Arbuckle and Keaton, Vol. 1

Starring:Buster Keaton, Joe Keaton, Alice Lake, Ernie Morrison Sr., Al St. John
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Before Chris Farley, there was Roscoe Arbuckle, the original "Fatty falls down" clown whose popularity in silent films once rivaled Charlie Chaplin's. But he became a pariah following the death of actress Virgina Rappe at an infamous wild party in 1921. The tabloid press had a field day, though Arbuckle was acquitted after three sensational trials. He was the first actor to be blacklisted. This collection of short subjects made at the peak of Arbuckle's popularity should restore his rightful place in film comedy history. "The Bell Boy," "The Butcher Boy," "Out West," "Moonshine," and "The Hayseed" are knockabout slapstick gagfests in the classic tradition of Mack Sennett, with whom Arbuckle got his start as one of the Keystone Cops. Despite his heft, Arbuckle proves himself an agile clown. But he is upstaged by his costar, Buster Keaton, then 21 years old (but a 20-year show business stage veteran!). Keaton buffs will thrill to his earliest screen appearances. He makes his auspicious screen debut in "The Butcher Boy" as a general store customer who gets into a sticky situation when he tries to purchase a pail of molasses. More sensitive viewers will want to fast forward through the rather brutal "Out West," which includes some unfortunate racial humor. --Donald Liebenson

Arbuckle and Keaton, Vol. 1
Average customer rating:

Buster in a Supporting Role for Fatty

Great Soundtrack!

K&A Mixed Bag

Only 5 because...

Superb!

Arbuckle and Keaton, Vol. 1
Starring: Buster Keaton , Joe Keaton , Alice Lake , Ernie Morrison Sr. , and Al St. John
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Forgotten Films of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle

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The Cook and Other Treasures

ASIN: B00005ALM3
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Amazon.com

Before Chris Farley, there was Roscoe Arbuckle, the original "Fatty falls down" clown whose popularity in silent films once rivaled Charlie Chaplin's. But he became a pariah following the death of actress Virgina Rappe at an infamous wild party in 1921. The tabloid press had a field day, though Arbuckle was acquitted after three sensational trials. He was the first actor to be blacklisted. This collection of short subjects made at the peak of Arbuckle's popularity should restore his rightful place in film comedy history. "The Bell Boy," "The Butcher Boy," "Out West," "Moonshine," and "The Hayseed" are knockabout slapstick gagfests in the classic tradition of Mack Sennett, with whom Arbuckle got his start as one of the Keystone Cops. Despite his heft, Arbuckle proves himself an agile clown. But he is upstaged by his costar, Buster Keaton, then 21 years old (but a 20-year show business stage veteran!). Keaton buffs will thrill to his earliest screen appearances. He makes his auspicious screen debut in "The Butcher Boy" as a general store customer who gets into a sticky situation when he tries to purchase a pail of molasses. More sensitive viewers will want to fast forward through the rather brutal "Out West," which includes some unfortunate racial humor. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews:

Buster in a Supporting Role for Fatty.......2005-06-27

This collection of 5 Arbuckle-Keaton 2 reelers spans virtually their entire period of partnership, from The Butcher Boy in early 1917, to The Hayseed, their next-to-last film, late in 1919. Most of the films are closer in style to the Keystone comedies from which Arbuckle emerged as a star. This style is comprised primarily of outrageous situations, sometimes (as in Out West) a parody of another movie style, and chaotic chase and/or fight scenes involving Arbuckle and his supporting cast, Keaton, Al St. John and female co-stars such as Alice Lake. To the modern viewer these movies may be too outlandish, even offensive, to be funny, as racial, ethnic, gay, and gender humor are often sprinkled into the mix.

The best of the collection are The Butcher Boy and The Hayseed. The first is important for historical reasons as Keaton's entry into movies, but also it showcases some of the best of Arbuckle's style of humor. Fatty plays a butcher in a general store, which allows him to display his dexterity with knives. He also shows that despite his girth, he can hold his own at running, kicking, throwing and falling. Fatty also derives humor from the well-worn trick of dressing in drag, as he infiltrates a boarding school to rescue his true love. Buster here, and in the other films, is mostly on the sidelines helping Fatty get out of a jam or win a girl. Despite the over-the-top chaos, there is a lightness and spontaneity among the actors that resembles a vaudeville tumbling act, and there are unforgettable moments, as when Buster's real-life father Joe steals a scene with his talented son in The Bell Boy.

