I recently have rented several DVDs from Netflix that fall under the title "Old Time Comedy Classics". I know they have at least eight DVDs, as this is volume 8. The previous DVDs were earlier issues and were a good bit funnier than those in volume 8, though I still haven't been all that impressed with any of the entries. It seems that these are all lesser-known silent comedies and I can easily see why they aren't as well known--most just aren't that funny.
Fortunately, the first film in the set is actually quite watchable--though it still seems far from a "comedy classic". Jimmie Adams, a comedian who bears a strong resemblance to comedian Charley Chase, stars as a man going to the hills of Tennessee to visit his kin. On the way, he meets a sweet lady and they hit it off well. However, they don't realize that both are coming to visit relatives who are in the middle of a serious feud. Instead of a warm welcome, her kin tries to blow his butt off and he is forced to make a run for it. Unfortunately, his relatives don't seem much nicer, as they treat him rather poorly to say the least! My favorite gag involved the spare bedroom--a clever little bit indeed.
While this film probably won't make you think that Adams is equal to the talents of Chase, it is still a pleasant little film and has more than enough laughs to make it worthwhile. The direction and acting are just fine and the only serious complaint I have is that the ending was rather anticlimactic.
Too bad this short isn't much like the other four films in the set.
Fortunately, the first film in the set is actually quite watchable--though it still seems far from a "comedy classic". Jimmie Adams, a comedian who bears a strong resemblance to comedian Charley Chase, stars as a man going to the hills of Tennessee to visit his kin. On the way, he meets a sweet lady and they hit it off well. However, they don't realize that both are coming to visit relatives who are in the middle of a serious feud. Instead of a warm welcome, her kin tries to blow his butt off and he is forced to make a run for it. Unfortunately, his relatives don't seem much nicer, as they treat him rather poorly to say the least! My favorite gag involved the spare bedroom--a clever little bit indeed.
While this film probably won't make you think that Adams is equal to the talents of Chase, it is still a pleasant little film and has more than enough laughs to make it worthwhile. The direction and acting are just fine and the only serious complaint I have is that the ending was rather anticlimactic.
Too bad this short isn't much like the other four films in the set.
