A Reckless Romeo

A husband gets his come-uppance after forcing himself on young women in a park. Better-than-average Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle vehicle which only features his sidekick Buster Keaton in a small role in which he is unrecognisable. Arbuckle's humour relied too much on his bulky frame and propensity for dressing up in women's clothes for my liking, but this one shows he didn't have to get in drag to win laughs. A violently knockabout fight in which he takes on four opponents at once is the highlight.

Just watched this Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle short, one that was lost for a while, on the DVD called "The Cook and Other Treasures". In this one, Arbuckle has arrived home drunk late at night and neither his wife nor her mother are happy about it. To make it up to them, he takes them to Palisades Park and leaves them alone while he goes off on his own. Bad idea since Fatty not only flirts with pretty women again, one of those women's boyfriend catches him and starts a fight. Not only that, newsreel cameramen catch it on film...Unlike his previous Keystone shorts, Arbuckle takes his time in giving gags as he paces the story enough so we're at least taking time to know his character who's a bit on the naughty fun side but still seems innocent despite it all. Kudos especially to his nephew Al St. John for playing the jealous boyfriend with all the subtlety of James Finlayson! (Loved especially his reaction to Roscoe near the end.) Wonderful slapstick set pieces throughout. So on that note, I highly recommend A Reckless Romeo.

In the past I've seen more than 25 fatty arbuckle films,this is the latest and it really tickled me.To really enjoy an Arbuckle film it's important to watch his facial expressions and body language.To only look for the slapstick and roughhousing the viewer isn't getting the full entertainment value out of an Arbuckle movie.Those who get a laugh out of the faces Roscoe makes won't find some of the big names in silent comedys doing the same.Chaplin seldom showed his teeth,Keaton was the great stone face,Harry Langdon was famous for his baby face,I believe someone referred to them as the three sad clowns.Not so with Fatty,he's a happy guy usually looking for or having a good time,the average guy can usually relate to him.Early in this film fatty comes down to the breakfast table after being out late and getting drunk the night before.There awaiting him are his wife and mother-in-law.Any person that has been in a situation anything like that can relate to fatty's mannerisms,his shoulders are slumped,guilt all over his face,his walk consists of short little steps,I laughed out loud.In another scene to show embarrassment he gives a minimum of six expressions and body movements in a matter of seconds.I tried to mimic him and couldn't do it.Currently I haven't seen anyone on the modern screen that can do this,if they could do it like fatty they probably could write their own ticket.That's just part of the reason to check out this funny movie.

Fatty comes home late at night, drunk, and after his wife chastises him, falls asleep in the bathtub (underwater). The next day, he takes his wife and mother-in-law to an amusement park, where an infant wets on him. Later, he flirts with a pretty girl, while a newsreel crew just happens to be gathering footage. The girl's boyfriend shows up and a fight ensues. Then Fatty sees somebody steal money from a blind beggar (who turns out not to be blind), and another brawl ensues. In the finale, Fatty takes his wife and mother-in-law to the theatre, where he runs into the pretty girl and her boyfriend again. Then the newsreel is shown, opening with the title "Mashers Flirting In Our Parks Should Be Stopped." Guess who the star is?

The film was shot at Palisades Amusement Park in Fort Lee NJ (owned by Nick & Joe Schenck from 1910-1935) and also on Main Street in Fort Lee outside the exterior wall of the Triangle Studio which Arbuckle used to shoot films for Keystone in 1915-1916 such as He Did and He Didn't and The Waiter's Ball. Mack Sennet, who worked with DW Griffith in Fort Lee from 1909-1912 and formed Keystone Studio in Fort Lee in the summer of 1912 prior to the move west, sent Arbuckle to Fort Lee to his Triangle Studio in 1915-1916. Arbuckle directed and starred in some of his best shorts including some with Mabel Normand. Fort Lee was a crucial spot for Sennett in that he starred in and likely directed portions of the first American slapstick comedy, 1909's The Curtain Pole. This film by Griffith for Biograph, was also shot on Main Street in Fort Lee.