An unremarkable Keystone effort with much mugging and physical attacks. This is what people think of when they think of a Mack Sennet comedy: much movement and little in the way of sense, as people beat each other up and wander into open cages at the zoo. None of Keystone's top comics are in this one, although Sydney Chaplin, as the lead, manages a few graceful surprises.
5 Reviews
Not much of a "Day of rest," even by Keystone's standards
sno-smari-m23 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The mutual lives of the two Chaplin-brothers Charlie and Sydney, and how choices each brother made affected the other, are worthy of an examination on their own. It was the elder Sydney who'd got Charlie hired in Fred Karno's music hall troupe, securing Charlie's first rise to stardom; on the other hand, it was Charlie's eventual meteoric success in films at Keystone which had made said studio's boss, Mack Sennett, interested in Sydney. Although eventually treated by history as an (albeit significant) anecdote to the life of his younger brother, Sydney starred in quite a few successful Keystone-films during 1914-15 in his own right. GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST serves as a pretty representative piece of work to anyone eager to check out his brand of comedy in those years. Although of a slightly more robust physique than his brother, the costume with the hat, moustasche and large trousers derives from the same comedy tradition. He is an entirely one-dimensional character here, only interested in drink and gals, but he makes it funny.
If you've seen a few Keystone-films, you'll grasp the essence of this one in a hurry; Sydney had appeared in another two-reeler called CAUGHT IN THE PARK just a couple of months before, and GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is a strikingly similar comedy. As the former film, this one is set entirely in a park, providing little in terms of story but plenty of situations for the performers to come up with gags. Sydney Chaplin serves as the inevitable center of attention. Being an experienced star comedian from music hall, he arguably appears more focused in his performances than many of his contemporaries; much like Charlie, he is often at his funniest when allowed to halt the frantic action for a moment, to do a gag or two on a smaller scale. One example on this here includes the part where he is about to give his wife a much-needed sip of liquor after a car accident, only to take the sip himself instead even so, he considerately wipes her mouth with a napkin. Another bit has Syd performing a mindless, but funny prank on his sleeping wife involving a balloon.
Gags such as the ones above could easily have been performed by Charlie in the same period, and implicate why both Chaplins stood out from the rest, so to speak. There's lots and lots of other activity going on as well, involving Sydney's nagging wife Phyllis Allen, Eddie Cline as a Kop, Keystone beauty Cecile Arnold, and the rightfully jealous boyfriend of the latter woman, Slim Summerville. Adding to the madness is a determined T-Ford as well as, for some reason, a real leopard (one should keep in mind that TV and channels like National Geographic didn't exist at this point, so to witness an exotic animal like this in a comedy film in 1915 must've been quite a treat). However, despite amusing bits of business, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is still rather standard farce, on the whole. Had this been a one-reeler I wouldn't have given a thought to the total absence of a story, but expectations get higher once we deal with two reels. While any fan of silent comedy is apt to find some measure of enjoyment watching this one, the individual bits would probably have benefited from a somewhat more tightly choreographed entirety. A story as such may not be necessary, but all of the best films at Keystone at least provided a well-established premise, which is lacking in this film. I also found the final gag to be rather macabre (won't reveal it here).
Sydney's brother Charlie had, by comparison, abandoned Keystone a few months prior to this film, and already begun to experiment with hints of pathos and character development in his most recent films at Essanay Studios. It has been suggested that Syd took his work less seriously than Charlie; even so, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST clearly showcases a very talented comedian and pantomimist.
If you've seen a few Keystone-films, you'll grasp the essence of this one in a hurry; Sydney had appeared in another two-reeler called CAUGHT IN THE PARK just a couple of months before, and GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is a strikingly similar comedy. As the former film, this one is set entirely in a park, providing little in terms of story but plenty of situations for the performers to come up with gags. Sydney Chaplin serves as the inevitable center of attention. Being an experienced star comedian from music hall, he arguably appears more focused in his performances than many of his contemporaries; much like Charlie, he is often at his funniest when allowed to halt the frantic action for a moment, to do a gag or two on a smaller scale. One example on this here includes the part where he is about to give his wife a much-needed sip of liquor after a car accident, only to take the sip himself instead even so, he considerately wipes her mouth with a napkin. Another bit has Syd performing a mindless, but funny prank on his sleeping wife involving a balloon.
Gags such as the ones above could easily have been performed by Charlie in the same period, and implicate why both Chaplins stood out from the rest, so to speak. There's lots and lots of other activity going on as well, involving Sydney's nagging wife Phyllis Allen, Eddie Cline as a Kop, Keystone beauty Cecile Arnold, and the rightfully jealous boyfriend of the latter woman, Slim Summerville. Adding to the madness is a determined T-Ford as well as, for some reason, a real leopard (one should keep in mind that TV and channels like National Geographic didn't exist at this point, so to witness an exotic animal like this in a comedy film in 1915 must've been quite a treat). However, despite amusing bits of business, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST is still rather standard farce, on the whole. Had this been a one-reeler I wouldn't have given a thought to the total absence of a story, but expectations get higher once we deal with two reels. While any fan of silent comedy is apt to find some measure of enjoyment watching this one, the individual bits would probably have benefited from a somewhat more tightly choreographed entirety. A story as such may not be necessary, but all of the best films at Keystone at least provided a well-established premise, which is lacking in this film. I also found the final gag to be rather macabre (won't reveal it here).
Sydney's brother Charlie had, by comparison, abandoned Keystone a few months prior to this film, and already begun to experiment with hints of pathos and character development in his most recent films at Essanay Studios. It has been suggested that Syd took his work less seriously than Charlie; even so, GUSSLE'S DAY OF REST clearly showcases a very talented comedian and pantomimist.
