The Bellboy

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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

Online: YouTube

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, circa 1910
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, circa 1910
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Comique, circa 1918
The Kaiser of Comique, circa 1918 (Footnote: Actors in that era normally did their own makeup. This actor, Charles Dudley, years later went on to a long successful career as a film studio make-up artist, so it seems likely that this skit was a showcase of his talent - not the barber's, of course.)
Sign with German cooking removed