Fünf Minuten Angst

A delight I caught at the Film Forum in New York City 5/00 (very nice 35 mm. print). Eddy Cantor (not once in blackface) excellent as a former tailor hooked up with the wealthy Laurence Gray. Cantor's his valet, caddy and advisor (women are after Gray's millions). Cantor is crazy about Clara Bow (her first screen role)and there are lots of chases and hilarity. Billy Dove (of Ziegfeld fame) is featured.

No matter how enamored one may be of the silent era, not all such titles are made equal. When it comes to comedies, specifically, one can trust the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, or Laurel and Hardy to be consistently delightful; comedies without such stars, and their gag writers and stunts, are less assured. Though it's no singular revelation, thankfully this 1926 feature counts among those that lack a major comedic lead but which are nevertheless highly enjoyable. Anchored with household names in producer Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky, director Frank Tuttle, and not least co-star Clara Bow, the real strength of 'Kid Boots' lies with the writing team. In adapting a stage production of the same name George Marion Jr., Luther Reed, and Tom Gibson filled the movie with plentiful lighthearted mirth and cleverness. It may not inspire big laughs the way some other flicks do, but I'm pleased to say that this is much stronger and funnier than I assumed sights unseen.

Sure, strictly speaking the storytelling is considerably light, and we kind of have to just take it at face value. From characters and scenes to the narrative at large, there's a certain Just So sensibility that wouldn't hold up under much scrutiny. The storytelling is quite beside the point, though: this is a picture built purely to entertain, and from one moment to the next we're greeted with terrific situational humor, gags, physical comedy, high energy, animated and expressive performances, and some witty intertitles to top it all off. Some bits are downright brilliant; some odds and ends come off better than others; for as slight as the storytelling is there are some instances that - fun as they are - raise a quizzical eyebrow as we wonder "wait, how was it that we got from A to B?" Part of me questions if 'Kid Boots' wouldn't have worked better as a series of one- or two-reel shorts, for the looseness of how it is put together kind of gives the impression that it started out that way on paper. One way or another, though, all involved fully embrace the spirit of the film, and the infusion of vitality and good cheer is more important than utmost cohesiveness.

Say what one will about how successful the comedy is, and how solid the writing is or is not overall, in all other regards this is splendidly well made. The cast really is a blast; decades later Bow might claim the most star power, but everyone truly just leaps wholeheartedly into the proceedings, from Eddie Cantor and Lawrence Gray to Billie Dove and Natalie Kingston. We get eyefuls of some great filming locations, and the sets are fantastic. While not altogether revelatory I very much appreciate the editing and cinematography, and the shrewd manner in which they're used to help craft the lark as we see it. The stunts and effects are excellent, some recalling the more famous contemporary comedians, and Tuttle's direction is wonderfully sharp in sustaining and indeed growing the highfalutin silliness. From hair and makeup to costume design and in all other details this is all-around swell, and if 'Kid Boots' falls short of perfect or riotous, I'm ready to forgive the deficiency.

Despite obvious reflections of the period in which it was made, I think this has more in common with modern cinema than one would suppose. As the shenanigans escalate over the length the plot increasingly just falls away, and it feels more and more like the intertwining threads of the characters is just a meager excuse for more outrageous notions. We can all surely name comedies of more recent decades that share that same ethos, be they of the 70s, 80s, 90s, or 2000s. With all this in mind, just how much favor this title deserves will vary significantly from one viewer to the next. For my part I don't think it's anything one needs to go out of their way to see, but the feature is a reliably good time from start to finish and might well help to lift one's mood if we're feeling down. What more could we really ask for? 'Kid Boots' is definitely a less well-known silent flick, but if you're looking for a merry diversion it's hard to go wrong here. My glad recommendation!

Eddie Cantor (Samuel 'Kid' Boots) becomes a witness for Lawrence Gray (Tom Sterling), who trying to divorce his gold digger wife Billie Dove (Eleanore Belmore). They go to a resort to avoid the wife until the date of the divorce case, but the wife's shyster lawyer tracks them there. There he meets Clara Bow (Clara McCoy) who falls for him, but he has several runins with her boyfriend Malcolm Waite (Big Boyle) and with the wife. After an exciting chase, he arrives at the court house to help finalize the divorce and also gets the girl.

Many really funny sequences.

Eddie Cantor was already an established stage star when his Broadway musical-comedy "Kid Boots" opened in December of 1923. He'd been headlining annual editions of the Ziegfeld Follies since 1917, and had toured the country in Vaudeville for years before that. "Kid Boots" proved to be a smash hit that ran for over a year (an impressive run in those days) but when Paramount signed Cantor to recreate his role for the cameras it was no sure bet that the venture would succeed. Movies were still silent, of course, and much of Eddie's appeal depended on sound: he was known for singing comic novelty songs in a high, reedy voice, and delivering wisecracks at a rapid pace. His Ziegfeld co-stars Will Rogers and W.C. Fields had tried their luck in the movies and although both were moderately successful their silent film appearances were never as popular with audiences as their live shows. Was there any reason to expect Eddie Cantor could do any better?

