Who's Afraid? may not be the best comedy Lupino Lane ever made, but you have to give the guy credit: he knew how to pack a two-reeler with gags from the very first shot to the final fade-out, he'd keep things moving at a brisk clip, and his films were edited sharply for maximum impact. Generally speaking, Lane knew how to give an audience its money's worth. And yet, even after watching his best efforts we never feel entirely satisfied, mainly because we never get a handle on the star comic himself. He was a bright-eyed, moon-faced imp who possessed impressive acrobatic skill and was a terrific eccentric dancer, but beyond that his personality as such never comes across. I first heard of Lane when I read Walter Kerr's wonderful book 'The Silent Clowns,' and Kerr said it best: he admired Lane's agility, but noted astutely that "when he isn't actually executing a gag, he isn't anybody." That may sound harsh, but having seen several of Lane's comedies I find it hard to refute.
Anyhow, the item at hand kicks off nicely with a love scene between Claude Chutney (Lane) and his beloved, a wealthy young lady named Phyllis (Kathryn McGuire, borrowed from Buster Keaton along with a few gags). For some reason Claude is wearing riding boots with dangerously sharp-looking spurs, and before the film is thirty seconds old Claude is having difficulty kneeling without impaling himself. Phyllis' father disapproves of the young man and orders him away, but, in a nicely choreographed bit, Claude manages to sneak back for several goodbye kisses. Soon, like many another silent clown, Claude has run afoul of the law through no fault of his own (due to an unfortunate incident involving a bow-and-arrow, in this case) and is on the run from an angry cop. In another nicely choreographed bit Claude attempts to dodge the cop in the middle of a church service, but when opportunities to elude capture prove to be limited he dashes into a nearby museum, just before closing time. He hides from the cop in a trunk, gets stuck, and finds himself locked in the museum for the night.
This is where the bulk of the film takes place, and also where it begins to falter after those promising opening scenes. The museum itself is essentially a Chamber of Horrors full of mummies, wax statues of murderers, etc., and the very cheesiness of its exhibits is amusing, but after a few predictable gags our leading man seems at a loss. Before long, he resorts to a time-honored staple of sketch comedy: a run-in with a couple of inept burglars, who happen to break into the place the very same evening he's locked himself in. I guess it goes without saying that, after a series of slapstick dust-ups, mix-ups and chases, Claude subdues the crooks, earns reward money for their capture, and wins the approval of Phyllis' huffy dad.
This lightweight short is a pleasant way to spend twenty minutes as long as you're not expecting too much. Lupino Lane was a talented clown and he's still fun to watch, but after Who's Afraid? was over I found myself wondering what Keaton or Harold Lloyd might have done with the same premise.
Anyhow, the item at hand kicks off nicely with a love scene between Claude Chutney (Lane) and his beloved, a wealthy young lady named Phyllis (Kathryn McGuire, borrowed from Buster Keaton along with a few gags). For some reason Claude is wearing riding boots with dangerously sharp-looking spurs, and before the film is thirty seconds old Claude is having difficulty kneeling without impaling himself. Phyllis' father disapproves of the young man and orders him away, but, in a nicely choreographed bit, Claude manages to sneak back for several goodbye kisses. Soon, like many another silent clown, Claude has run afoul of the law through no fault of his own (due to an unfortunate incident involving a bow-and-arrow, in this case) and is on the run from an angry cop. In another nicely choreographed bit Claude attempts to dodge the cop in the middle of a church service, but when opportunities to elude capture prove to be limited he dashes into a nearby museum, just before closing time. He hides from the cop in a trunk, gets stuck, and finds himself locked in the museum for the night.
This is where the bulk of the film takes place, and also where it begins to falter after those promising opening scenes. The museum itself is essentially a Chamber of Horrors full of mummies, wax statues of murderers, etc., and the very cheesiness of its exhibits is amusing, but after a few predictable gags our leading man seems at a loss. Before long, he resorts to a time-honored staple of sketch comedy: a run-in with a couple of inept burglars, who happen to break into the place the very same evening he's locked himself in. I guess it goes without saying that, after a series of slapstick dust-ups, mix-ups and chases, Claude subdues the crooks, earns reward money for their capture, and wins the approval of Phyllis' huffy dad.
This lightweight short is a pleasant way to spend twenty minutes as long as you're not expecting too much. Lupino Lane was a talented clown and he's still fun to watch, but after Who's Afraid? was over I found myself wondering what Keaton or Harold Lloyd might have done with the same premise.
