but this is very close in quality and laughs.

All I remember of this movie is a stop-action animated scene in which a doll is brought to life. It is funny, touching and technically brilliant.

This very enjoyable Charley Bowers comedy has a fine mix of material, with plenty of his usual gadgets and visual tricks, plus some good slapstick, all included in a silly but very entertaining story. There is plenty of creativity, and plenty to see, throughout the film.

The story uses a variation of a fairly familiar premise, in that Charley, as an eccentric inventor, has to meet a short deadline to demonstrate his invention. It creates its own distinctive version of this idea, by working the invention itself into many of the details and scenes of the story. Charley's character is amusing, with a slightly amoral streak but also some real innocence.

There are several good sequences. One especially good one is the sequence with the doll and the squirrel, which combines Bowers's imagination and gimmickry with some very thoughtful ideas. It's really a rather charming little scene, in addition to being quite creative. At other times, the wacky machine is used as part of some very funny slapstick.

Almost any Charley Bowers feature is going to have some fun gadgets and creative visual tricks. But it's the blend of different kinds of good material that makes this one particularly good.