Raymond Griffith only made one talkie because his vocal chords were damaged in childhood and he couldn't talk above a whisper. In this comedy short, he plays a man with a bad respiratory infection who has lost his voice. The doctor prescribes plenty of fresh air, including sleeping on an open porch at a house in the country. Griffith's character just wants to stay warm and comfortable, but his loving wife is adamant that he must follow the doctor's instructions to the letter, despite the fact that it is snowing heavily. Unbeknownst to the wife, a friend from the city comes by and Griffith's character persuades him to pretend to be a burglar to scare his wife into letting him sleep inside. Meanwhile, a desperate criminal escapes from a nearby prison and breaks into the house via the sleeping porch. Griffith's character mistakes the convict for his friend with generally hilarious results. There is an episode of I Love Lucy in which a fake burglary turns into the real thing. I wonder if this is where they got the idea? This is a funny and entertaining short that isn't shown very often. Don't miss it, if you get the opportunity to see it.
