Jail Bait

There are a few shining moments in "Jail Bait", in which Buster Keaton treats us to some of his physical magic. Overall, however, "Jail Bait" serves as yet another example of a talkie written, produced, and directed by people who clearly didn't grasp the naiveté and innocence of a genuine Keaton character. They instead produced a mawkish simpleton. He possesses no traits to endear him to us -- no pluck, no wit, no perseverance. His only motive -- love for a girl who clearly doesn't even know he exists -- only underscores the fact that he's clueless, dimwitted, and oblivious. And unlike a real Keaton character, who triumphs due to his own persistence and ingenuity, the hapless hero of "Jail Bait" succeeds only through sheer dumb luck and a touch of deus ex machina.

"Jail Bait" isn't as painful to watch as "Free and Easy", which left me unsure which I wanted to do more, cry or vomit. But it's not a pleasure, either.

*This* is what Buster Keaton should have been doing, in those big-budget years at MGM; not grappling with dames in costly furs and dodgy dialogue. This is what the opening of "Spite Marriage" might have been, if he'd been allowed to make it as a talkie -- this is how the start of "Sidewalks of New York" might have come out, if he'd had any control over the script.

But this isn't a feature film; it's a Poverty Row short, and the date is not 1930 but 1937. We'll never know what Keaton might have produced for MGM if he had only been consulted in the matter, and hyperbole is out of place when dealing with the output of the all-too-grandly-named Educational Film Corporation of America. It remains nevertheless the case that this is a thoroughly attractive little comedy, the equal of many of his silent shorts of the 1920s -- minus the intertitles, plus sound.

The storyline is plausible, ingenious, satisfying and yet bizarre. The set-piece jokes are good ones, often classics to rival any of his earlier work, as in the sequence when he does his best to get arrested, or the scene where he enters the cell as possibly the least escape-prone prisoner in history! His physical gifts are displayed to good advantage, with the pratfalls of the MGM years all but forgotten in favour of gags that actually advance the plot -- "Jail Bait" is no masterpiece, deprived of any chance at beauty by its inescapable financial constraints, but it shares almost all the ingredients of Keaton's best work. And quite simply, it's very funny; the old magic strikes again.

More than that -- by and large it's "right", in a way that Keaton films had once always been right: everything fits. It's clever, it's good, and it's authentic Buster, as effective as ever... what more can one ask?

The short feature "Jail Bait" has some very good moments, and Buster Keaton is in good form. Despite his personal struggles during this part of his life, when he had the chance to perform good material, he could still do it well. This movie offers him some sequences that go quite well with his talents.

The story has Buster as an office boy who allows a reporter to use him as a decoy in the hunt for a wanted criminal, resulting in some amusing tangles. The movie starts a bit slowly as things are set up, and it is a while before Keaton gets to take center stage. But once the story gives him a chance, the movie picks up considerably, and it becomes very amusing at times.

Buster gets the chance to use his trademark deadpan reactions on several occasions, and he carries it off as effectively as ever. He also gets some good chances for physical comedy, with one particularly funny sequence when he is trying to attract the attention of a policeman.

Overall, "Jail Bait" is definitely above average for its time and genre, thanks primarily to the comic timing and slapstick skills of Buster Keaton.

I think this is an excellent Keaton short, equivalent of "The Chemist" and "The Gold Ghost", the other two Educational Keaton films I like the most (I know, I know, everyone thinks "Grand Slam Opera" is the best but me...). What helps enormously is the crisp and clear picture quality afforded us on the KEATON PLUS DVD put out by Kino in 2001. I have read many complaints about this series of Keaton movies being "poverty row" efforts, and that they have a depressed and defeated look to them. Well, if we could get ALL the Educational films restored this way, the comedy could sparkle a bit more and the movies would feel less grungy. This is a great example.

Jail Bait (1937)

** (out of 4)

Buster Keaton turns himself into the police saying he's a wanted murderer so that his reporter friend can have time to track down the real killer. The only problem is that the friend is killed leaving Keaton on his own. Here's another short made during the low point of Keaton's career and once again we only get a few chuckles without any major laughs. The prison break scene is the only real highlight, although the film remains watchable throughout.

Allez-Oop! (1934)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Buster Keaton falls in love with a girl but she loves a circus performer so Keaton tries to beat him at his own game. This is a very bland, completely unfunny short that Keaton made during his low point. There are a couple cuckles but most of the gags fall flat on their face including a horrid attempt at a silent scene, which was meant to be a throwback to Keaton's glory days. The incredibly mean spirited and somewhat violent ending is rather odd as well. More sad than anything else.