It's always amazing how one tiny inconvenience can lead to a whole mountain of trouble. For instance, we've seen many times how Edgar Kennedy tries to weasel out of paying a small sum of money to do a job himself, only to have the repairs cost two to three times more than what the job originally would have. In this particular short, we see Edgar's weaseling tactics once again turn around to bite him in the rear. It all began with a leaking faucet. All it needed was a new washer, but Edgar felt that it should be the landlord's responsibility to fix it. He then says aloud that if their landlord, Mr. Barnes, doesn't fix it, he won't pay the rent and move out. Unfortunately, Barnes happened to barge in at the moment Edgar was spouting off. Oh, and get this: Edgar's profession is plumbing. Yeah, he's a plumber who refuses to fix his own sink. How lazy can you get? Barnes calls his bluff, only for Edgar to affirm that he and Florence would be out by noon. Well, now what? Edgar sends Florence to pack while he goes out looking for a new place to live. His wife reminds him that the car is pretty low on gas and their ration cards won't be good until tomorrow. See, during WWII, people were given gasoline ration cards, and you could only get gas on certain days. It's similar to the gasoline shortage in the 1970s, but at this time, it was about making concessions to the war. Anyway, Edgar is certain he'll find a place in no time flat. So, after driving passed a myriad of No Vacancy signs, his eye catches a For Rent sign... and so do about three other people, who all make a bee-line for the house, but Edgar wins, crashing right into the yard. He puts down a $10 deposit, which gets him two weeks. Unfortunately, the lady was looking to rent a single room in her garage, as opposed to the whole house. Yeah, I don't even think $20 a month could rent a whole house, even back then. The lady berates Edgar for being a "cheapskate" as he runs back to the car, though she keeps his $10 down payment to repair the fence Edgar destroyed.
Luckily, Edgar doesn't have to go far to find another tenement. However, since he spent his last $10 on the bogus offer, he hasn't anything to make a deposit on this place, though he assures the landlord he'll be right back. After all, this place had been vacant for an entire year, so surely another hour wouldn't make a difference... right? Unfortunately, Edgar's car won't start because it's out of gas, but he does manage to find a mover with a big van. The man hasn't any help, so Edgar volunteers. This means the man gets to act like a slavedriver and boss him around... even though Edgar's the one who's paying. Hey, not many of us are in a position where we can order our bosses around. So they get to the Kennedys' old residence, where Charlie Hall and his giant family are eagerly waiting to move in. This hampers Edgar's efforts to move the old furniture out, since Charlie and his family are bringing in their own. A scuffle ensues, including a pillow fight that decorates the room with feathers, then Edgar throws a stove at him, only it flies out the window. Unfortunately, we the audience don't see that, as it's told to us by the mover as they're driving away. So they arrive at their intended residence... but guess what? Yeah, that place what was vacant for a year was suddenly rented within one hour. See what happens when you don't put money down? So they get back in the truck and drive on, with Florence saying they'll go to her uncle's house on in Marview. She tells the driver the easiest way to get there, but Edgar insists on taking Highway 76, which he says is quicker. At that point, Edgar takes the wheel and after driving in the dark a few hours, they make it to Widehaven Avenue in Marview, where Florence's uncle supposedly lives. Edgar takes a flashlight to look over the house, when he accidentally stumbles inside. And wouldn't you know it, it's at that exact moment that the cops show up. It seems no matter what Edgar does, the police always seem to get involved, somehow, and like usual, they immediately suspect him of wrongdoing. In this case, they caught Edgar in an empty house with a moving van parked out front. Sure didn't look good. What's more, Edgar's "keen" sense of direction has lead them all the way to Arizona. So the three of them are hauled away, and in the morning, Florence tells the whole convoluted story to the judge. He even calls Edgar's former employer, who uses some very colorful words to describe what kind of an employee he was. So, they'r free to go, only to find the mover split, leaving all their furniture in the street. Worse yet, even though the gas rationing card was good today, it wasn't good out of state. He would have to hold the cards until the supervisor arrived in a few days. To add insult to injury, one of the cops who arrested Edgar comes over and asks him to put a washer on a leaky faucet at the station.
