https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030453/The first thing that must be said about THE MIND NEEDER is that it is one of the strongest overall cast performances ever produced by the Columbia Shorts Department. Every single actor was at their very best this day, and as a result the short is far better than it should have been.
It's good to see Bess Flowers, the most accomplished actor in history, get a decent role. She gets to show off some acting chops, look beautiful, and take a fall, as she does wonderful with her moment of fainting.
Ann Doran is great as Charley's long-suffering wife. Vernon Dent is perfectly explosive and violent in his jealous husband role. John T. Murray does fantastic in his limited screen time.
Of course, Charley is our focus. Charley carries the material very well and delivers his role to perfection. He really makes it easy to suspend disbelief for this short in spite of his ridiculous character, How he could sell this so well is beyond me. A top-notch performance again is given by Charley.
Del Lord and Elwood Ullman must be given credit for good directing and good writing, respectively. While the plot is a bit strange, it is very solid and unique in a way that keeps it interesting and fresh. The camera placements and other stage effects help really bring this one to its full potential. Special note to how they carry, for several minutes, the implication that Charley is naked.
10/10