In his day, John Bunny was among the most famous film comedians in the world--though today practically no one would recognize his name. This rotund comic made a huge string of short films in the days before Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton and the only contemporary comic of similar stature was the Frenchman, Max Linder. Few of Bunny's (or Linder's) films remain--having disintegrated over time due to their being made of unstable nitrate stock. I have seen three of his films--and unfortunately this is probably as many as any living person has seen. By the standards of the later comedians, these films aren't great--but how can you judge a comic's entire body of work with only three films?!
As for HEARTS AND DIAMONDS, it's a mildly funny film about a rather mercenary Bunny trying to court a rich lady. To impress her, he pretends to love baseball since it's her greatest passion. But, unable to impress her by showing up to games, he creates his own team and competes against the traveling professional team. It's got a few good moments but it's not super-funny. Interestingly enough, the film is not "slapstick" in style but is a nice and watchable narrative.
