The Misfit

According to the DVD, "Accidentally Preserved", "The Misfit" was originally a two-reel comedy but one real has not survived. However, in watching the film, you wouldn't suspect it's only half....and works just fine on its own.

The film can be divided into halves. The first half, by far the funniest, involves Clyde being used by his shrewish wife to carry packages and then do all the housework. The second half consists of Clyde joining the Marines in order for some peace and quiet. However, he turns out to be a complete misfit.

The first half had some really nice sight gags. The second, sadly, mostly consisted of a not particularly funny drill instruction bit that went on way too long as well as a bit about guard duty that SHOULD have been much funnier. Overall, I'd give it a 6...as it is still enjoyable.

Clyde Cook was reputedly one of the best fall takers in silent movies and he managed to parlay this into a couple of starring short comedy series, including one at Roach, and into a sound career that included a major role in John Ford's THE LOST PATROL. Yet his comedies, although competent, were so standard, that they don't survive in good shape, despite being made by Roach and, in this case, Schenck. Even this one, originally shown as a two-reeler, survives only in a one-reel cut-down and in one copy held by Ben Model.... until Ben transferred it and eight other equally rare movies to DVD as ACCIDENTALLY PRESERVED.

This is another competently made movie. Clyde is married to overpowering Blanche Payson, so to escape her, he joins the Marines, where he is under the command of overpowering Joe Roberts. Along the way he performs some gag sequences very well, including the one in which he paints himself into a corner.

It's an amusing short comedy and I was interested in watching it while I was watching it. However, now that it's finished, I have no impulse to seek out other Clyde Cook comedies. You may like it much better, or one of the other shorts on ACCIDENTALLY PRESERVED. It's worth a try.