The boys get jobs as caddies at the exclusive Biltmore Golf Club, causing all sorts of havoc.The boys get jobs as caddies at the exclusive Biltmore Golf Club, causing all sorts of havoc.The boys get jobs as caddies at the exclusive Biltmore Golf Club, causing all sorts of havoc.
Photos
Gene Layman
- Fatty
- (as Gene 'Fatty' Layman)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFormer circus and vaudeville performer Charles Dorety appears opposite Gene "Fatty" Layman in this rare 1926 comedy. Here the boys get jobs as caddies at the exclusive Biltmore Golf Club, causing all sorts of havoc. This film features actors performing in blackface. Fandor does not condone racist stereotyping, but blackface is nonetheless a significant aspect of American history in general and film history specifically. Early cinema was deeply rooted in vaudeville, where blackface was a popular staple. As film critic Ty Burr wrote in a recent assessment of Al Jolson's THE JAZZ SINGER, "Minstrelsy was the then-accepted cultural mechanism by which the governing white culture could appropriate and tame various representations of black people." The history of blackface is complex (even African American performers donned burnt cork to appear onstage in the early 1900s), and its legacy is far from being resolved. While blackface iconography appears offensive today, it remains deeply telling of the culture from which it emerged.
Featured review
It just wasn't very funny.
Charles Dorety and Gene Layman play two poor idiots who decide to become caddies to make some extra money. Despite having no money, they soon seem to forget and end up accepting a challenge by some golfers, as they can't afford this bet and they are supposed to be caddying for money, not acting like members of the country club.
One of the first things you'll notice when they enter the club house is that one of the caddies is a White kid all done up in black-face. Unfortunately, in the silent era, White people often played Black people and I am sure that if anyone else sees this rather obscure film that they'll be taken aback by this. Of course, calling Dorety "Fatty" throughout the film isn't exactly a lesson in sensitivity either! The other thing you'll notice is that there seems to be a distinct lack of laughs in the film--a serious problem when it's supposed to be a comedy. I might be able to look beyond the stereotypes (after all, this was a part of our history and was NOT that uncommon in films), but no laughs mean this film just isn't worth your time unless you absolutely love silent comedy and have seen practically everything else first.
PS--Considering that Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was involved in a scandal before this film was made, I'm rather surprised that Charles Dorety used the name "Fatty" as well. Sure, it appears that Arbuckle was innocent, but his reputation was pretty bad in 1926.
One of the first things you'll notice when they enter the club house is that one of the caddies is a White kid all done up in black-face. Unfortunately, in the silent era, White people often played Black people and I am sure that if anyone else sees this rather obscure film that they'll be taken aback by this. Of course, calling Dorety "Fatty" throughout the film isn't exactly a lesson in sensitivity either! The other thing you'll notice is that there seems to be a distinct lack of laughs in the film--a serious problem when it's supposed to be a comedy. I might be able to look beyond the stereotypes (after all, this was a part of our history and was NOT that uncommon in films), but no laughs mean this film just isn't worth your time unless you absolutely love silent comedy and have seen practically everything else first.
PS--Considering that Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was involved in a scandal before this film was made, I'm rather surprised that Charles Dorety used the name "Fatty" as well. Sure, it appears that Arbuckle was innocent, but his reputation was pretty bad in 1926.
helpful•21
- planktonrules
- Dec 31, 2008
Details
- Runtime20 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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