Fatty Joins the Force

Roscoe Arbuckle is walking in the park with girlfriend Dot Farley, when they spot a boy struggling in the lake. At Miss Farley's urging, Roscoe rescues him. It turns out to be the son of the police commissioner, who offers to put Arbuckle on the force. However, while taking a break by swimming in the same lake, four boys (including future screenwriter Lou Breslow) steal his uniform.

It's not among the best of the Keystones, but it does have the fast pacing and lightning cutting that the company was famous for. Among the cast is Edgar Kennedy, whose nasty mother-in-law Miss Farley would play in Kennedy's long-running "Common Man" comedy series for RKO from 1933 through 1948.

A couple walking in a park see a girl drowning in a lake. After rescuing the girl, the man discovers she is the daughter of the police commissioner and is rewarded with a job.

A simple short and sadly it produces very few laughs. The unexpected acrobatics from Roscoe Arbuckle, who stars as the man, provide the only highlights.

Part of the ship-board entertainment on the U.S.S. Missouri (BB-11) on August 25, 1915. The ship was en route to Annapolis through the Panama Canal on a summer training voyage for the midshipmen.

My great-uncle was a midshipman on the voyage and kept a journal of his life aboard the U.S.S. Missouri that summer. In addition, he kept several pieces of ship-board memorabilia including the program for the "Homeward Bound Smoker and Entertainment" on August 25, 1915. It lists "Beauty Parlor Graduate" and "Fatty Joins the Force" each as a Moviograph that was part of the night's events. In his journal, he uses the term "movie" (his quotes) when writing about a film, so apparently he felt that Moviograph was the real name and "movie" was the colloquial version. Since even Google hasn't seen the term Moviograph, it must have been in use for a very short time at the start of the 20th century.

While quite uneven overall, this has some good slapstick and other gags, and it is also of interest as one of the earliest starring roles for Roscoe Arbuckle. It has a rather odd collection of material that leaves you wondering whether it was all supposed to be funny or not, as it is only amusing if you decide not to take it very seriously. Arbuckle's character is not especially sympathetic, yet he is treated rather roughly by the plot.

The story starts with 'Fatty' being rewarded for an act of heroism by being appointed to the police force, only to find how little respect policemen are often shown. The story mostly pieces together a series of stock elements, and they do not always fit together seamlessly. The clothes-stealing gag and some of the other ideas fall rather flat, but at other times Arbuckle's skill and timing make some of the slapstick work better than it might have on its own.

The main reason to watch this now would be to see Arbuckle, who shows that he could carry the action and handle a starring role, even when the material was not all that good. With a more nondescript actor in the lead, this movie would have been completely forgettable. It's still nothing great, but at least Arbuckle provides some reason for watching it.

Sometimes its a joy rummaging around in the old Hal Roach and Mack Sennett comedies. There's an assumption behind the humor that by itself is rewarding: physical stuff and often heartfelt goodness.

But sometimes they fall into sour recall, the times not being so forgiving of the humor of pain and embarrassment. This is one that won't make you laugh. You won't cry either, but it will make you sad, knowing the unfair fate Arbuckle would suffer later.

But even beyond that it isn't a success. Its actually a pretty tragic story with some pratfalls, and not very good or broad ones.

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