'The Hayseed' is one of Roscoe Arbuckle's comedy shorts, with strong emphasis on slapstick and 'impossible' gags. As usual at this point in his career, he's ably abetted by the great Buster Keaton. Also on hand is John Coogan, father (and manager) of future silent-film star Jackie Coogan. The elder Coogan made a few film appearances before sitting back and living off his son's earnings.
SPOILERS COMING. Keaton is lumbered with a more awkward character than usual here. Midway through the proceedings, he discovers that the village constable (Coogan) has stolen a postal order worth $300. When he confronts the thief, Coogan proceeds to beat the stuffing out of Keaton in a manner that's not quite realistic but rather too brutal to qualify as conventional slapstick. I can't call this a fight sequence, as Coogan is dishing out all the punishment, and Buster receives all the blows. After this startling encounter, Buster carries on going about his business as if nothing has happened ... only to get justice against Coogan later.
Arbuckle is sweet on a local girl (Molly Malone) who seems to conform to the standard stereotype of the rural ingenue ... until she knocks Arbuckle down and causes him to pratfall into a washtub full of water. Molly is genuinely gleeful at Arbuckle's discomfort.
In most of Arbuckle's Keystone and Comique films, he was assisted on-screen by his nephew Al St John, a skilled acrobat. When St John was briefly elsewhere, Arbuckle replaced him with John Coogan, a vaudeville performer whose speciality was eccentric dancing. Coogan does a few dance steps here, and they're enjoyable to watch but they don't fit the character which Coogan is portraying in his movie: a larcenous constable.
Coogan also represents a great missed opportunity for Arbuckle and Keaton. A widower at the time (he later remarried), Coogan brought his young son Jackie to the set with him every day. Arbuckle and Keaton were impressed by little Jackie's talents as a singer, dancer and mimic, but never thought of putting this talented boy into one of their films. Ironically, when rival comedian Charlie Chaplin read in the trade papers that Arbuckle had hired Jack Coogan, Chaplin interpreted this as a reference to the son rather than the father ... and it was this misinterpretation which inspired Chaplin to build a starring vehicle ('The Kid') around young Jackie. Without even realising it, Arbuckle and Keaton gave Chaplin one of his greatest inspirations.
I've seen an original nitrate print of 'The Hayseed' with its original (English-language) intertitles, and I've also viewed a print with French titles. At one point in the original film, a customer rings up Arbuckle and requests some Swiss cheese. The only cheese he has on offer is (apparently) Muenster, so he takes out a brace-and-bit and proceeds to drill some holes in it. In the French print I viewed, the customer asks for 'Gruyere' ... which kills the joke. Quelle fromage!
Many of the gags in 'The Hayseed' were written by Jean Havez, a talented idea man who was even larger and fatter than Roscoe Arbuckle. Havez eventually followed Keaton to his own production company, at which it was mandatory that all male actors and crew participate in Buster's beloved baseball games. Because of Havez's bulk, he was the umpire. I'll rate the very funny 'Hayseed' 8 out of 10.
SPOILERS COMING. Keaton is lumbered with a more awkward character than usual here. Midway through the proceedings, he discovers that the village constable (Coogan) has stolen a postal order worth $300. When he confronts the thief, Coogan proceeds to beat the stuffing out of Keaton in a manner that's not quite realistic but rather too brutal to qualify as conventional slapstick. I can't call this a fight sequence, as Coogan is dishing out all the punishment, and Buster receives all the blows. After this startling encounter, Buster carries on going about his business as if nothing has happened ... only to get justice against Coogan later.
Arbuckle is sweet on a local girl (Molly Malone) who seems to conform to the standard stereotype of the rural ingenue ... until she knocks Arbuckle down and causes him to pratfall into a washtub full of water. Molly is genuinely gleeful at Arbuckle's discomfort.
In most of Arbuckle's Keystone and Comique films, he was assisted on-screen by his nephew Al St John, a skilled acrobat. When St John was briefly elsewhere, Arbuckle replaced him with John Coogan, a vaudeville performer whose speciality was eccentric dancing. Coogan does a few dance steps here, and they're enjoyable to watch but they don't fit the character which Coogan is portraying in his movie: a larcenous constable.
Coogan also represents a great missed opportunity for Arbuckle and Keaton. A widower at the time (he later remarried), Coogan brought his young son Jackie to the set with him every day. Arbuckle and Keaton were impressed by little Jackie's talents as a singer, dancer and mimic, but never thought of putting this talented boy into one of their films. Ironically, when rival comedian Charlie Chaplin read in the trade papers that Arbuckle had hired Jack Coogan, Chaplin interpreted this as a reference to the son rather than the father ... and it was this misinterpretation which inspired Chaplin to build a starring vehicle ('The Kid') around young Jackie. Without even realising it, Arbuckle and Keaton gave Chaplin one of his greatest inspirations.
I've seen an original nitrate print of 'The Hayseed' with its original (English-language) intertitles, and I've also viewed a print with French titles. At one point in the original film, a customer rings up Arbuckle and requests some Swiss cheese. The only cheese he has on offer is (apparently) Muenster, so he takes out a brace-and-bit and proceeds to drill some holes in it. In the French print I viewed, the customer asks for 'Gruyere' ... which kills the joke. Quelle fromage!
Many of the gags in 'The Hayseed' were written by Jean Havez, a talented idea man who was even larger and fatter than Roscoe Arbuckle. Havez eventually followed Keaton to his own production company, at which it was mandatory that all male actors and crew participate in Buster's beloved baseball games. Because of Havez's bulk, he was the umpire. I'll rate the very funny 'Hayseed' 8 out of 10.