You've probably never heard of Smith and Dale, but they were a great cross talk act in vaudeville. Neil Simon based THE SUNSHINE BOY on them -- actually, they were great friends -- and at the heart of that show is Smith & Dale's classic skit "Doctor Kronkheit and His Only Living Patient". Their act was so-so, but they were a riot together with an amazing timing built from talent and decades of working together.
You can see it in this short subject in the way they slang each other as lunch stand owners with gambling problems. Director Charley Chase fills in this average comedy with some good standard gags, including a nice role for fellow Sennett veteran Chester Conklin -- he's the one in the walrus mustache -- and a nice bit in which the co-stars and Bud Jamison are stuck in a phone booth. At its heart, though, it's a decent comedy sustained by the stars. Come to think of it, that's more than good enough.
You can see it in this short subject in the way they slang each other as lunch stand owners with gambling problems. Director Charley Chase fills in this average comedy with some good standard gags, including a nice role for fellow Sennett veteran Chester Conklin -- he's the one in the walrus mustache -- and a nice bit in which the co-stars and Bud Jamison are stuck in a phone booth. At its heart, though, it's a decent comedy sustained by the stars. Come to think of it, that's more than good enough.