To think, all that trouble could've been avoided if Edgar had simply put on his big boy pants and simply put a washer in his kitchen faucet. It just goes to show that pettiness comes at a price. This Edgar Kennedy short was very entertaining as well as a good cautionary tale for what can happen when you blow tiny problems completely out of proportion. It was also a nice change of pace to be without Mother and Brother. This was one story where they didn't fit, which allowed for Edgar to be more of a bungler, and Florence not quite as batty or obnoxious. It's always better when Edgar gets himself into trouble, rather than have it caused by a member of his family. Because then it's more satisfying to see him try to dig his way out of the hole he dug for himself, only to keep digging deeper and deeper and deeper. A well made short film with laughs, suspense, decent gags, and a very good moral: don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
Luckily, Edgar doesn't have to go far to find another tenement. However, since he spent his last $10 on the bogus offer, he hasn't anything to make a deposit on this place, though he assures the landlord he'll be right back. After all, this place had been vacant for an entire year, so surely another hour wouldn't make a difference... right? Unfortunately, Edgar's car won't start because it's out of gas, but he does manage to find a mover with a big van. The man hasn't any help, so Edgar volunteers. This means the man gets to act like a slavedriver and boss him around... even though Edgar's the one who's paying. Hey, not many of us are in a position where we can order our bosses around. So they get to the Kennedys' old residence, where Charlie Hall and his giant family are eagerly waiting to move in. This hampers Edgar's efforts to move the old furniture out, since Charlie and his family are bringing in their own. A scuffle ensues, including a pillow fight that decorates the room with feathers, then Edgar throws a stove at him, only it flies out the window. Unfortunately, we the audience don't see that, as it's told to us by the mover as they're driving away. So they arrive at their intended residence... but guess what? Yeah, that place what was vacant for a year was suddenly rented within one hour. See what happens when you don't put money down? So they get back in the truck and drive on, with Florence saying they'll go to her uncle's house on in Marview. She tells the driver the easiest way to get there, but Edgar insists on taking Highway 76, which he says is quicker. At that point, Edgar takes the wheel and after driving in the dark a few hours, they make it to Widehaven Avenue in Marview, where Florence's uncle supposedly lives. Edgar takes a flashlight to look over the house, when he accidentally stumbles inside. And wouldn't you know it, it's at that exact moment that the cops show up. It seems no matter what Edgar does, the police always seem to get involved, somehow, and like usual, they immediately suspect him of wrongdoing. In this case, they caught Edgar in an empty house with a moving van parked out front. Sure didn't look good. What's more, Edgar's "keen" sense of direction has lead them all the way to Arizona. So the three of them are hauled away, and in the morning, Florence tells the whole convoluted story to the judge. He even calls Edgar's former employer, who uses some very colorful words to describe what kind of an employee he was. So, they'r free to go, only to find the mover split, leaving all their furniture in the street. Worse yet, even though the gas rationing card was good today, it wasn't good out of state. He would have to hold the cards until the supervisor arrived in a few days. To add insult to injury, one of the cops who arrested Edgar comes over and asks him to put a washer on a leaky faucet at the station.
To think, all that trouble could've been avoided if Edgar had simply put on his big boy pants and simply put a washer in his kitchen faucet. It just goes to show that pettiness comes at a price. This Edgar Kennedy short was very entertaining as well as a good cautionary tale for what can happen when you blow tiny problems completely out of proportion. It was also a nice change of pace to be without Mother and Brother. This was one story where they didn't fit, which allowed for Edgar to be more of a bungler, and Florence not quite as batty or obnoxious. It's always better when Edgar gets himself into trouble, rather than have it caused by a member of his family. Because then it's more satisfying to see him try to dig his way out of the hole he dug for himself, only to keep digging deeper and deeper and deeper. A well made short film with laughs, suspense, decent gags, and a very good moral: don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
