Be My King

If it wasn't for YouTube, no one today might see or know about this film from 1928. However, it's worth seeing...particularly when you show it to folks you see steam come out their ears or their heads explode. Why? Because in 2019, such films with comedy like this are definitely passe due to their racist stereotypes...and this one has plenty!!

The film stars Lupino Lane and his brother, Wallace Lupino. The film begins with them floating on a piece of boat...adrift at sea. Eventually, they land in a strange land, as it had African animals, Asian ones and even a bunny. But that is NOT the most unusual things it has...it has natives running about with bones through their noses and many of the natives appear to be white folks wearing body paint. None of this is funny and I am not especially politically correct and I still found it offensive.

Forgotten silent comic Lupino Lane (Ida Lupino's second cousin) directs himself in this dismal comedy in which he and his shipwrecked shipmate (younger brother Wallace) are chased around a desert island by cannibal natives. There's no denying Lane's physical agility, but the comic material is poor.

1929 is awfully late to make silent slapstick comedies. Sound was capturing people's attention. However, sight gags is what Lupino Lane did. Lupino was absolutely mind-blowing as a rubbery stunt comic. While this film is hilarious, I've knocked off a couple points, voting it an 8: The character has rather shallow personality or pathos. While laugh-provoking for his stunts, he's no Keaton or Chaplin. It's also unfortunate that the racial material (the cannibals are whites in blackface) is truly embarrassing today. But as a very entertaining period piece, I consider it one of my favorites.