This is one of several short comedies that Ben Turpin made for the Weiss Brothers towards the end of the silent era. Considering the film's age, it's still in surprisingly good shape and was released along with several other Weiss Brothers shorts on a DVD entitled "Weiss-O-Rama".
The film begins with Ben home with his family. His wife, if it's possible, is more ugly and cross-eyed than Ben. His two children are,...well...awful. They get into more mischief than you could imagine. However, after destroying their home, they learn that Ben has a new job out in California. The wife has the brilliant idea of driving from Chicago to LA and much of the film shows the family camping out in the desert.
Overall, there are a decent number of laughs and it's an amiable film--though certainly not among the comedian's best. However, what makes this film very interesting is the baby. While the kid looks very small and young, you'd swear it's not a baby--especially after it does some acrobatics. That's because this is the famous midget, Billy Barty, at age 4. This alone make it worth seeing.
The film begins with Ben home with his family. His wife, if it's possible, is more ugly and cross-eyed than Ben. His two children are,...well...awful. They get into more mischief than you could imagine. However, after destroying their home, they learn that Ben has a new job out in California. The wife has the brilliant idea of driving from Chicago to LA and much of the film shows the family camping out in the desert.
Overall, there are a decent number of laughs and it's an amiable film--though certainly not among the comedian's best. However, what makes this film very interesting is the baby. While the kid looks very small and young, you'd swear it's not a baby--especially after it does some acrobatics. That's because this is the famous midget, Billy Barty, at age 4. This alone make it worth seeing.
