Surprisingly funny, early Keystone as Ford Sterling and Nick Coghley fight over Mabel Normand, their weapon of choice being - cheese! Sterling's usual over-the-top mugging works hilariously to express the vileness of the cheese. There isn't much to it other than that, and the ability of people to ignore a wedge of limburger being shoved into their pockets is surprising, but, hey, it's funny.
4 Reviews
This Is a Wonderfully Smelly Production
jayraskin117 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
In the early 1900's, German comedy teams were very popular and so were Limburger Cheese jokes and routines. Limburger was "the cheese you could smell in the dark." It is probable that this entire movie is based on a vaudeville routine. Both Sennett and Sterling had vaudeville backgrounds. and probably saw routines very much like this.
In a recent article called "The Cheese That Stands Alone," Ben Schwartz in "Lapham's Quarterly" notes the many films based on the bad smell of cheese:
"the movie, Oh! That Limburger: The Story of a Piece of Cheese (1906), in which two boys slip Limburger into their father's pockets, after which he is chased out of his office by his co-workers.
Still, it's doubtful Andrea foresaw how the new media of silent films aimed at younger, modern audiences would offer up Limburger as a comedy star. They include Limburger and Love (1910) and, conversely, Love and Limburger (1913), A Strong Revenge (1913), Adventures of Limburger and Schweitzer (1914), Limburger's Victory (1915), A Case of Limburger (1915), A Limburger Cyclone, (1917), and the Katzenjammer Kids cartoon, Down Where The Limburger Blows (1917). In Chaplin's Shoulder Arms (1918), the comedian plays a GI at the front who receives Limburger in a care package. He needs a gas mask to get near it, and then throws the cheese into an enemy trench forcing thirteen German soldiers to surrender. As a war hero, Limburger found one of its few positive images."
What is amazing about this movie, which is really one long and one short practical joke, is the ability of the actors to make you see how bad the cheese smells. The facial expression by Normand and the rest of the cast are so good, that you feel how bad the cheese smells.
This movie was made about six months after Keystone started. It is interesting to note that the movie ends with the Limburger cheese being thrown in an actor's face. This was before Keystone starting using the thrown pie in the face gag. This film can be seen as an important precursor and father of that gag.
In a recent article called "The Cheese That Stands Alone," Ben Schwartz in "Lapham's Quarterly" notes the many films based on the bad smell of cheese:
"the movie, Oh! That Limburger: The Story of a Piece of Cheese (1906), in which two boys slip Limburger into their father's pockets, after which he is chased out of his office by his co-workers.
Still, it's doubtful Andrea foresaw how the new media of silent films aimed at younger, modern audiences would offer up Limburger as a comedy star. They include Limburger and Love (1910) and, conversely, Love and Limburger (1913), A Strong Revenge (1913), Adventures of Limburger and Schweitzer (1914), Limburger's Victory (1915), A Case of Limburger (1915), A Limburger Cyclone, (1917), and the Katzenjammer Kids cartoon, Down Where The Limburger Blows (1917). In Chaplin's Shoulder Arms (1918), the comedian plays a GI at the front who receives Limburger in a care package. He needs a gas mask to get near it, and then throws the cheese into an enemy trench forcing thirteen German soldiers to surrender. As a war hero, Limburger found one of its few positive images."
What is amazing about this movie, which is really one long and one short practical joke, is the ability of the actors to make you see how bad the cheese smells. The facial expression by Normand and the rest of the cast are so good, that you feel how bad the cheese smells.
This movie was made about six months after Keystone started. It is interesting to note that the movie ends with the Limburger cheese being thrown in an actor's face. This was before Keystone starting using the thrown pie in the face gag. This film can be seen as an important precursor and father of that gag.
GREAT fun early Keystone!
orasidagic5 June 2020
While the film features no cops or chase scenes, the film is surprisingly as good if not better than most Keystones that feature one. While the movie is essentially one run on joke about a piece of smelly cheese, it never drags or becomes boring or weary. You know those SNL sketches that feature one half hearted run on joke? How after the first thirty seconds it becomes tedious to watch? This is the complete opposite. In fact, I was genuinely laughing in some bits. Ford Sterling here is perfect in his role; so are Mack and Mabel. Speaking of Mabel, her acting ability is shown off here: her facial expressions really help the audience to realize just how dang smelly that old piece of cheese is! 10/10 recommend.
Suffers from overacting
deickemeyer8 August 2017
A funny situation, which suffers from overacting, in imitation of the French eccentrics. Dutch and Irish characters do not make violent gestures with their hands, such as these actors would have us believe. Yet the main idea is amusing. The cobbler puts Limburger cheese in the grocer's shoes, which creates consternation at the ball. Later the grocer retaliates and wins back the pretty girl over which there is rivalry. A good comedy of its type. - The Moving Picture World, March 15, 1913
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