Fatty au village

The Arbuckle/Keaton feature "The Hayseed" is a short comedy that has some pretty good gags. The material is held together more by the situation - 'Fatty' and Buster are running a combination general store/post office - than by the plot. There are some routine stretches, but also some good parts, with Keaton getting some of the best moments this time.

As in most of the Arbuckle/Keaton features, they get lots of mileage out of the props and the settings, with some rather creative ideas. Arbuckle has some imaginative ways of handling the mail, and the general store also provides good material. John Coogan (Jackie Coogan's father) also appears as Arbuckle's rival.

Most of it works, and though it's not one of the most memorable Arbuckle/Keaton shorts, it's still worth seeing. Like all of the features in the series, it offers pleasant light entertainment with characters that seem like old friends.

Buster Keaton's second movie after WW1 with Arbuckle turned out to be a career highlight for the pairing, October 1919's "The Hayseed." Buster had a lightbulb moment that followed him throughout the remainder of his career. He designed and shaped a new pork pie hat, a style he wore throughout his most popular years in cinema. The material stood up to the abuse the comedian had heaped upon himself for all those skits.

Arbuckle is a mailman while Buster is the owner of a general store. The villain of the movie is actor John Henry Coogan Jr, a lithesome, tall statured performer who had appeared as a dancer in "Back Stage." Here, he takes cash from a letter and later claims Fatty stole it. As a sidenote, John Coogan was the father of Jackie Coogan, who plays the little boy in Charlie Chaplin's 'The Kid,' as well as Uncle Fester in television's 'The Adam's Family.' Also starring was Luke the Dog, a Staffordshire Terrier who was the personal pet of Roscoe and his wife Minta Durfee. For six years Luke made several appearances in Fatty's movies, including "The Hayseed." He demanded and received a high salary of $150 a week, over $2,200 in today's dollars. When Minta split with Roscoe in 1921, the divorce agreement treated Luke like a treasured child, where Fatty had visitation rights with Minta winning custody of him.

One of the many gags in the film is a dance set that is not to be missed.

Like many of the Arbuckle shorts, the story of THE HAYSEED is rambling and unfocused (Roscoe Arbuckle is after a girl and hijinks ensue in his attempts to woo her), but there is a sense of playful charm that more than makes up for that. The actors all seem to be having a great time here. One can well see why Buster Keaton viewed these Comique films with such fondness decades later: they're freewheeling and innocent, uninhibited by the need to impress or be high art.

Roscoe Abruckle delivers the mail, while Buster Keaton manages the general store. While delivering the mail, Roscoe visits his girlfriend (Molly Malone), and the engage in the game of hide and seek. Local dirty lawman (Jack Coogan Sr.) who is also interested in Fatty's girlfriend, steal the money from the post office to buy her a diamond ring. After winning the popularity in talent contest, Fatty is wrongfully accused in stealing.

Arbuckle and Keaton's later collaborations were more concentrated on the storytelling, rather just setting up another slap stick gag after another. 'The Hayseed' also doesn't include many hilarious stunts in great scale, but there are plenty of clever and subtle amusing moments.

Great fun indeed. Arbuckle and Keaton rarely disappoint.

This Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle silent comedy short with Buster Keaton in support is not as funny as their previous efforts but still provides some decent laughs in this post office/general store setting. The beginning was perhaps the most hilarious with Buster and Roscoe each hitting each other with mail packages. There's also some slapstick fun when Roscoe's girlfriend, Molly, pushes him in a barrel. The villain, played by Jack Coogan, Sr., Jackie Coogan's father, is actually more serious here as evidenced by the way he keeps beating up Buster. Like I said, not the most funny of the Arbuckle/Keaton shorts but The Hayseed is still worth a look.