The Cannonball

Inventor Andy Clyde's rocket gets lost somewhere in Missouri, and he thinks he's broke. However, when he is informed that his uncle left him a railroad in Missouri, he thinks he's saved. Then he gets a look at it and despairs yet again at the one-track-one-train affair. Still, if he can win the race against George Grey's bus, he'll get the mail contract and everything will be copacetic.

This Mack Sennett movie directed by Del Lord is a throwback to the gag-filled absurd shorts of the 1920s, and demonstrates that the old magic is still there, with the right director and a cast that includes Sennett's veteran players. Unfortunately, he didn't continue with this sort of comedy short, and key players like Clyde would drift away to other studios.