The Hayseed

Like many of the Arbuckle shorts, the story of THE HAYSEED is rambling and unfocused (Roscoe Arbuckle is after a girl and hijinks ensue in his attempts to woo her), but there is a sense of playful charm that more than makes up for that. The actors all seem to be having a great time here. One can well see why Buster Keaton viewed these Comique films with such fondness decades later: they're freewheeling and innocent, uninhibited by the need to impress or be high art.

I found out about "The Hayseed" while looking at Buster Keaton's filmography. It's actually more of a Fatty Arbuckle vehicle, with Keaton in a supporting role. Still enjoyable, nonetheless, as the guys are performing their jobs until an interference sends things wacky. It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy, as much of the humor comes from gags here and there. Without a doubt, those two were masters of physical comedy. That makes it all the more saddening that Arbuckle saw his career ruined by a scandal a few years later, resulting in most of his works either getting forgotten or suppressed. At least we have some of them available on the internet. You'll probably like this one.

A case of small town drama as the local mailman (Fatty Arbuckle) fends off the amorous advances of a conniving sheriff with eyes on his girl. Buster Keaton slides into the mix as a tangentially-involved general store owner who becomes aware of the lawman's inherently slimy nature, but it's mostly Arbuckle's show. The two stars (plus Fatty's famous dog, Luke) give us plenty of sight gags, often of the daring physical variety, but there isn't much to the plot and most scenes overstay their welcome. There's a good recurring bit at the end, where Buster convinces his buddy to chow down on a bushel of onions before an important choral recital and his foul breath causes all sorts of comic misunderstandings. Otherwise, it's a whole lot of flashy derring-do without much substance to back it up.

The Arbuckle/Keaton feature "The Hayseed" is a short comedy that has some pretty good gags. The material is held together more by the situation - 'Fatty' and Buster are running a combination general store/post office - than by the plot. There are some routine stretches, but also some good parts, with Keaton getting some of the best moments this time.

As in most of the Arbuckle/Keaton features, they get lots of mileage out of the props and the settings, with some rather creative ideas. Arbuckle has some imaginative ways of handling the mail, and the general store also provides good material. John Coogan (Jackie Coogan's father) also appears as Arbuckle's rival.

Most of it works, and though it's not one of the most memorable Arbuckle/Keaton shorts, it's still worth seeing. Like all of the features in the series, it offers pleasant light entertainment with characters that seem like old friends.

A low-budget-looking film starring one of the greatest paired talents in screen history is not their best, but makes itself enjoyable none the less. Molly Malone makes a convincing love interest who's not as innocent and sweet as most female characters in these sorts of films are. The hide-and-seek scene is great, as is the bit inside Molly's house, at the melodeon, and the final dancing party in the store. The ending got a bit random and confusing, but otherwise the movie works very well and holds up alright by modern (2003) standards.