The Hayseed is the funniest of the volume; unlike the others, it more closely resembles Keaton's brand of humor (the writer was Jean Havez, who was to work on many of Buster's best films). Virtually all of the humor is purely visual, as when Buster oils the horse's legs, plays traffic cop with a broom in the general store, and Fatty, playing a mail carrier, tears up a package to make it fit into a mail box. Some of the humor is almost surreal, as when Fatty pauses to perform a burial ceremony for an empty whiskey bottle. Fatty's battle with his rival for the heart of the girl (Molly Maguire) also has funny and almost tender moments, as when Fatty includes a pickle the size of Molly's finger in a mail order for an engagement ring. (Another funny surprise here is John Cougan, aptly playing the corrupt but nerdish rival for Molly's affections.) The dance scene at the climax has very funny moments, beginning with some acrobatics as Buster and Fatty trade off tossing a willing dance partner across the room at each other, and ending with a controlled chase scene, as Luke the dog chases the exposed rival off into the sunset.

This collection suffers from a uninspiring musical background score, as well as a lot of dated slapstick humor that might be unappealing to modern tastes. But Buster and Fatty team for enough classical comedy moments to make this volume worth owning.

Great Soundtrack!.......2004-09-14

I think the Alloy Orchestra does a bang up job and hold their own next to Roscoe, Buster and Al! I have many silent films in my collection with more traditional soundtracks that I like a lot too. But this is a very nice change (and not annoying or distracting...goes with the movies) They supply more mood and actual sound effects all produced through strange "found" instruments as well as traditional...normally not something I might like....but BOY! Do they know their craft!!! They have won all kinds of awards for their work on silent films! Buy this dvd
set with confidence!

K&A Mixed Bag.......2002-08-29

Most silent comedies, aside from Keaton's classics, Harold Lloyd, Our Gang, and some of Chaplin do not hold up very well, and these are no exception.

Buster and Fatty make a good team in the "Butcher Boy" and "The Bellboy." Both of these films being with some rather amusing gags, but go haywire with wild plot twists near the end.

And then there's OUT WEST. For the most part, mighty funny stuff, especially when Fatty and Buster team up to stop the bad guy from molesting the salvation army lady. However, there is a horrible scene where a Black Man (Ernie Morrison Sr, father of Sunshine Sammy of the Our Gang silents) is made to dance as some cruel cowboys (and Fatty Himself!) shoot as his feet until the Salvation army lady comes to his rescue and shames Fatty and the cowboys. The fact that this was a common practice in the days when Black men were lynched kills any humor whatsoever in this scene. Fortuntely, Ernie Morrison Sr. (and Jr.) were to play less degrading roles at the Hal Roach studios.
That aside, worth viewing for historical purposes.

Only 5 because..........2002-06-28

...it would deserve 10 if the music had been composed by somebody who liked Buster Keaton and not some dim-wit specialized in background sounds (or, better say noises) for Pachinko-saloons. But, once the sound set on mute (or any rag-time of your choice), even with some very dated materials, gags like the cleaning of the phone-booth window or stunts as the one from barber to restaurant should be able to convert anybody to a Keaton's fan, even if one didn't know about him before. Which would be a pity, since, although Chaplin was a master of work-polishing, Buster Keaton was (in my judgement) a top-master in inventiveness; as well, due to his very early training, I never saw anybody performing stunts and somersaults the way he could do it: just watch "The Rairodder", and think how many 70 years old could do the same.

By the way, I only noticed the pictures' imperfections after muting the sound

Superb!.......2002-03-11

To give some additional historical perspective on these films and their current condition, lets first examine the history of Fatty Arbuckle.

In 1921, Arbuckle was charged with the rape and murder of Virgina Rappe. These charges were false, but they ruined his career. His films were banned, and it appears that most copies were destroyed. That makes these dvds even more amazing, as the survival of these prints, as poor as some of the are, is almost by pure chance, and a slim chance at that.

These five films are very funny.
There are moments in "The Bell Boy" that defy description.
"The Butcher Boy" is Keaton's first foray into film, which is perhaps all that makes this film essential, as the rest, while amusing, is not the funniest of this group.
"Out West", despite, some very aged racial material, is very irreverent, and very funny. Buster, as the peace-keeper of the saloon, keeps kicking the bodies of deaceased bad guys into a trap door in the saloon floor. This fiulm has perhaps the worst print of all five.
"Moonshine" is truly bizarre, surrealistic humor before surrealism was hip. I wonder what audiences thought of this one.
"The Hayseed" is pretty good, more country bumpkin humor.

If you are a Keaton fan, you need to own this dvd. Now.

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