George Kleine was a member of the Edison Patents Trust who made most of his money importing Italian films into the United States. With the outbreak of the First World War, however, his supply of films dried up, so he went into production himself. Because Italian slapstick was the most brutal and unrepentant variety current, he produced the Musty Suffer series, which tied with Billie Ritchie's series for nastiness and beat it hollow for filth. For the role of Musty he got Harry Watson Jr., whose performance as a tramp clown had made him a Ziegfeld star in 1907.
In this one, Musty gets roped into being the bellhop of the Outside Inn, a hotel in which the elevator is powered by Musty hauling on a rope. Variations on this make up the majority of the gag and while it is funny, it is certainly not the best of the series. Still, at least no one performs plastic surgery on him with a hack saw in this one.
In this one, Musty gets roped into being the bellhop of the Outside Inn, a hotel in which the elevator is powered by Musty hauling on a rope. Variations on this make up the majority of the gag and while it is funny, it is certainly not the best of the series. Still, at least no one performs plastic surgery on him with a hack saw in this one.
