This is a comedy short from Educational Films. Despite their name, Educational made short comedies and westerns--not educational movies. In "Tars and Stripes", Buster decides to join the US Navy. And, while military comedies usually are pretty sure-fire winners, this one was amazingly flat. Fortunately, it did have a cute ending...but other than that it was all pretty ordinary at best.
On the plus side, it's nice to see the rotund Vernon Dent in this film, as he's been a foil in quite a few comedies--such as those of the Three Stooges and Harry Langdon. I don't think he was at his best here, however, nor was Keaton--whose films of the 1920s are light-years ahead of this rather limp outing.
On the plus side, it's nice to see the rotund Vernon Dent in this film, as he's been a foil in quite a few comedies--such as those of the Three Stooges and Harry Langdon. I don't think he was at his best here, however, nor was Keaton--whose films of the 1920s are light-years ahead of this rather limp outing.