Curses!

This decent parody feature is one of the movies written and directed by Roscoe Arbuckle (under a pseudonym) after he was blacklisted. Al St. John stars in a send-up of the kind of serial melodramas that had become so common at the time. It sorely misses Arbuckle's talent on the screen, but it has enough to make for some entertaining moments.

St. John plays a villainous gang leader who steals some papers, abducts a young woman, and then tries to do away with her and with the hero who comes to save her. St. John was a good supporting player in slapstick comedies, always willing to go over-the-top in his portrayals of heavies, romantic rivals, or whatever else Arbuckle, Keaton, or some other star needed. He gives the same energy to the villain here, but it's not quite as effective because there's no one else to balance it out.

Arbuckle's story has some clever satirical ideas. The title cards present the story as a mock serial, with numerous contrived cliffhangers, and the story makes use of numerous clichés from the genre, even including a scene in which the villains try to do away with the heroine in a sawmill. It's certainly not on the level of Arbuckle's classic on-screen comedies, but it's entertaining enough to be worth seeing.

Curses (1925)

*** (out of 4)

Unique short that spoofs the cliffhanger serials of the silent era. The villain (Al St. John) kidnaps a beauty and the hero must try to save her without getting killed himself.

This is actually a very smart little film that does a great job at making fun of serials with everything from over-dramatic endings to outrageous and impossible stunts. If you're a fan of the silent serials or the Westerns from this era then you should have a good time with this two-reeler. The film is certainly clever enough to know what it's spoofing and for the most part it's entertaining from start to finish. This was directed by Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and he brings some nice style to the picture. I will say that the movie needed more laughs but it's still worth watching.

Al St. John and a group of assorted "baddies" are out to kidnap a beautiful young lady as well as steal her father's valuable papers. First, St. John pelts the old man with flapjacks (knocking him unconscious) and they they drag off the girl--tying her to a log and pushing it through the saw mill. Will the hero rescue her in time or will this good (but dumb) girl be sliced in two?!?!

Al St. John was an old-time comedian who was famous for being the foil in dozens of Fatty Arbuckle movies. After the scandalous trial involving Fatty hit the headlines, his career was in shambles so he changed his name and directed films--and many starred St. John since he was Arbuckle's nephew.

This is a nice old silent comedy that is still funny after more than 80 years. This film is a parody of old Western serials, though the different segments are much shorter and have all been stuck into one film. Each segment is introduced as a separate chapter in this Western adventure. The overall product is very silly but cute and watchable. Not as exciting or funny as many of Arbuckle's own films, but still worth a peek.