I have seen many, many silent comedies and have noticed a huge difference between comedies of the mid-1910s, late-1910s and into the 1920s. The early to mid-1910s saw comedies with hardly any plot and filled with pointless violence, such as kicking, slapping or randomly shooting off a gun. Sophisticated, it was NOT! In the late 1910s, plots became more defined and the humor was based less on violence...though kicking and the like still were common. By the 20s, plots and gags were far more sophisticated and, frankly, funny. I mention all this because "The Slavey" is a film that is not good by today's standards but for 1919 it was pretty good.
"The Slavey" follows a woman who works at a hotel. Her job involves doing almost anything needed...janitorial work, bussing tables, carrying suitcases and even cooking in their restaurant. Gale Henry is pretty good as this 'slavey' and the film has some semblance of a plot. But the movie also suffers from an overreliance on pratfalls and violence, such as the WAY overdone bits involving folks slipping on a soapy floor and the fly-swatting bit. You can't help but get bored with it, as there is no subtlety at all AND the bits go on way, way too long. But such sophistication wasn't the norm in 1919 and overdoing it was perfectly acceptable in the day. Today, you couldn't help but be underwhelmed by these gags.
Overall, while the film is far from perfect, for 1919 it's quite nice and holds up reasonably well. It's also a rare chance to see a female comic in action. Probably not a film for the average person, but for film buffs and historians it's worth a look.