Fine Performances
Michael_Elliott14 September 2012
Gussle's Day of Rest (1915)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Gussle (Syd Chaplin) takes the wife (Phyllis Allen) he downright hates to the park where she's constantly hitting and screaming at him. While there Gussle tries to take a woman (Cecile Arnold) away from her boyfriend (Slim Summerville) and sure enough many fights come from it. This two-reeler from Keystone suffers from not having enough story or laughs for a 20-minute movie but I thought there were some funny moments scattered throughout it. While this certainly isn't a great movie or even a good one, I think what laughs are here makes it worth sitting through. One of the funniest moments happen early on when Gussle sees that his wife has money so he plays a little slide of hand trick on her to try and get it. There's also another very funny sequence where the wife is sleeping so Gussle decides to play a prank by putting a balloon in her mouth. I won't ruin what happens but it's quite funny. The four actors all are in fine form and especially Chaplin who has a very good comic timing here. I was also very happy with Allen who is such a hag that you can just picture and hear everything that's coming out of her mouth as she screams at the husband.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Gussle (Syd Chaplin) takes the wife (Phyllis Allen) he downright hates to the park where she's constantly hitting and screaming at him. While there Gussle tries to take a woman (Cecile Arnold) away from her boyfriend (Slim Summerville) and sure enough many fights come from it. This two-reeler from Keystone suffers from not having enough story or laughs for a 20-minute movie but I thought there were some funny moments scattered throughout it. While this certainly isn't a great movie or even a good one, I think what laughs are here makes it worth sitting through. One of the funniest moments happen early on when Gussle sees that his wife has money so he plays a little slide of hand trick on her to try and get it. There's also another very funny sequence where the wife is sleeping so Gussle decides to play a prank by putting a balloon in her mouth. I won't ruin what happens but it's quite funny. The four actors all are in fine form and especially Chaplin who has a very good comic timing here. I was also very happy with Allen who is such a hag that you can just picture and hear everything that's coming out of her mouth as she screams at the husband.
Mr. and Mrs. Gussle....a sweet, loving couple...or not!
planktonrules15 February 2021
In 1914, Charlie Chaplin began his film career and was almost instantly a big star with Keystone Pictures. So, it's not at all surprising that the studio would also try out Charlie's half-brother, Syd, as he, too, had a long career on stage as a comic. Of the almost three dozen films he made, many were as the character 'Reggie Gussle'...the term 'gussle', which means an idiot. This character wasn't much like Charlie's Little Tramp, though his outfits and getup were also pretty outrageous. Gussle had a funny upside-down mustache, an ill-fitting jacket, a dopey hat and slicked back hair...and looked a lot like Harold Lloyd's later character, Lonesome Luke. But Gussle never really caught on with theater audiences and Syd later tried other film roles after making about ten of these films.
When the story begins, Gussle is out with his wife, a woman who seems very adept at manhandling him when he stops out of line...which is often. After a while, however, Reggie is struck by a car and Mrs. Gussle faints. While none of this sounds all that funny, the fainting and Reggie's reaction to the car are pretty funny...for 1915. After all, comedy was NOT subtle back then and slapstick was the norm. And, while Reggie turns out to be okay, his wife sure ends up taking a beating.
After this, the couple continue their day out, enjoying a few minutes at the zoo (before Mrs. Gussle slaps him silly for no apparent reason). In fact throughout the film, Mrs. Gussle beats the snot out of him. However, as the film progresses, you can see why (such as making passes at women, locking her in a cage with a leopard and blowing smoke in her face) and often she just slaps him around because back in the slapstick era, this alone passed for great comedy. While by today's standards, this is pretty crude and unfunny, for a Gussle film it's actually better than most. There are a few laughs...and lots of meaningless violence. A very good look at what slapstick was in films, though the oft-used mindlessly shooting a gun isn't used in this short.
By the way, Gussle's rival in this one is played by a young Slim Summerville, who had a significant career in talking pictures as well as in silents.
When the story begins, Gussle is out with his wife, a woman who seems very adept at manhandling him when he stops out of line...which is often. After a while, however, Reggie is struck by a car and Mrs. Gussle faints. While none of this sounds all that funny, the fainting and Reggie's reaction to the car are pretty funny...for 1915. After all, comedy was NOT subtle back then and slapstick was the norm. And, while Reggie turns out to be okay, his wife sure ends up taking a beating.
After this, the couple continue their day out, enjoying a few minutes at the zoo (before Mrs. Gussle slaps him silly for no apparent reason). In fact throughout the film, Mrs. Gussle beats the snot out of him. However, as the film progresses, you can see why (such as making passes at women, locking her in a cage with a leopard and blowing smoke in her face) and often she just slaps him around because back in the slapstick era, this alone passed for great comedy. While by today's standards, this is pretty crude and unfunny, for a Gussle film it's actually better than most. There are a few laughs...and lots of meaningless violence. A very good look at what slapstick was in films, though the oft-used mindlessly shooting a gun isn't used in this short.
By the way, Gussle's rival in this one is played by a young Slim Summerville, who had a significant career in talking pictures as well as in silents.
One of the funniest films
deickemeyer10 November 2019
This two-reel Keystone is what one might vulgarly term a "riot." Syd Chaplin and his assistants do their "worst," and the result is one of the funniest films of the farce comedy class that one could ever see. It has a lot of the same old tricks in it, but it has also a great deal that is original. To attempt to describe it in short space would be out of the question. - The Moving Picture World, April 3, 1915
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