Snub Pollard had been with Hal Roach Studios in the late 1910s up to the mid-1920s. During this time, he was often a supporting player in comedies but also starred in some delightful films, such as IT'S A GIFT (1923). However, when he went to the Weiss Brothers studio, the quality of his work suffered. I've seen quite a few of these films and have come to notice that they' just aren't all that funny. I assume that the studio didn't have the best gag men to write scenarios for Snub.
ONCE OVER is not a particularly great or inspired film, though it is better than the other Weiss films I have seen. The film finds Snub and Fat (Marvin Loback) as two hobos who are being chased by railroad detectives and a cop. To avoid getting arrested, they get jobs as waiters and make a mess of it.
While none of the laughs are that great (other than perhaps the short mailbag scene with the cop--that was very good), the film does get a few extra points for at least trying. It is enjoyable nonsense but not of a high enough quality to put it among Snub's best films.
By the way, yes, I did say 'Fat'--this was the working name for Marvin Loback's character in quite a few comedies. While this is a tacky name and would be seen as politically incorrect today, he made quite a few films using this moniker.
