Out West

The year 1918 became a very lucrative year for director/writer/actor comedian Roscoe Arbuckle. Receiving the rare opportunity to operate his own production studio under a major motion picture company's umbrella, Arbuckle, by his proven popularity, was able to renegotiate his contract with Paramount Pictures to one of the highest financial pacts in Hollywood at the time. He signed for three million dollars to make 18 two-reelers within three years, putting his salary in the stratosphere with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford.

In late 1917, he transferred his Comique production team from New York City to California for better weather and a more diverse typography. He utilized the new environment to great use in his first film on the West Coast in January 1918's "Out West." Arbuckle constructed an entire Old Western town to serve as a backdrop to his and his surrounding cast's antics. He plays the town saloon's bartender while Buster Keaton is its sheriff and Al St. John serves as the bad guy, Wild Bill Hiccup.

"Out West's" story was composed by Keaton's future wife, Natalie Talmadge, who used every Western movie cliche to poke fun at the genre. From a train chase to a gang of mischievous baddies disturbing the town, "Out West" contains every element that made Westerns so popular for movie goers.

Criticism has been heaped on "Out West" for one particular insensitive scene where the only purpose is to introduce heroine Alice Lake, a Salvation Army worker, who stands up to the saloon's bullies against a defenseless African American. Otherwise, comedies on the Old West don't get any funnier than this movie and is on par with Mel Brooks "Blazing Saddles."

Out West marks a distinct departure for Arbuckle as a director in that compared to what had come before it had a much stronger, more thought out and developed style and story. It has more genuinely clever and funny ideas than the preceding shorts with Al St John and Buster Keaton put together - the high concept of the western theme clearly releasing the creative genius that Fatty could display.

Keaton and St John also have stronger parts than their usual nameless knockabout side characters that had come before. Visually the sepia rounded-corner 19th century photograph look of it is a stylish stylistic directorial choice from Arbuckle, showing the talent he could display (and would again) rather than simply allowing the action to be the film. You feel the story here from the outset. Excellent.

Much of the material in "Out West" works well, at least as long as you understand its intent. It combines some of the usual Arbuckle/Keaton slapstick with a satirical look at some of the conventions of the Western genre of its time, and it has a decent variety of scenes and settings.

The story starts off with some amusing antics by Arbuckle on a train, and then goes on from there as he meets up with the other characters. Keaton gets some good moments, and Arbuckle regular Al St. John has a funny role as a villainous gun-slinger.

They take some chances with some of the material, and it's easy to see how today's audiences could misinterpret it. There are a couple of morbid gags that work pretty well, but there are a couple of other things are just not at all funny now, even given that they were parodying the Westerns of the time.

Overall, it has some good moments that most fans of Arbuckle and Keaton would enjoy, but there are other parts of it that even their fans will probably find somewhat uncomfortable.

This short silent comedy starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle with Buster Keaton and Al St. John in support is a mixed bag as a spoof of westerns. In begins on a train where Arbuckle ingeniously steals some food from three men one of whom was Buster's father, Joseph. After being thrown off and getting chased by Indians (or in today's parlance, Native Americans), Roscoe stumbles into the town saloon where he foils robber St. John's holdup and takes his guns. This is when he and Buster meet and become teaming acquaintances. There are many very funny gags up to this point to where they tickle St. John victoriously but then there's a racist gag involving one Ernie Morrison Sr. (the father of original "Our Gang"s Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison who would also occasionally appear in Harold Lloyd shorts) that threatens to put things to a halt. Fortunately, there's still some decent laughs after that. Oh, and there's a woman involved as well. So on that note, I'd recommend Out West. P.S. The version I watched was on the Image Entertainment "The Best Arbuckle-Keaton Collection" DVD.

In the Old West, drifter Fatty teams up with saloon owner Buster Keaton to rid the town of Wild Bill Hiccup (Al St. John). Enjoyable romp filled with inventive gags which sees both Arbuckle and Keaton on top form as they lampoon what were already Western cliches.