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Fatty's Chance Acquaintance More at IMDbPro »

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Another day at the park with Roscoe & Company, 30 April 2005

Author: wmorrow59 from Westchester County, NY

I saw this silent one-reel comedy at a public screening along with several other shorts, all made for Keystone in 1915 and all featuring Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. Many of the same supporting players turned up in film after film, and perhaps it goes without saying that some of the same plot elements and gags turned up repeatedly too, although in fairness it should be pointed out that the filmmakers never expected or intended for these little movies to be shown back-to-back: each Keystone comedy was meant as a curtain-raiser for the main feature, along with short dramas, documentaries, newsreels, and, in later years, cartoons. Still, audiences of the time surely must have recognized certain story motifs and favorite comic bits even when seeing the films over an extended period, especially these "park" comedies.

FATTY'S CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE is a typical example of a Keystone park comedy, set entirely outdoors and featuring all the key ingredients: flirtatious shenanigans, larceny, slapstick violence, and vigorous efforts by law officers to restore order. I wouldn't call this a great comedy or even an especially good one, but it's pleasant enough and provides a few laughs along the way. Perhaps the most notable aspect is that, in comparison with Chaplin, Roscoe Arbuckle (who both starred in and directed this film) did not entirely dominate his productions and tended to work as part of an ensemble. He was certainly generous here towards his fellow actors in terms of sharing screen time and gags: some of the funniest moments belong to supporting players Frank Hayes, Harry McCoy, and Billie Bennett. Hayes, an older character actor with the face of a goblin, plays a cop and gets perhaps the biggest laugh of the picture simply peering through shrubbery in a tight close-up. This cop is watching thief Harry McCoy, who snatches a purse Chaplin-style with the hook of his cane and is pursued doggedly thereafter. Roscoe's wife is portrayed by Billie Bennett in the classic Haughty Duchess manner (earning a hearty raspberry from Roscoe when her back is turned), but once she realizes she's been robbed she drops the Grande Dame act and shows surprising vigor in tackling and pummeling the person she believes responsible-- although as it happens, she's chosen the wrong person.

For his part, Roscoe wastes no time in ditching his wife and taking up with a much more attractive and agreeable young lady who, as it turns out, is Harry's girlfriend and partner-in-crime. (This young woman is played by Minta Durfee, who, off-screen, was at the time Mrs. Roscoe Arbuckle.) When she announces she's hungry Roscoe promises to treat her to a meal at the park's outdoor café, a meal he expects to pay for with his wife's money-- unaware that her pocket-book has already been cleaned out by Harry, who is busy getting chased all over the park by the goblin-faced cop. And so it goes!

Like I said, it's no classic, but it's pure Keystone stuff and fun while it lasts. It often seems to me that the plots of these movies were concocted just moments before the cameras were set up for the first shot, and that's a big part of their charm.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
A Park Comedy With Fatty Arbuckle, 21 July 2008

Author: CitizenCaine from Las Vegas, Nevada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Fatty Arbuckle and his ogre wife are trying to enjoy a day in the park when a pickpocket, played by Harry McCoy, spies Fatty's wife's purse and Fatty spies the pickpocket's girl, played by Fatty's wife Minta Durfee. Meanwhile, a ridiculously aged cop, played by Frank Hayes, chases after the pickpocket. Fatty eventually shoulders the blame from his wife. This park comedy reminds us of the several films Chaplin did during the same time of a similar nature with the same characters. Chaplin made himself the center of attention in his films, which was often the reason his earlier films were just average. Fatty Arbuckle gives each cast member a chance to shine in this film, but it's over-reliance on slapstick makes it an average film. ** of 4 stars.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Extremely derivative--nothing new here, 16 July 2006

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This film, after the first few minutes, is almost an exact copy of another Fatty Arbuckle film made just two months earlier! The other movie was MABEL AND FATTY'S WASH DAY and both feature two couples at the same park, Fatty married to a nasty shrew, Fatty taking her purse when she falls asleep to go stepping out with a pretty lady and both feature the wife waking up and going on a rampage when she finds her purse missing! In this case, as Fatty's wife is sleeping, he slips away and meets a cute but bad lady. At the same time, the bad lady's larcenous boyfriend sneaks over to Fatty's sleeping wife and steals the money out of her purse. Later, Fatty takes the empty purse and then takes the pretty but bad lady to get a snack but after they eat, he finds the purse is empty.

A decent film with some plot a few laughs, but it's all been done before.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Has Some Funny Moments Using Standard Material, 22 November 2005
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

In this short comedy, Roscoe Arbuckle and the rest of the Keystone cast and crew make use of some of their standard gag ideas and story material to produce some funny moments. Arbuckle plays the kind of put-upon husband character that he was often using at the time, and his character is put into a series of comic situations, most of which work.

The story has Arbuckle and his domineering wife visiting the park and becoming entangled with another couple, one of whom is a purse snatcher. Arbuckle has some scenes with his stern wife, played by Billie Bennett, and he has some engaging moments with Minta Durfee as the purse snatcher's companion. It's always interesting to observe that on-screen Arbuckle usually had better chemistry with Mabel Normand, but this feature is one of his better pairings with Durfee, as they do work well together in their scenes.

Harry McCoy, as the purse snatcher, and Frank Hayes, as a park policeman, also have some good moments. There are some clever gags that make continual use of the wife's purse and the men's canes, and they help to pull the story together. The material is nothing new, but most of it is entertaining, and it moves quickly once it gets going.

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Middle Ground Fatty, 25 February 2008
Author: Michael_Elliott from Louisville, KY

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance (1915)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Fatty's wife drags him to the park so that she can read but once there he leaves her when he spots a prettier woman. This short drags in spots but there are still a few nice laughs including a thief getting chased around the park by a elderly cop. There's also a nice sequence with Fatty trying to get his wife to let him buy a drink. Frank Hayes steals the show as the cop.

Film can be found on The Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle, which contains four discs worth of material including items directed by Arbuckle after he was blacklisted from Hollywood.

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