Wife and Auto Trouble

The free-wheeling Mack Sennett/Keystone style works well in this lively, detailed comedy. The story elements are familiar ones, but they are used in amusing ways that get good mileage out of the material. The cast and characters avoid trying to be too fancy, letting the comedy ideas do the work.

The setup is one of the silent comedy standbys, with a husband put-upon at home by his wife, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law, and seeking romantic comfort with his secretary (who is played by Mae Busch, in one of her earlier roles). The various entanglements and disputes that arise are filmed in a spirited style, with several of Keystone's familiar comic policemen getting in on the fun during the manic closing sequence.

In a movie like this, the less controlled approach leads to good results. The director and cast seem to have a good feel for how things should go, giving it an upbeat tone and a good pace. It's also worth watching for some of the details, since there are a number of clever ones thrown in. Although there's little here that you couldn't see in numerous other comedies of the era, it's put together in a good style that makes for an amusing short feature.

Wife and Auto Trouble is the now old hat story of a meek man, his wife and mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, and the secretary he's having an affair with. It was a nice surprise seeing Mae Busch, long before her appearances with Laurel and Hardy, playing the secretary. Dig her jumping several feet in the air when the mother-in-law and wife appear in the office! There's also some hilarious shooting involving all the main characters there! Then there's the chase involving the Tri-Stone Cops (formerly Keystone Kops) that brings everything to an exciting climax and you have the typical Mack Sennett flourish. Another highly amusing effort worth seeing for silent movie buffs.

Amusing short film about a hen-pecked man who has to endure not only his mother-in-law living with him, but his brother-in-law too. When his wife overhears him bad-mouthing her to his secretary, sparks fly, leading to a chase involving the "Tri-stone Cops". Nothing special, but fast and funny, with an especially wry and enjoyable opening half.

Wife and Auto Trouble (1916)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent Keystone comedy has a poor husband (William Collier) being abused at home by his wife, her mother and her brother. The husband is having an affair with a woman (Mae Busch) he works for and when the brother finds out he calls his sister and soon a war is on. WIFE AND AUTO TROUBLE isn't going to go down as a comedy masterpiece but there are enough good moments to make it worth sitting through even if it's not the most original film out there. I actually thought the best stuff was at the beginning when we see the husband sitting at the breakfast table where his no-good brother-in-law gets all the attention as well as the bigger egg and the bigger cup of coffee. This entire sequence contains some pretty funny stuff including a clever joke on how the husband tries to get the bigger coffee. The stuff inside the office is where things start to get rather silly but there are still a few interesting moments from here. It's also fun to see that the cheater is actually the good guy, which I'm sure had some moral police in 1916 in an uproar. For the most part Collier does a very good job in the lead and Blanche Payson is great as his evil wife. Joseph Belmont is fun as the brother-in-law. The film ends with a chase and just the kind that you'd expect from the studio.

Mack Sennett always felt that a good film must be incorporated with a steady to fast pace to keep the viewer busy. And in this production of his(which includes some self promotion in one sequence)is the perfect example. And if you thought special effects were in the dark ages during the silent era, think again. You will be reminded of the amazing mobility scenes in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon(2000) when watching Mae Busch leap up to a ten foot high ledge on a wall behind her. And the fire hydrant scene in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World(1963) was done here first! The first rate cast includes former Broadway star William Collier, Sr., who would later be a major influence on John Ford's "Up the River"(1930). And Laurel and Hardy fans will need no introduction to Mae Busch, here playing a flirt. Last, but not least, the famous Keystone Kops turn up in the latter half of the movie. The plot concerns a dominant mother, her favored son, the disliked son-in-law, and his wife. The pretty secretary who attracts both men is thrown into the works, as well as a new car that was ordered for her, but taken by the wife. A frantic chase scene, that was always carried out to perfection in a Mack Sennett production is the highlight. Worth watching over and over again.