Falsealarms,
You had an interesting post I wanted to reply to here, but now it's in the "administrative" section only. Did you do that? If not, I'll see if we can revive the post.
I actually deleted it for the time being. Was going to work it into a bigger post later on. But here it is ... and I'm looking forward to your reply.
My set came today (very quick). I've watched the first 5 of them and they are generally good.
The shorts I've watched so far -
His Ex Marks the Spot - Elsie Ames and Dorothy Appleby steal the show with a rather violent cat fight in the kitchen.
General Nuisance - The highlight here was a great hospital room scene towards the end that included people hanging and dangling from the ceiling and crashing down from the floor above. The quartermaster building from Boobs and Arms is used here. Another highlight was the nurse transporting an injured Keaton via a wheelbarrow, losing focus, only to see Keaton tumble off a cliff.
Mooching Through Georgia - A superior version of 1946's Uncivil Warbirds. Keaton and Collins mesh well. Seems like some of the same sets were used.
Nothing But Pleasure - Of the 4 so far, this is the best. Great from start to end and the scene with Keaton rolling down the street in a tire reminded me of the beer barrels from Three Little Beers.
Pardon My Berth Marks - These keep getting better. This is an excellent short, especially the "you bad girl" lines in the train. There wasn't a dull moment on that train.
Pest From The West - Just wasn't feeling this one.
6/10 through, I'd rank them:
1. Nothing But Pleasure
2. Pardon My Berth Marks
3. General Nuisance
4. His Ex Marks The Spot
5. Mooching Through Georgia
6. Pest From The West
Since I'm much more of a Stooge fan than a Keaton fan, perhaps that's why I like these so far. To some Keaton fans, these seem like the Besser's of his catalog:
"Viewing these films today is painful. They are embarrassingly bad. Everything is done in the wrong way, and nothing goes right."
That sounds like something most of us would say about the Stooge Besser's. But it's from a
negative review of this set by a Keaton diehard.
