Top Five Gags: The Garage

January 11^th, 1920 – the day The Garage was released. Buster’s first film of the ‘20s was the last Arbuckle-Keaton short, and it’s a great one, filled with all kinds of Bustery mechanical gags. I had a tough time picking just five gags for this post, but here’s what I came up with (spoilers.)

In the Washtub

Fatty and Buster get into one of their usual “let’s throw things at each other and make as big a mess as possible” matches at the garage, and their boss gets caught in the crossfire. He’s knocked into a giant tub of water, and Fatty and Buster have quite the time getting him out. It involves both of them falling into the tub as well and just generally shoving him deeper into the water as often as they lift him out.

The Collapsing Car

When a customer fails to tip Fatty before renting a car, Fatty gets his revenge, giving the customer an old junker that falls to pieces before his eyes. This feels like a precursor to the awesome collapsing-car gag in Three Ages, so I definitely see Buster’s hand in this bit. The cherry is when all four wheels fall off at the same time.

Oil Everywhere

Molly’s suitor stops by the garage with flowers, but as he hides them behind his back, he accidentally and unknowingly keeps dipping them into a pan of oil where Fatty and Buster are working. None the wiser, he gives the flowers to Molly, and she immediately gets a face of oil. Lots of arguing and passing the flowers back and forth ensues, which of course results in everyone getting covered in oil. My favorite part of this gag is Fatty and Buster’s efforts to clean the suitor off, making things infinitely worse as they wipe him down with their oil-covered hands.

What’s a Man to Do without His Pants?

Buster’s pants have been torn off by a dog (don’t you just hate it when that happens?), and a scandalized woman who sees him rushes off to find a policeman. Buster first cuts a kilt out of a poster of a Scottish dancer and uses that to disguise his underwear, but when he turns around, he accidentally exposes the fact that it only covers him in the front. He then runs off, hiding behind Fatty until he can grab a pair of pants off a sidewalk rack. I love the move they do where Fatty lifts Buster as they walk, with Buster neatly slipping the pants on in mid-stride. Classic!

Ready for Action

Another gag that clearly has Buster’s hand in it. Fatty and Buster double as volunteer firemen, and they attach ropes to their blankets and pajamas at night. When the fire alarm rings, the rope system yanks the blankets off the bed and then pulls off Fatty and Buster’s pajamas, revealing their street clothes underneath. Bonus points for the way Buster spins down the fireman’s pole afterwards.