Doubling in the Quickies

Although Lloyd Hamilton had been a very popular silent comic, by the sound era, his prospects were pretty dim....mostly because of his own actions. Hamilton was an alcoholic...and it killed him by age 43. Some studios refused to hire him because of his drinking though he did make a few shorts for Mack Sennett with Paramount near the very end of his career.

Joe (Hamilton) has come to Hollywood looking for his girlfriend, Margie (Marjorie Beebe). She came to the city some time ago looking to get into films, though she is now broke and with no prospects. However, just before heading back home, she obtains a job with a studio. She thinks it's going to be a high paying job...but she instead turns out to be the double for a star. This means she ends up being tossed about and nearly killed because of all the stunts she has to perform. As for Joe, he thinks she's a star...and wanders onto the set only to see her as a stunt woman. He thinks it's real...and wants to rescue his fair damsel!

I found no huge laughs in this short though it did have its moments and was enjoyable. My wife hated all the yelling...mostly when Margie is being abused in the various stunts. I didn't mind...and it did make me chuckle.

Following her success in Sennett's "False Impressions" (1932) in which she easily stole the movie from luckless star, Lloyd Hamilton, the talented Marjorie Beebe has this one almost all to herself (and Aggie Herring), while Hamilton, making what amounts to a guest appearance, is almost lost in the truly vast cast that producer Mack Sennett has assembled for this little two-reeler.

In fact, the movie has been produced on an extensive budget that would have done credit to a whole feature, what with the huge cast, the stunts and special effects, the location shooting, the fast pace and the almost endless series of incidents—all of it handled with great aplomb by Babe Stafford, who graduated from properties to assistant director to director of Sennett's short subjects, including the excellent Bing Crosby vehicle, "Sing, Bing, Sing!" Our only quarrel is that Stafford was obviously obliged to shoot in such haste, that some of his shots don't edit too smoothly.

Although Lloyd Hamilton may be the "star" of this film, it's a real showcase for the comic talents of the much-underrated Marjorie Beebe, who mostly appeared in Mack Sennett shorts in the early days of sound. She plays a young lady from a small town, Piperville, who comes to Hollywood and tries to get a job in pictures, delivering this outrageous "inspirational recitation" called "Life is just a crossword puzzle" which she no doubt was a smash with back home at the Elks' Club or the High School. She tries this for various casting agents (we see THREE auditions!), and is finally offered work as a stunt double, where we see her in all kind of dangerous situations, and Ms. Beebe's flair for physical comedy (I'd rate her right up there with Lucille Ball in that area!). Lloyd Hamilton is her lonely boyfriend from back home, who comes out to the West Coast to find her and of course destroys everything he encounters. Hilarious throughout... yet another comic gem from Marjorie Beebe. Running time is 19:25. Director is Babe Stafford, who did a number of early-sound shorts for Mack Sennett, including a number with Andy Clyde (one of which, The Cow-Catcher's Daughter, also starred Marjorie Beebe), and the Bing Crosby short SING BING SING.