The credits on this Keystone are pretty much of a mess. The only player of whom I am sure is Sennett's utility comedian, Chester Conklin, who tries to court a pretty piano teacher by stealing a hurdy-gurdy and singing to her -- badly, we may assume from the acting. Meanwhile, the Italian whose machine he has stolen, plants a bomb on him, which Chester subsequently puts inside a piano, to be triggered when a particular note is played. You've seen this routine played between Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. In walks the piano teacher, so Chester steals the piano and proceeds to ride it down a hill.
It's not a great comedy, but the editing is fine, switching between three or four locations quickly and easily, telling the story well enough visually. Unhappily, it's not a particularly funny movie, with only the final ride down the hill on a piano run decently.
Sennett had a lot of trouble keeping his top talent. He didn't struggle too hard to keep them, convinced they could always be replaced. At this moment, his top players were Roscoe Arbuckle and Mabel Normand, who were doing a fine series of comedies, but even Mabel would leave shortly for greener fields at Goldwyn and Arbuckle would flee to New York, where he could control his own product and then leave for a contract with Paramount.
In the meantime, Sennett's comedies were still popular, despite the fact that this sort of anarchic comedy was reaching its limits. The competition had figured out what he was doing and the drain would continue. His strength remained in his editing department, which would continue to be the best in Hollywood until sound came in and they moved on to greener pastures.
It's not a great comedy, but the editing is fine, switching between three or four locations quickly and easily, telling the story well enough visually. Unhappily, it's not a particularly funny movie, with only the final ride down the hill on a piano run decently.
Sennett had a lot of trouble keeping his top talent. He didn't struggle too hard to keep them, convinced they could always be replaced. At this moment, his top players were Roscoe Arbuckle and Mabel Normand, who were doing a fine series of comedies, but even Mabel would leave shortly for greener fields at Goldwyn and Arbuckle would flee to New York, where he could control his own product and then leave for a contract with Paramount.
In the meantime, Sennett's comedies were still popular, despite the fact that this sort of anarchic comedy was reaching its limits. The competition had figured out what he was doing and the drain would continue. His strength remained in his editing department, which would continue to be the best in Hollywood until sound came in and they moved on to greener pastures.
