Should Second Husbands Come First?

I think there must be a better and more complete version of this film than the best one currently posted on YouTube, as there are other reviews which explain the plot...and I needed this since portions seem to be missing. For example, there are no opening credits and the film is only 14 minutes long...not 20. Perhaps the Max Davidson box set made and sold in Germany has a more complete copy...but it's not like I can easily get a hold of that version here in the States.

The film begins with Max coming to court some woman. During this entire time, two guys (her grown sons?) behave weirdly in order to scare Max away. However, no matter how bizarrely they act and even after putting gasoline in his soup, Max isn't to be deterred in his quest to become this lady's second husband. Soon, there is a wedding. And, of course, the pair try their best to derail the wedding by producing what supposedly is Max's wife and baby...though when you see the kid, it's obviously NOT Max's!

One thing I like about Max Davidson's old comedies is that they were very Jewish...and in the Production Code years of 1934 on, such ethnic comedies were no longer being made and a more neutral (and bland) version of America was being portrayed. While some might blanch at the broad Jewish look to his films, at least it wasn't being whitewashed and show a type that just wasn't popular or obvious in the Code years.

Overall, a funny short but one so incomplete that it's hard to score it adequately. I'll see if I can find a better copy and, if I do, I'll try to update this review.

This is one of the funniest silent shorts I have ever seen. Mr. Wattles (Max Davidson) is courting a Jewish dowager played by Lillian Elliot, and matrimony looms on the horizon. The lady's two sons have a strong disinclination to acquire a new step-father, so they decided to scare him off. In the funniest sequence, Mr. Wattles is left seated in the parlor while his inamorata prepares some refreshments. The sons perform a series of visual gags in the open doorway that is totally bizarre, funny and original. At the wedding, the sons crash the ceremony disguised as an outraged father and his dishonored daughter whom Mr. Wattles got with child and abandoned. Unfortunately for the schemers, the only baby they could borrow for the ensemble happened to be the wrong color. They put make-up on the child's face and hands, but when the diaper slips down exposing the child's undoctored posterior the jig is up. If you are into being politically correct and are offended by ethnic humor, you won't like this comedy classic (or any other Max Davidson shorts for that matter). If you have an open mind and love visual comedy, this is the silent short for you.