He Did and He Didn't (I) (1916)

A doctor irrationally suspects his wife is carrying on an affair with her childhood friend.

Director:

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Stars:

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, William Jefferson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle	...	The Doctor (as Roscoe Arbuckle)
Mabel Normand	...	His Wife
William Jefferson	...	Her Schoolmate (as Wm. Jefferson)
Al St. John	...	A Bounding Burglar

Storyline

A doctor, very much in love with his beautiful wife, comes to suspect that her visiting childhood friend Jack is more than just a friend. Jack's intentions are honorable, but everything he does tends to show his actions in a suspicious light, especially when burglars invade the house and Jack and the wife are caught together in their nightclothes.

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Plot Keywords:

repetition in title

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1916 (USA)

Also Known As:

Love and Lobsters

Filming Locations:

Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keystone Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min 20 min (TCM print) (2005)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Hollywood: Single Beds and Double Standards (1980)

User Reviews

Dark Comedy

This is one of the remarkable short comedies that Arbuckle turned out at the end of his contract at Keystone while he was in New Jersey, far from Sennett's grasp: quite possibly the best. Elaborate, realistic sets, varieties of characterizations -- here he plays an irascible doctor who is jealous of wife Mabel's old boyfriend --and the darkest lighting in a comedy until BRINGING UP BABY combine to produce a comedy far from Keystone's frenetic mold.

Add in Arbuckle's casual gags and the result is an excellent comedy that is still highly watchable -- except, of course, when you are trying to make sense of real-life nephew Al St. John's awful mugging and high-speed rowdyism. Still, the man can take a fall.