Le balourd

THE BOOB (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1926), directed by William A. Wellman, a long forgotten silent comedy, made its television premiere on Turner Classic Movies April 3, 2003, as part of its "Directors Under 30" spotlight, along with a piano score by a young composer named Arthur Barrow. Although feature billing goes to Gertrude Olmstead, the story relatively belongs to George K. Arthur playing in the title role.

The opening title card start off with "The same old story," in which a young country girl named Amy (Gertrude Olmstead) is seen sitting on a velvet swing smooching with Harry Benson (Antonio D'Arcy), a city slicker, by Peter B. Good (George K. Arthur), a rustic farm hand who happens to be in love with her. Suspicious of this man who not only wants to marry Amy, but wanting to meet at the Booklovers Club, Peter learns that Harry might be a bootlegger involved in illegal doings in the Wyoming town near his farm. To prove to Amy and to himself that he is not a weakling, or in other words, a "Boob" (the then slang term for today's description of a "jerk") as he is made up to be, Peter, after failing to make an impression by wearing some outlandish cowboy clothes, decides to become a prohibition agent and obtain proof that this city slicker is not on the level with her. After getting into the Booklovers Club, Peter not only notices the club members there drinking from the books (where the liquor is kept), but encounters a woman named Jane (Joan Crawford) who might either be one of the "club members" or a secret agent.

THE BOOB has the distinction of being a film that combines the elements of the works of directors D.W. Griffith (the country boy trying to make good) and Mack Sennett (comic characters and a car chasing scene), but fails on both levels. What makes this particular one hour length comedy of sole interest today is an early screen appearance of future screen legend, Joan Crawford, whose character doesn't make her first screen appearance until thirty minutes from the start of the film. Almost unrecognizable, she does obtain a screen presence that stands apart from the other actors. George K. Arthur, a young comic relief-type of MGM silents during the 1920s, who somewhat resembles future film actor, Jack Haley, performs his task well, but had this same character been played by the likes of the more popular comic, Buster Keaton (two years away from becoming an MGM contract player), chances are he would have developed his yokel boy into something special. Arthur appeared in other MGM films, usually teamed opposite the tall Karl Dane, but because their films haven't been seen since their initial releases, Arthur and Dane, separately or together, have become obscure names from Hollywood's past. They both faded by the advent of talkies.

Also seen in the supporting cast are Charles Murray as Cactus Jim, sporting a droopy mustache that makes him resemble another silent screen comic of the time, Snub Pollard; Hank Mann as the Village Soda Jerk; and Babe London briefly seen as the Fat Girl. Interestingly, there is another character in the story who is given enough screen time to warrant his name in the casting credits, but doesn't. He's a little black boy characterized as Ham Bunn who accompanies George K. Arthur, along with a little dog, throughout the film.

THE BOOB, which has fortunately survived after all these years, while many other silent movies from this era have vanished to dust, for all it's worth, is still a worthy offering and a real curio at best. And Arthur Barrow should also be commended for supplying this forgotten little item with a satisfactory piano score to help this movie along. THE BOOB will never be regarded as a sort-after comedy masterpiece, but a place in cinema history as a surviving silent film featuring Joan Crawford, or one of the early works of director William A. Wellman, and nothing else. (**)

The Boob features the talents of George K. Arthur as a naive country boy who is trying very hard to impress a young lady Gertrude Olmstead, but she can't see him for beans, much preferring the slick talking city guy Antonio D'Algy. He even puts on a big cowboy outfit, but Olmstead laughs at him, saying he's just a Tom Mix wannabe.

This was my first exposure to the comic talents of George K. Arthur whose career sputtered to a halt with the coming of sound. The role he plays here would be the kind that Joe E. Brown would do in the Thirties, Red Skelton might try in the Forties and after his split from Dino, Jerry Lewis might have a go in the Fifties at.

There's rumor of bootlegging being done in the area and guess what, D'Algy's at the bottom of it. I think just about anyone else can figure out where the rest of this film is going.

Former Mack Sennett employees Hank Mann as the soda jerk and Charles Murray as the grizzled old time western sidekick to Arthur are featured. Murray has a very nice turn as a man who just because Prohibition is in the land is not going to let that stand in the way of that old western tradition of the saloon. In fact I've often wondered what happened to the saloon in Prohibition times and The Boob does provide something of an answer.

The film might have been forgotten today, but for the presence of Joan Crawford in a secondary role as a Treasury agent. In fact that's a feminist concept many years ahead of its time. What must Eliot Ness have thought of this film? Crawford could have been given a lot more to do in this film. In her next film she would also be in support of a silent screen comic, Harry Langdon in Tramp Tramp Tramp.

The Boob was pleasantly amusing enough and it was interesting to see Joan Crawford in her silent days, something I hadn't done until now.

Country boy George K. Arthur (as Peter Good) is in love with Gertrude Olmstead (as Amy), but she has taken up smooching with city-slicker Tony D'Algy (as Harry Benson). Mr. Arthur dons western Tom Mix-type clothing to appear more manly, but Ms. Olmstead is unimpressed. Arthur suspicions that Mr. D'Algy is really a criminal bootlegger are proved to be correct. Then, Arthur must rescue Olmstead from D'Algy's clutches...

Though he is a likable character, this is a dated-to-the-point-of-unfunny comedy feature for Arthur. Most unfunny is Charles Murray (as Cactus Jim)'s running gag about hiding his endless supply of booze - helped, no doubt, by bootleggers. Joan Crawford (as Jane) lifts spirits considerably, with her turn as a crack revenue agent. D'Algy is a good kisser. "The Boob" is more of a curiosity than a comedy, but it's a chance to see some silent performers in well-preserved celluloid.

**** The Boob (5/17/26) William A. Wellman ~ George K. Arthur, Gertrude Olmstead, Joan Crawford, Tony D'Algy

The Boob is one of those ancient films rescued from perpetual obscurity by Turner Classic Movies, and while it may not be on a par with Keaton or Lloyd, it's still an entertaining and quite funny film. George K. Arthur is the Keatonesque milquetoast on the trail of bootleggers, and while he lacks Buster's acrobatic skills and doesn't really connect emotionally, he's alright. Charles Murray has some of the film's funniest moments as the perpetually soused cowboy Cactus Jim, but the film really stands out during some terrific fantasy sequences, including a flying bed scene and a Frederick Remington painting come to life. A genuine discovery for fans of silent comedy.

This movie just aired the other night for the first time on Turner Classic Movies. Although I missed the first few minutes, it is a lousy slapstick comedy with George K. Arthur in the lead as a dumb farm boy trying to help the law capture some bootleggers. Joan Crawford is the high point here, in one of her first films. She has a small supporting role as Jane, and Crawford herself also hated this movie. She thought she was being punished by MGM for getting this part. Earns *1/2 stars out of four.