The Lion and the Souse

When wealthy Charlotte Mineau premieres her film of her dancing with her friends and squirrels -- it's hard to tell the difference -- Sid Smith brings his lion along. The guests are nonplussed. Mostly, it's about the lion. Sennett was mostly producing two-reelers at this point, so the version I looked at on Youtube may well be a cut-down. At this stage, Sennett was still producing comedy films for a lower-class audience. The images of upper class idiots getting their come-uppance was intended to please them. This was the year when Sennett began moving into middle class fare that would become the "Smith Family" series. For the moment, Harry Edwards' style of absurdity had become the Sennett house style.