When Quackel Did Hide (1920)
** (out of 4)
This two-reeler was released the same year that DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE was being played by both John Barrymore on Sheldon Lewis on the big screen. In this film, Dr. Quarkel (Charlie Joy) is just an all around nice man but he wants to be bad so he makes a secret formula to turn him into Hide. WHEN QUACKEL DID HIDE is a forgotten film that most people haven't heard of and a few books on silent horror films even overlooks this. Obviously this short was more comic than anything else but I personally didn't find it too funny. The opening fifteen-minutes are mildly entertaining but there's certainly nothing special about them. The final eight-minutes is when the film turns into a Keystone like comedy as we get some chases as well as some goofy cops. There's a scene on a drawbridge that is actually pretty good and certainly the highlight of the picture.