When Frank Bennett sees pretty Rosemary Theby leave a handbag on the trolley, he views it as an opportunity to meet a pretty girl. Little does he know that the owner of the bag is Flora Finch, Vitagraph's resident Ugly Comedienne.
Given that the punchline of this split-reel comedy is telegraphed early on, there isn't much to be amused by. True enough, Miss Finch mugs it up very well towards the end, but that isn't enough for me. It's little wonder that Mack Sennett's Keystone comedies would be the ones from this era that are well remembered. Although they often seem chaotic to the modern eye, the Keystones are packed with enough jokes and gags that there is usually something to laugh at. While some of the Vitagraph comedies are very well done, if you don't enjoy the one joke, you don't enjoy the entire movie.
If you wish to see this one, there's a copy of it on the Eye Institute site on Youtube.
Given that the punchline of this split-reel comedy is telegraphed early on, there isn't much to be amused by. True enough, Miss Finch mugs it up very well towards the end, but that isn't enough for me. It's little wonder that Mack Sennett's Keystone comedies would be the ones from this era that are well remembered. Although they often seem chaotic to the modern eye, the Keystones are packed with enough jokes and gags that there is usually something to laugh at. While some of the Vitagraph comedies are very well done, if you don't enjoy the one joke, you don't enjoy the entire movie.
If you wish to see this one, there's a copy of it on the Eye Institute site on Youtube.
