Top Five Gags: Good Night, Nurse!

July 8^th, 1918 – The day Good Night, Nurse! was released.  As far as Arbuckle-Keaton shorts go, I’d put it in the middle of the pack.  I generally prefer the shorts where Buster serves as Fatty’s right-hand man/little buddy, but he’s still fun here in more of an antagonist role.  These are my favorite gags from the short (spoilers.)

The National Anthem

Sneaky Fatty.  He’s standing in the pouring rain, having unsuccessfully tried numerous times to light his cigarette.  When a pair of Romani comes along, Fatty pays them to play the National Anthem.  As soon as they start to play, a nearby policeman takes off his hat in reverence, at which point Fatty ducks down to light his cigarette in the tiny bit of shelter offered by the policeman’s hat.

Sending the Drunk Home

When Fatty encounters a drunk gentleman on the street, he knows he needs to be a Good Samaritan and see the man home all right.  Of course, this being Fatty… He asks the gentleman for his address then promptly scrawls it across the man’s shirt, sticks a few stamps on his forehead, and hauls him up onto a public mailbox.

Buster the Butcher

A quick sight gag, obvious but fun.  Having just arrived at the sanitarium, Fatty is treated to the sight of his doctor, Buster, bursting out of the operating theater covered in blood and enthusiastically sharpening a long butcher knife.  Hee!

Fatty and Buster Make Eyes at Each Other

It’s a Fatty Arbuckle short, so you know there’s a better than even chance of someone winding up in drag.  In this case, it’s Fatty donning a nurse’s uniform in an attempt to slip through the sanitarium unnoticed.  When Buster sees Nurse Fatty, naturally, he’s smitten.  The way they both shyly rock along the wall while batting their eyes is great fun, and the bit also features them playfully hitting each other, which of course culminates in Fatty knocking Buster flat on his backside after a patented Buster Keaton neck roll.

The 200-Pound Race

Fatty’s escape from the sanitarium has the good fortune to be aided by a local footrace happening at the same time.  Having inadvertently leaned against wet paint and gotten a large #5 on the back of his shirt, Fatty blends in with the contestants and is harder for Buster and co. to catch.  I especially love the gag of the real contestants dropping like flies, with Buster and his orderlies rushing up to each of them one by one to see if it’s Fatty.