Fatty's Chance Acquaintance

In this short comedy, Roscoe Arbuckle and the rest of the Keystone cast and crew make use of some of their standard gag ideas and story material to produce some funny moments. Arbuckle plays the kind of put-upon husband character that he was often using at the time, and his character is put into a series of comic situations, most of which work.

The story has Arbuckle and his domineering wife visiting the park and becoming entangled with another couple, one of whom is a purse snatcher. Arbuckle has some scenes with his stern wife, played by Billie Bennett, and he has some engaging moments with Minta Durfee as the purse snatcher's companion. It's always interesting to observe that on-screen Arbuckle usually had better chemistry with Mabel Normand, but this feature is one of his better pairings with Durfee, as they do work well together in their scenes.

Harry McCoy, as the purse snatcher, and Frank Hayes, as a park policeman, also have some good moments. There are some clever gags that make continual use of the wife's purse and the men's canes, and they help to pull the story together. The material is nothing new, but most of it is entertaining, and it moves quickly once it gets going.

I viewed this silent one-reel comedy at a public screening along with several other shorts, all made for Keystone in 1915 and all featuring Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. Many of the same supporting players turn up in film after film, and perhaps it goes without saying that some of the same plot elements and gags turn up repeatedly too, although in fairness it should be added that the filmmakers never expected or intended for these shorts to be shown back-to-back: each Keystone comedy was meant as a curtain-raiser for the main feature, along with short dramas, documentaries, newsreels, and, somewhat later, cartoons. Still, audiences of the time surely must have recognized certain story motifs, distinctive players, and favorite comic bits, even when seeing the films over an extended period, especially these "park" comedies.

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance is a typical example of a Keystone park comedy, set entirely outdoors and featuring all the key ingredients: flirtatious shenanigans, larceny, slapstick violence, and vigorous efforts by law officers to restore order. I wouldn't call this a great comedy or one that stands out from the pack, but it's amusing enough and provides a few laughs along the way. Perhaps the most notable aspect is that, in comparison with Chaplin, Roscoe Arbuckle (who both starred in and directed this film) did not entirely dominate his productions, but rather tended to work as part of an ensemble. He was certainly generous with his fellow actors in sharing screen time and gags: some of the funniest moments here belong to supporting players Frank Hayes, Harry McCoy, and Billie Bennett. Hayes, an older character actor with the face of a goblin, plays a cop and gets perhaps the biggest laugh of the picture simply peering through shrubbery in a tight close-up. This cop is watching thief Harry McCoy, who snatches a purse Chaplin-style with the hook of his cane, and is pursued doggedly thereafter. Roscoe's wife is portrayed by Billie Bennett in the typical Haughty Duchess manner (earning a hearty raspberry from Roscoe when her back is turned), but once she realizes she's been robbed she drops the Grande Dame act and shows surprising vigor in tackling and pummeling the person she believes responsible -- although as it happens, she's chosen the wrong guy.

For his part, Roscoe wastes no time in ditching his wife and taking up with a much more attractive and agreeable young lady who, as it turns out, is Harry's girlfriend and partner-in-crime. (This young woman is played by Minta Durfee, who, off-screen, was Mrs. Roscoe Arbuckle at the time.) When she announces she's hungry, Roscoe promises to treat her to a meal at the park's outdoor café, a meal he expects to pay for with his wife's money -- unaware that her pocket-book has already been cleaned out by Harry, who is busy getting chased all over the park by the goblin-faced cop. And so it goes!

Like I said, this film is not a particular stand-out, but it's pure Keystone stuff and fun while it lasts. It often appears that the plots of these movies were concocted just moments before the cameras were set up for the first shot, and that spontaneity a big part of their charm.

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance (1915)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Fatty's wife drags him to the park so that she can read but once there he leaves her when he spots a prettier woman. This short drags in spots but there are still a few nice laughs including a thief getting chased around the park by a elderly cop. There's also a nice sequence with Fatty trying to get his wife to let him buy a drink. Frank Hayes steals the show as the cop.

Film can be found on The Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle, which contains four discs worth of material including items directed by Arbuckle after he was blacklisted from Hollywood.

Roscoe Arbuckle and wife Billie Bennett are out for an afternoon in the park. While pickpocket Harry McCoy steals Miss Bennett's purse, Roscoe is flirting with McCoy's girl, Minta Durfee.

It's one of innumerable Keystones set int he park, with everyone misbehaving up a storm. Miss Bennett treats her husband like a small, wayward child; Miss Durfee is willing to dump her boyfriend for an ice cream cone, and the cop on the beat is a grotesque.

Keystones were aimed at a low-class audience who disliked authority, whether it be the police or the sensible wife.