Starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Al St. John
Produced by Comique Film Company
The Bell Boy is another collaboration between Arbuckle's acknowledge comedic powerhouse and Keaton's quickly rising star. Unlike The Butcher Boy, Keaton here plays a role of almost equal stature to Arbuckle. The movie follows the daily grind at the Elk's Head Hotel, featuring "third-rate service at first-class prices." Arbuckle and Keaton play bell boys at the establishment and have a difficult time keeping out of trouble with the boss and the guests. The hotel features a large, stuffed elk's head and an elevator powered by a stubborn horse. Does hilarity ensue? I think you know it does.
Arbuckle and Keaton are great together throughout, though modern audiences will see some of the punchlines coming a mile away. There's a small moment with Keaton cleaning a glass window. The camera lingered on the scene long enough that you'll figure out where it's going before it gets there.
There are two very funny and inventive scenes during the movie. First, Arbuckle, who also serves as the hotel barber, receives a customer in the form of a large, frightening man. He proceeds to give him a trim that turns him into Ulysses Grant, Abraham Lincoln and Kaiser Wilhelm. The way the scene plays is a lot of fun though I do wish they would have changed camera positions to enhance the struggles Arbuckle's victim was going through.
The climax of the movie involves Arbuckle's plan to impress a woman by stopping a fake bank robbery committed by Keaton. The plans go awry when real bank robbers appear on the scene. The entire sequence is clever and really highlights the agility and timing of Arbuckle, St. John and especially Keaton. The way Buster vaults over and through the bank walls is jaw-dropping in its simplicity and skill.
On the whole, this is a slight comedy, but still very well done. Sure, there are moments that feel dated (Keaton bouncing up and down on a wooden plank, I am looking at you), but the small moments made me lagh more than the big set pieces. It's not as great as Chaplin's work to this date, but I'm anxious to see Keaton's later stuff once he breaks from Arbuckle.
Watched on IMDB
Photo from Dr. Macro
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