Well, oddly enough, he did. Kid Boots, the movie, is a highly enjoyable confection that packs a lot of laughs into its brisk 60-minute running time and never wears out its welcome. Mr. Cantor comes off surprisingly well in his silent incarnation, throwing himself into some strenuous-looking physical routines and emphasizing his trademark look of pop-eyed surprise at key moments without overdoing it. It helps that the writers equipped him with a steady supply of sight gags, some of which may be a tad familiar to silent comedy buffs but which still prompt laughter today. (I was lucky enough to see this film with an audience, and can attest that it's a real crowd-pleaser.) It also helps that the supporting cast offers notable examples of what was called 'feminine pulchritude' at the time: Eddie is paired with the one and only Clara Bow, seen here just as her career was starting to accelerate. Eddie and Clara make an unexpectedly credible couple, both bright-eyed and exuberant. They have a classic "meet cute" scene when Eddie, who plays a tailor's assistant, accidentally sews his suspenders to her dress and then pulls her along behind himself when he has to leave in a hurry. Also on hand is the exquisitely pretty Billie Dove, who unfortunately isn't given much to do, as well as fiery Natalie Kingston, a veteran of the Mack Sennett Studio, who plays 'bad girl' Carmen Mendoza. We're told by a sassy title card that Carmen has Missouri legs, "the kind that have to be shown," and a nice lazy pan shot of Miss Kingston provides that service. I guess the filmmakers were trying to compensate for the loss of the stage show's dancing girls; in any case, I'm not complaining!

The plot, as might be anticipated, isn't what you'd call substantial. Eddie, a hapless fellow known as "Kid Boots," is rescued from a bully by a handsome young playboy named Tom; in return, Kid agrees to help Tom get a divorce from his gold-digging wife. (It's made clear that the scheming wife, the aforementioned Carmen Mendoza, tricked Tom into marriage and that they've never actually lived together; so, in short, Tom's a decent chap who simply found himself in a spot of trouble.) Most of the story takes place at a scenic mountain resort, a setting which allows for gags on the golf course, gags by the pool, and more gags in the lobby. The thin plot is really just an excuse for comedy routines, and happily there are some good ones along the way. I especially liked the bit where Eddie succeeds in convincing Clara that he's with another woman by positioning himself next to an open door, rolling up one sleeve and playing the half-concealed "woman" himself. I also enjoyed the scene in the resort's clinic, where Eddie finds himself on the massage table, manhandled by a masseur who turns out to be the bully from the opening sequence, jealous of Clara and eager for revenge. (Chaplin fans will be reminded of a similar routine in his 1917 comedy The Cure.) It all winds up with a breakneck, race-to-the-rescue horseback chase over a winding mountain trail, which leads in turn to some Harold Lloyd-style thrill comedy. One moment, Eddie and Clara are dangling from a rope off a precipice, with a single parachute between them, and the next they've managed to save themselves, untangle the plot, help out good old Tom and defeat that no-good Carmen, all in the space of the film's last five minutes.

This movie is just the thing to lift your mood on a rainy afternoon. Cantor's follow-up feature Special Delivery is also enjoyable, but I'd rank this one a notch or two higher. Kid Boots, like its lead players, is cute as a button, short and sweet.

Fired from his job in a tailor's shop, comic Eddie Cantor (as Samuel "Kid" Boots) becomes companion to handsome millionaire Lawrence Gray (as Thomas "Tom" Sterling). The men find work as golf instructor and caddy at a country club, while Mr. Gray waits for his divorce to become final. There, Mr. Cantor re-encounters pretty swimming instructor Clara Bow (as Clara McCoy), from the opening skit, which he played out with her burly boyfriend Malcolm Waite (as "Big" Boyle).

At the club, Cantor goes crazy for Ms. Bow while Gray romances beautiful Billie Dove (as Eleanor Belmore), the boss' daughter. Meanwhile, Gray's leggy wife Natalie Kingston (as Carmen Mendoza) checks into the room next to her husband, to cause trouble. She proceeds to "vamp" Cantor aside, in order to spend the night alone with Gray; if she is able to do this, their divorce won't become final, and she can partake of his inherited millions. Cantor must save Gray and win Bow.

This was a successful film debut for stage star Cantor, who might have joined Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd if this had been released a decade earlier. As a film, "Kid Boots" may not equal the best of those other comedians' works, but you can see Cantor had the silent stuff. Most impressive is the film's exciting end, which features a very impressive cliff-hanging sequence. This is pure cinema, but Cantor includes great stage bits, too. How he makes Bow jealous, and scenes with Mr. Waite are highlights.

******** Kid Boots (10/4/26) Frank Tuttle ~ Eddie Cantor, Clara Bow, Malcolm Waite, Lawrence Gray