Top Five Gags: My Wife’s Relations

*Spoilers.*

May 6^th, 1922 – the day My Wife’s Relations was released. It’s generally thought of as one of Buster Keaton’s lesser independent shorts, and to be sure, it doesn’t compare to his best stuff. Still, even within a pretty flimsy short that’s founded on some sexist humor, there are gags and gag sequences that are nevertheless topnotch.

 

 

Makeshift Hat Rack

Buster’s accidental new wife brings him home to her father and four brothers. In lieu of an actual hat rack, they have a sconce light by the front door, and each man who comes in places his hat on top of the fixture, tossing the previous man’s hat on the floor. When Buster shows up, he does one better, using one brother’s bowler hat as a stool to reach the sconce and replace another brother’s policeman’s hat with his own.

 

 

Dinner Time

A simple sequence, but so effective. It kicks off with an almost-balletic scene of Buster having to pass another dish around the table every time he tries to take a bite. I enjoy the extra bits of personality, like Buster cutting out the middle-man for one sugar-loving brother by pouring his coffee directly into the sugar bowl, along with everyone bowing their heads for grace with their forks poised over the meat platter, so they can spring into action as soon as the father says “Amen.” The coup de grâce comes when Buster, bullied out of getting any meat, flips the date on the calendar to convince his Catholic in-laws that it’s Friday.

 

 

Making the Bed

My favorite sequence in the film. Buster doesn’t notice that there’s a broom laying across his bed frame, so when he sets the spring and the mattress on it, he seesaws back and forth over the broom, winding up with his head on the floor no matter which way he turns. Naturally, by the time he discovers the broom and fixes it, the bed has had it, and the headboard collapses on him as soon as he settles in. Super fun mechanical gag—Buster loves him a seesaw bit!

 

 

Making Nice

A quick bit, but I love it! The in-laws have mistakenly gotten the impression that Buster is due to inherit a fortune, so they’ve changed their tune, and everyone pitches in some cash for Buster to rent them a nice house as they prepare for their new lives of luxury. As Buster’s father-in-law goes to shake his hand, Buster slips his arm out of his baggy pajamas, leaving his father-in-law to shake the sleeve while Buster keeps counting the cash. Fantastic sight gag!

 

 

Family Portrait

Another great scene. A photographer attempts to take a portrait of the family, but the tripod is slowly collapsing. As they wait for the photo to be taken, everyone crouches lower and lower with the sinking tripod until they all wind up lying on the floor. I’m also a big fan of the bit where Buster’s brothers-in-law (who are all enormous, of course,) keep trying to crowd him out of the picture, especially the 100%-committed poses Buster makes every time he finds a new spot to stand.

My Wife’s Relations (1922)

This film is from the tail end of Buster Keaton’s era of independent shorts, when, by all accounts, he was getting itchy to move on to features and had waning interest in the format.  By his standards, it’s certainly middling, although there are still some solid sequences and good laughs to be had.

Thanks to an ill-timed phone call, a broken window, and a judge who only speaks Polish, Buster accidentally winds up marrying an abrasive woman who’s none too keen on him (don’t you just hate it when that happens?)  Because the logical next step after you accidentally marry someone you don’t like is “be married to them,” Buster’s less-than-blushing bride takes him home to meet the in-laws, a boorish clan with more than its share of oversized brothers.  What follows is Buster’s misadventures as he halfheartedly tries to ingratiate himself into his new “family;” the tiffs, the misunderstandings, and the slapstick are all out in full force.

If I had to pick a prevailing sensation for this short, it’s “disinterested.”  It feels a bit like it’s just going through the motions, a short-by-numbers rather than a short by Buster.  It moves fluidly enough from sequence to sequence (unlike some of his early mid-range shorts, he’s definitely learned how to craft a film at this point,) but it doesn’t seem terribly excited about getting there.

Which isn’t to say there’s nothing good here.  There are certainly Bustery touches to be had – it’s just that they flavor the short rather than saturate it.  Buster’s woes in trying to sort out his bed are top-notch, his strategy for wrestling a little dinner for himself off the plates of his ravenous in-laws is fun, and I just love the moment he shivers and turns up his collar after they all give him the stink-eye (it’s such a little thing, but it makes all the difference.)  Oh, and I like it when, having knocked out one of his brothers-in-law with a brick, he then uses the same brick as a pillow for the unconscious man.  In these moments, you can feel Buster’s personality coming through.

In general, it actually feels more like a Fatty Arbuckle short.  This isn’t a comment on the lackadaisical execution – the Arbuckle-Keaton shorts are mostly livelier, funnier, and more creative than this – so I don’t mean it as a knock against Arbuckle.  No, the similarity is in the style of the slapstick.  Much of Buster’s work focuses on 1) expert tumbling and 2) creative evasions in chase scenes to get the physical humor, but there’s not a lot of that here.  Instead, there’s more Arbuckle-esque fighting.  Punches, kicks, flung objects – this one’s down ‘n’ dirty, with a rougher quality that feels more reminiscent of Arbuckle’s slapstick sensibilities than Buster’s.  There’s a bit of a chase in the climax, which perks up a little, but the main thrust is still on clobbering.

Overall, okay.  I’d say this short falls into the “good for a silent movie” category, whereas Buster’s more signature stuff is just plain “good” (or, let’s be honest, “amazing!”), no qualifications necessary.

Warnings

Lots of slapstick violence and a little bootlegging.