With the sudden and runaway success of Harry Langdon over at Sennett, Hal Roach figured he needed to get himself one of them too, so he cast Arthur Stone in the role.
He needn't have bothered. Stone, while a capable actor and comedian, didn't have what Langdon did: twenty years' experience in playing the role. What were Roach gag writers supposed to do with their strengths in character-based farce, with a character who seemingly had none? Throw all the standard gags, including a lion, into the mix and hope something stuck.
What sticks is what happened in Langdon's movies when he carried things too far: the character ceased to be naively funny, but simply clueless and annoying.
H.M. Walker's titles are as good as ever -- startlingly funny, especially when contrasted with the below-standard visuals. Martha Sleeper as a gum-chewing cigar counter girl is also excellent. Roach had hired her from the Buddy Messinger unit at Universal for Our Gang and found that she was far too mature for the kids. She's fine here, if unrecognizable except for her sparkling eyes.
He needn't have bothered. Stone, while a capable actor and comedian, didn't have what Langdon did: twenty years' experience in playing the role. What were Roach gag writers supposed to do with their strengths in character-based farce, with a character who seemingly had none? Throw all the standard gags, including a lion, into the mix and hope something stuck.
What sticks is what happened in Langdon's movies when he carried things too far: the character ceased to be naively funny, but simply clueless and annoying.
H.M. Walker's titles are as good as ever -- startlingly funny, especially when contrasted with the below-standard visuals. Martha Sleeper as a gum-chewing cigar counter girl is also excellent. Roach had hired her from the Buddy Messinger unit at Universal for Our Gang and found that she was far too mature for the kids. She's fine here, if unrecognizable except for her sparkling eyes.
