The Mystery of the Leaping Fish

I first came across this little gem while watching "Night Flight" on the USA Network in the very early 1980s. I was astounded and thought this must surely be a clever parody of silent movies, I mean the drug use was just so, BLATANT. I have never seen anything like it since and I am thankful that I was recording the show that night so I can convince myself that it was NOT just a dream and that there really was such a movie. A wonderful, silent comedy that will have you bug-eyed with amazement as well as laughing uproariously. Not Cheech & Chong crude, but weird in a spooky 1916 way, maybe the good old days werent as "innocent" as we are led to believe. if you get a chance (although I dont know who would DARE show this on TV anymore...) SEE IT! Behold, Bemuse and Bewilder!

Something happened when Hollywood got respectable; it got less fun. This is a silly bit of nonsense that had a brief revival as camp 25 or 30 years ago. It merely plays off the fact that, according to his creator, Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine addict. Later films that touched on this subject (most notably The Seven Percent Solution) generally had to treat it as Watson did--the disease of a great man. I certainly don't advocate drug abuse, but zany Holmes the cokehead is far more congenial than dutiful sober Holmes surrendering his mystery to the dull schematics of that officious intermeddler, Dr. Freud.

Sherlock Holmes was written as a flawed individual, a mind so brilliant that, when deprived of stimulation, it turns to artificial stimulants – namely, opium. 'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916),' a clear parody of Holmes, takes this vice to the extreme. Coke Ennyday (Douglas Fairbanks) sits in his laboratory, puffing on a pipe and regularly pumping himself with a cocaine syringe he keeps on a holster around his chest. His wall-mounted clock has no need for hours or minutes, but instead divides its time between the activities "Eats," "Sleep," "Dope," and "Drinks." On this occasion, the great detective is consulted by the Secret Service Chief (Tom Wilson), who is admitted to the lab only after observation through a primitive surveillance camera, described as a "scientific periscope." (I seem to recall that Louis Feuillade's serial 'Judex (1916)' also featured a similar gadget).

'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' is an odd little spoof. It was released two years after cocaine was effectively outlawed in the United States by the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914. Our hero's mission, though this becomes a little unclear in the convoluted middle-act, is to bust an opium-smuggling operation. He does this, but not before he's tasted enough of the stuff to satisfy his appetite. Drug addiction is lightly passed over as an amusing quirk. Whenever he feels down, Coke Ennyday injects himself with cocaine, and immediately perks up, proceeding to laugh and dance across the room (indeed, he essentially bounces through the entire final act). Drugs are even depicted as a useful weapon of sorts: when faced with one formidable foe, Ennyday simply injects his opponent, who promptly jumps to the ceiling. In scenes like this, reversed footage is used to amusing effect, as in G.W. Bitzer's 'The Impossible Convicts (1906).'

It's interesting how risqué and bawdy some Hollywood, silent-era comedies made before the invention and adoption of the Hays Code were. Topics like sex and drug use were free for parody on the silver screen, which the strict so-called morality guidelines imposed by the Code made impossible to explore. What was filmed in 1920 could get one fined or fired for shooting in 1930. 'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' is one such film, a Rabelaisian comedy from 1916 that would have never made it past the censors only fourteen years after its' release.

Directed by John Emerson and written by Tod Browning, 'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' follows narcotic enthusiast Coke Ennyday, a scientific investigator à la Sherlock Holmes. Drugs are Ennyday's wheelhouse and driving passion; he does so much cocaine he makes Scarface look like Little Orphan Annie. The stuff makes him the astute criminal catcher he is, and the police chief asks Ennyday to investigate a suspicious wealthy gentleman recently arrived in town. This takes the detective to the seaside, where he engages in madcap, stimulant fuelled antics as he tries to solve the mystery, get the girl and save the day- as well as the dope.

The film is raucous, wild and a little rough around the edges. Browning's meandering, absurd tale features bizarre scenarios and crazy moments that often border on the facile or immature; though generally provide laughter nevertheless. The film parodies the Holmes and C. Auguste Dupin style of detective softly- this is not biting satire by any means, merely some good-natured ribbing. The capers Ennyday gets involved with are of a predictable variety, though feel somewhat fresh due to the cocaine angle.

Though running at less than half an hour, the film loses steam at the midway point, with the result being that the latter half drags somewhat, feeling underwhelming in comparison to what came before it. However, on the whole, it is enjoyable; even if the narrative is slightly inconsequential and anticlimactic. Full of sight gags, drug jokes and physical humour, 'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' plays like a Jacques Tati farce by way of a hop head's fever dream. It is not particularly inventive or impressive comedy, but will surely still entertain.

Shot by John W. Leezer, the film has a clarity of composition that is most striking. There are many intriguing optical effects at play throughout 'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' - such as the reversal of footage- which are still impactful even today. Additionally, the set decoration is of a particularly high quality. The film's locations are packed to the gills with detail, with Ennyday's office being especially intricate and filled with amusing features and props. The costume design is also of note, with Ennyday's bandolier of needles being most memorable.

Douglas Fairbanks heads up the cast as Coke Ennyday, and the role is an unusual and welcome change of pace for the star. Though he appeared in a variety of comedies, Fairbanks never played a character quite as broad or as over-the-top as Ennyday. His performance is a charmingly excessive, expressive one, making the detective a drug-addled delight of ostentatious proportions. Fairbanks would later disown the film and his contribution to it; but he performs strongly and will surely make you laugh.

'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' is a bizarre silent movie that is easy to enjoy. It is not a particularly well-written or daring comedy, no; but it is an amusing one featuring a wacky central character that is certainly enjoyable, if not unforgettable. Boasting a wild and crazy performance from Douglas Fairbanks, an assured visual style and detailed set design, the film has plenty of impressive aspects. It may not be the finest film ever made, but it is worth seeing; as 'The Mystery of the Leaping Fish' is a curious, crazy cocaine-comedy the likes of which they could never make today.

Famous detective Coke Ennyday (Douglas Fairbanks), "the scientific detective" has a clock with four events on it - Sleep, Eat, Drink, Drugs. When the clock hits "drugs" he pulls a syringe out of his utility belt, injects himself, and laughs. He does this at much more frequent intervals than his alarm instructs him. He gets a message from the constable of a beach side town saying that there is a mysterious man there who is rolling in money with no visible means of support. Ennyday is on the case. He drives about in a checkered car, and plays checkers with his chauffeur in this loud contraption in order to fit in (???). When it turns out that smuggling opium is involved, Ennyday is conflicted between chasing the smugglers or sampling their wares. He manages to do both.

This short half hour long film seems like a spoof on Sherlock Holmes who was a drug addict, though not to this extent! Actually, "Coke Ennyday" is a parody of the fictional detective Professor Craig Kennedy. Written by Arthur B. Reeve, the Craig Kennedy short stories were immensely popular at that time, The "leaping fish" are just floatation devices that swimmers can rent for a quarter an hour. What could possibly be infamous about them? Watch and find out.

Several famous people were involved in this - Tod Browning, who directed so many of Lon Chaney's films, as well as Anita Loos were the writers. This short probably got away with turning drug addiction into comedy because there was really no regulation of film content at the time, plus there is a twist at the end that pulls it back into reality in a comical way.