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Voidsville Follies

Works featuring "roughhouse" (7)

Works where the slapstick is propelled by comic violence that leads to destruction of an entire area.

The Suburbanites

American Mutoscope and Biograph (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Nov 1904
Minutes: 9

Funny slapstick spoof of suburban life, using titles dripping in irony. Doesn't feel outdated, because films on this topic haven't changed much.

Featured elements:

: comedy; roughhouse; slapstick

The Cleaning Man (Le Frotteur)

Alice Guy-Blaché (director)
Gaumont (production)

Language: Silent, released in 1907, month unknown
Minutes: 4

Fans of Rik Mayall/Ade Edmondson's brand of 'full-on destruction' comedy will bow down in homage to this pioneering work of riotous excess.

Featured elements:

: comedy; roughhouse; slapstick

The Butcher Boy

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (director/lead/writer)
Frank D. Williams (cinematographer)
Al St. John (lead)
Buster Keaton (lead)
Alice Lake (lead)
Luke the Dog (lead)
Comique (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Apr 1917
Minutes: 28

Featuring:

Roscoe's kitchen and smoking skills
Luke the Dog's treadmill skills
Film debut of 21-year-old Buster Keaton's stone-cold porkpie
Al and Buster wrecking from the rafters

Featured elements:

: animal act; comedy; distress call; farce; forbidden love; gender-bender; identity mix-up; metatheatre; roughhouse; slapstick

The Rough House

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (director/lead/writer)
Frank D. Williams (cinematographer)
Al St. John (lead)
Buster Keaton (lead)
Alice Lake (lead)
Comique (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Jun 1917
Minutes: 19

Highlights:

Demonstrates the benefit of a calm, composed, and emotionally disengaged response to unexpected events.
With two forks stuck into two bread rolls, Roscoe performs a dance using the rolls as feet: in the same way that Chaplin years later made famous in the “Oceana Roll Dance” of The Gold Rush
The acrobatic teamwork of The Rough Boys
Roscoe's kitchen skills
Reveals one possible origin of the thuggish character of US police

Let's be clear: if you're looking for any hint of a story, other than what is given in the title, then too bad. If you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the Rough kitchen.

Featured elements:

: chase; comedy; comedy of manners; crazy cops; dark comedy; farce; fighting; infidelity; roughhouse; servitude; slapstick; slide

His Wedding Night

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (director/lead/writer)
Joseph Anthony Roach (writer)
George Peters (cinematographer)
Al St. John (lead)
Buster Keaton (lead)
Alice Lake (lead)
Alice Mann (lead)
Comique (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Aug 1917
Minutes: 20

Fatty's behind the counter juggling utensils again, un hunh.
And a'courting the boss' daughter again, un hunh, un hunh.
And fighting off rival Al again, un hunh, un hunh, un hunh.
And drugging then sexually assaulting women again, un...wait - that was a different comedian...

Featured elements:

: abuse; animal act; comedy; dark comedy; ethnic stereotype; fighting; gender-bender; identity mix-up; roughhouse; slapstick; swindling

The Bellboy

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (director/lead/writer)
Joseph Anthony Roach (writer)
George Peters (cinematographer)
Elgin Lessley (cinematographer)
Al St. John (lead)
Buster Keaton (lead)
Alice Lake (lead)
Joe Keaton (lead)
Comique (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Mar 1918
Minutes: 25

The title could have been plural, as the first half features Roscoe and Buster as a pair of bellboys, mostly pulling off gags as a duo. Al has his share of fun time, but usually not sharing the screen with the other two. But in the second half, the three Rough Boys ditch their uniforms and roles to come together as a team for some serious wrecking. Highlights:

Roscoe and Buster's synchronized madness
When frightened by a guest's appearance, the bellboys surprisingly react in a way typical of darky humor - you can almost hear their knees knocking.
Fatty treats us to a dance again - always a joy to watch
Released about 8 months before the war's end, propaganda slips into the barber shop - and even in the dining hall
Fatty's devilish wink to the audience
Some cool acrobatic stunts

Featured elements:

: abuse; animal act; chase; comedy; dance; fighting; metatheatre; patriotism; roughhouse; slapstick; zero to hero

Good Night, Nurse!

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (director/lead/writer)
George Peters (cinematographer)
Al St. John (lead)
Buster Keaton (lead)
Alice Lake (lead)
Comique (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Jul 1918
Minutes: 20

A fast-paced gagathon that's ultra high-energy - even by Comique's manic norm. Highlights:

Fatty's version of chivalry towards a storm-drenched damsel in distress
Fatty's irreverence for the National Anthem
Post-op Fatty checking on Lil' Willy
Alice Lake gets to join The Rough Boys' wild wackiness (but wisely ducks for cover when the roughhousing starts)
Fatty's Looney Tunes-style screwball pool dive
Fatty and doctor's courtship ritual

Demonstrating the usual senselessness of censors, only #1 got cut by the Chicago Board of Censors, while #2 and #3 slipped by.

Featured elements:

: addiction; animal act; bad cop; bimbo; boozy-woozy; chase; comedy; dance; gender-bender; goofs; identity mix-up; infidelity; metakill science; metatheatre; patriotism; roughhouse; servitude; slapstick

head city has waived all rights to all work here that's not already stolen from somewhere else.

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