IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146757/FLAT FEAT was Sterling Holloway's final Columbia short, and it may be one of the most interesting of the short series. Plot-wise, this one is definitely the best as far as original plots go for the set.
Sterling, as usual, plays the inept, timid role here, but this time he is a cop. Here, however, the character is more inept than timid, though, as opposed to the previous entries, and in fact Sterling grows out of his timidness to be a brazen hero.
The plot is simple enough: Sterling Smith is a rookie cop, whose father is the most famous cop the city has ever seen. Sterling, however, flunked his exams and is assigned to mundane patrols more-or-less to keep himself out of trouble. In spite of this, he keeps running into the city's top criminal and fumbling the opportunity to get the guy. Finally, after an awkward scene at home, Sterling hatches a clever plan and catches an entire gang by himself.
This short is different from typical Columbia fare in that the bumbling, cowardly star actually gets courage and gets a good idea to save the day. Thus, while the middle parts of the short are a bit slow, the ending is quite satisfying.
The other actors all do fine here. Cliff Clark is yet another typecast cop player seen in Columbia's shorts over the years; Patricia Barry is one of the most accomplished and most famous actresses to ever appear in a Columbia short. The villains are all played by Columbia's typical tough guy cast.
The one gag I will spoil concerns Sterling Smith's late father, who is photographed and displayed on the wall in the central room of the station. The father, who is obviously Sterling with a mustache and helmet, is seen throughout the short; each time the photo is seen, the father is in a different position to express his feelings about Sterling.
Now to decide whom I will review next.
9/10