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Reviews
Bangville Police (1913)
A well known Keystone comedy
This seems to be one of the most common Keystones out there, and is usually regarded as the first appearance of the "Keystone Kops" (their actual first appearance was in 1912's Hoffmeyer's Legacy). This is a pretty good half-reel comedy with a good plot line for a 7 minute film. Mabel, the daughter of a farmer (played by Nick Cogley), asks her father if she can have a baby calf. Later, she sees two mysterious men entering the farm and thinks they are burglars. She hides in a shed and phones the police, who are led by a portly, doddering old bumpkin. When Mabel's mother tries to enter the shed, Mabel blocks the door causing the mother to think a burglar is hiding inside! The police rush to the farm to catch the supposed burglars. Mabel's parents learn it was her hiding in the barn, and the strange men were actually delivering a baby calf.
These aren't the legendary Keystone Kops most people are familiar with. They're really just a militia here; a group of country folk who carry guns and shovels and defend their small town when needed. Ford Sterling is funny as a skinny little hick who rounds up all the "cops", and Fred Mace as the police chief is the highlight of the whole film.
Overall, this is a good film that you should have no problem locating a copy of.
The Delicatessen Shop (1915)
Mediocre
Weber & Fields were big vaudeville stars in their day. But they don't seem to work that well in silent film, this crude short being an example. The plot, if you could call it that, concerns the daily activities of Mike & Meyer, the owners of a general store. They get in a fight with their wives and each other, and get robbed at the end. The ending also appears very eerie to me for some reason; the shots of the robbers coming in, taking the money from the register, and then toasting each other all happen in about three seconds. You can't really tell what's happening at first, and then it's all over. Very strange. Perhaps the surviving print had some damage to it at the end. Anyway, this is a very mediocre film, poorly made and unfunny.
Ambrose's Sour Grapes (1915)
An okay but somewhat boring film
I like most of Mack Swain's Ambrose films he made for Keystone, but this one is a bit boring. The first reel in particular is really dull, but serves a point in setting up the plot. After that, it is a funny film, not as great as When Ambrose Dared Walrus, but good nontheless. {SPOILER} The ending is a bit dark though - everyone convinces Ambrose to commit suicide (he doesn't though, but fools them by going out in a hallway and shooting off the gun - hitting Chester Conklin in the ass).
Ambrose and His Widow (1918)
Poor Mack Swain
Mack Swain was a talented actor and comedian, but had trouble finding work between when he left Keystone in 1917, and when Chaplin hired him in 1921. In between, Swain had to appear in cheaply made shorts by various companies, always playing his old Keystone character Ambrose.
Ambrose in Trouble (1999)
Okay variation on a common theme
This independent short is a variation on a common story line that dates back to the Keystone short "Ambrose's First Falsehood". This remake is OK, but is kind of poorly made and has a few plot holes. Like Ambrose joining a cruise ship club at midnight and not realizing he won't be back in the morning! Overall, I give it a B-