365 Days

Grandpa Jack Duffy proposes to divide his fortune of a million dollars among his family, provided they can live together in harmony for a year in a house that is suspended from a big balloon. Tempers can run short in such a crowded situation, particularly when Snub and Marie find that one of their relatives is Noah Young.

The version of this two-reeler that I viewed was a 10-minute cut-down, assembled from the best elements of two copies, neither of which, alas, were in the best of condition. Like many of Snub's comedies for Roach, the original seems to have been plotted by starting with some fine mechanical gags, and then coming up with enough of a story to link them together. Given the poor condition, the result is not particularly good, although the gags themselves are good, centering on Young's usual angry character, the bizarre peregrinations of the house, and Snub's blank-faced reactions to both.

In this super-strange Snub Pollard film, a very rich old man promises to leave his extended family his fortune if they all move in together and get along for one year. Does this make any sense...or does any of the rest of the film make sense? NO!! But I still recommend it because the film has some of the more amazing stunts you'll ever see (except unless you see Pollard's "It's a Gift")...and a weird cartoon-like sensibility that will make you smile. There are tons of gimmicks based on expensive and weird props--such as a SUPER-large accordion as well as a house built by many DIFFERENT people--each making their own portion and somehow haphazardly tossing them together. And then...there's a floating house! You just have to see the movie and admire all it's strangeness that makes it amazingly creative and an interesting double-feature if shown along with Buster Keaton's "One Week" or, perhaps "The Electric House". Cute and well worth seeing.