Buzzin' Around

Roscoe Arbuckle has invented a liquid that, when painted on pottery, makes it bounce instead of breaking. He's on his way into town to show it off to manufacturers. However, Al St. John has accidentally switched a jar of hard cider for the invention, and a nest of angry wasps has fallen into Roscoe's car on the way in.

It's a funny and old-fashioned comedy, full of slapstick and sight gags, and sound gags too. More than that, it was a way back for Arbuckle, who had been banned from appearing in the movies after he had been acquitted of murdering Virginia Rappe. Yes, that's right, acquitted, with an apology from the jury. For more than ten years he had worked as a comedy director under a false name. Now Warner Brothers was giving him a chance to appear in front of the camera again in six shorts.

Its pretty amazing to watch the old physical comedy deals.

Some seem to stand the test of time, namely they make me laugh, and I'm a sucker for the pratfall. But this is neither charming nor remotely funny.

I searched this out because it was Fatty's last picture, a dozen years after the scandal.

He was by this time several decades a heroin addict it seems, and still clinging to an endearing, agile fat character.

This short has two halves: an encounter with a beehive and subsequently swallowing a bee, followed by the unrelated destruction of a chinashop.

The events are all designed from well established formulas so what really mattered was the tone of the thing. That tone is set and maintained by the comic nature of the reality created: a funny car, funny pants and walk and so on.

Fatty was able in prior years to create some of that magic; here he simply echoes it, relying on his frequent costar and some gags that have little to do with him.

He was already effectively gone when this was made, showing up only to lend a familiar face at 46.

This is considered the best of his last period. It lacks the manic pace of even moderate Keaton or Chaplin and is at about the level of tiredness as much of Abbot and Costello.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Thankfully Hollywood forgave Arbuckle in time that he was able to make 6 talking shorts before passing away. I gave this short a 9. It is not hilariously funny for a modern audience but probably as good or better than any other shorts of it's day and does have it's moments. You can tell his ordeals have taken their toll on him as a man, but Arbuckle still had the knack of being funny. The scene where the doctor examines him after swallowing a bee is very funny indeed. One reviewer here mentioned that Arbuckle was a long time heroin addict by the time this film was released. I have read about everything there is on Arbuckle and have never heard that from any other source and do not believe it for a second. Arbuckles alcoholism was well known but that hardly made him a heroin addict. I would like to know where the reviewer got that info.

Farm boy Cornelius (Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle) invents a liquid coating which makes anything unbreakable and bounce. He gets a request for a demonstration. His brother Al accidentally switch the jars. A bee hive falls into his vehicle. He swallows a bee. Things keep happening causing non-stop chaos.

First, that's the Target dog. I wonder if there is a copyright situation. I've only seen a couple of Fatty Arbuckle movie and this is probably the best so far. It's one of his comebacks and as a talkie, it has his voice. With nephew Al, they look like Laurel and Hardy. It's a lot of slapstick and mindless destruction. I don't mind it. It's lesser Laurel and Hardy with the Target dog.

This is one of a handful of Fatty Arbuckle movies made as his return to starring in two reelers, now in sound.

The movie has ots of pantomie with sound effects, but it also has speaking roles, including Fatty.

It's directed by a seasoned director who specialized in two reel comedies but also directed Laurel & Hardy in a couple of their best films (and one of their worst).

Pete the Dog from the Little Rascals is also in this.

The movie has a lot of decent gags and although Fatty is a bit aged and a bit slower, he's still pretty funny. I enjoyed it as a curio piece.

Filmed around the Vitagraph/Warner Studios in Brooklyn, NY.