WillEd

That pretty much sums up the quality of this porn movie.

Let's face it. Most adult movies, even from the main studios, on a technical level are pretty awful. Their purpose is to show a lot of hardcore sex, not tell a coherent story. This one has a story. It is no great shakes, but it has one and it is competently done, though the set-up is pretty stupid. It's main point of interest, though, is Rachel Ashley. This is the only one I've seen her in and she is an incredibly beautiful woman and a very good actress. Why was she stuck in porn? A few porn actresses can act, but they aren't the most attractive ones. The lookers like the late Savannah couldn't act their way out of a paper bag.

Well, looks like Stan Laurel told John McCabe a whopper in MR. LAUREL AND MR. HARDY. He claimed someone said, "This guy is funnier than Semon," while this was being filmed and Semon in retaliation had Laurel (they were both paying convicts) handcuffed to a tree and did the rest of the picture without him, and then fired him. No such scene exists in the movie. Laurel is basically a co-star in this one. He is not around for the comic chase at the climax, which is pretty standard for a Semon comedy, but what do you expect? It is a starring vehicle for Semon. It is amazing he gave that much screen time to Laurel. This is the last of three Larry Semon comedies with Laurel. His roles get bigger with each one. Did Semon fire him after this one? You look at Laurel's filmography and he seems to be working steady and the Semons are actually the only ones from this period where he doesn't have the starring role, before and after. He seems to be hopping from studio to studio. It has been said this may have been during a period when Vitagraph temporarily shut down. I think it is just as likely Laurel moved on to do shorts where he was in the lead. Oliver Hardy also worked with Semon, but a few years later and was kinder in his reminiscence about him. As for the movie itself, this is one of the better Semon comedies and it is helped by Laurel's presence. Some of the gags seem very similar to later Laurel and Hardy movies.

Let's face it. Terrytoons are generally crappy. This one is miles better than their usual.

The animation is better (though still far from a Disney or Fleisher from the same year), the gags are inventive, and it is a far cry from the usual Terrytoon of the period with the farm animals and the mice.

And the jungle girl gives Betty Boop a run for her money with the risqué gags. She is also sexier.

After catching this on YouTube, I thought I misjudged Paul Terry cartoons. Maybe they were better in the early thirties. But, no, the other ones I found were nothing.