The All-American Kickback

"The All-American Kickback" is a short comedy starring Harry Gribbon as Homer Bagwell, a college football player. He also starred as a college football player in "The New Halfback" and at least one or two other films...despite the fact he was in his 40s and clearly looked to be at least that age and in horrific shape for a ball player. I have no idea why they kept casting him in such films...and his age and lack of athleticism sure made such casting a bit irrational.

In this film, Homer is on the college team but his rival wants to prevent him from playing, so he pays a woman and 'child' to pretend to be his family...and they make up a story that gets him kicked off the team. Later, the pair lock him in a steam room and turn up the steam to full. Is there any hope for poor Homer or the team?

I must admit that despite the dumb casting decision, I did laugh a few times...particularly when the steam room exploded. Not great film by any standard and Homer being a football hero is utterly ridiculous...but still pleasant and entertaining.

Lincoln Stedman and Harry Gribbon are competitors for botany professor Geneva Mitchell. She prefers Stedman because he's a football player. When Gribbon turns out to be a football prodigy, Stedman frames him with a fake wife in Dorothy Granger.

This variation on 1929's THE NEW HALF BACK carries on with the same sort of antics under the direction of Del Lord. Other Sennett regulars show up, including Vernon Dent sporting a fake German accent, Bobby Dunn, and Marvin Loback. Lord offers the same broad humor that he would later use when directing for Jules White at Columbia.

Miss Granger doesn't have much to do, but she does it very well. She would soon become a mainstay of short comedies.