This Fatty Arbuckle short is so-so to me. It has a few standout bits, but it’s pretty
meandering and for the most part doesn’t take advantage of the comic interplay
between Fatty and Buster.
After what is evidently a fairly typical night on the town, Fatty
is sent to a sanitarium by his wife, who’s been promised that a doctor there
can perform an operation to cure Fatty of the Evils of Drink. As you can imagine, Fatty’s not down with
this, but he softens up considerably when he meets a comely young woman of
undetermined sanity (Alice Lake.) Alice
begs Fatty to help her escape the hospital, and, evading the doctor and his
assistant – played by Buster and Al St. John – Fatty tries to get them both
out.
Even though the plot is more defined than the usual “place Fatty,
Buster, and Al in a [insert setting here], let hijinks ensure” storytelling,
the short as a whole still feels less cohesive than some of the better “play
around and get into trouble” shorts like Coney Island or The Bell Boy. A lot of the gags and comic sequences aren’t
as sharp as usual, although there are still some good bits – I enjoy Fatty’s
clever work-around for lighting a cigarette in the pouring rain, and it’s fun
to see Fatty dance.
As the doctor, Buster is an opposing force for Fatty, and it seems
the best of their collaborations always put them on the same side. They can still play off of each other this
way, but it creates a different comedic sensibility that, in my opinion, isn’t
as funny as watching Fatty and Buster against the world. However, that’s not to say Buster isn’t
funny. I love the sight gag of his first
appearance – entering the hospital lobby in a blood-spattered coat and
sharpening a cleaver – he has an amusing scene with Alice Lake, and he and Al
St. John work well together here.
The short’s most memorable scene is a fun bit in which Fatty,
dressed as a nurse to facilitate his escape, attracts the attentions of a
smitten Buster. It amuses me that
whenever Fatty gets himself into these situations when he’s in drag, it never
bothers him. If anything, he’s the one
who starts the flirting, making eyes at Buster (part of his cover? Trying to throw Buster off his guard? Practical joke? Who knows why?) At any rate, they both flirt with the adorable
bashfulness of lovestruck 4-year-olds until Fatty gets a little too emphatic
with the playful shoving.
On a side note, Buster has a second role early in the short
playing a bit part. In the midst of
gusting rain storm, he appears as a woman with an umbrella struggling against
the wind. I enjoy this bit because it’s
so unlike all the drag humor in the
Fatty Arbuckle shorts. Although it’s a
funny scene, what with the woman falling down all over the place and her skirts
blowing everywhere, the fact that it’s Buster in the role isn’t played for
laughs. In fact, you’re not supposed to
notice that it’s him – his face is pretty well obscured by a wig, a kerchief,
and the umbrella. Instead it’s just a
bit of silent comedy ingenuity. Hard
time finding an actress to do some decently rough stunts? No problem!
Slap a skirt and a wig on your comic partner, and you’re good to go!
Warnings
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