This is an amusing situation comedy that could just as easily have been titled "The Wives Teach the Husbands a Lesson." It was produced by the Thanhouser Company of New Rochelle, New York, an organization better known for dramas and perhaps best known for The Cry of the Children, an impassioned indictment of those who profit off the labor of children. In this film, however, we find that the folks at the studio had a sense of humor, although one can nonetheless find a sugar-coated message here about gender equality and better treatment for women.
Petticoat Camp is basically a 1912-style sitcom which tells a simple tale of several married couples on a camping trip. It's an ensemble piece with no leading comedian or stand-out performer. Two title cards set up the story: "It's lots of fun camping -- for the husbands" reads the first, followed soon after by "It's not so jolly -- for the wives." And sure enough, we watch as the guys sit back and shoot the breeze while the gals cook the meals, wait on them, and clean up afterward. And when the guys return from their fishing trip, guess who is expected to clean and cook the fish?
I won't give away the ending, but let it suffice to say that the women rebel and ultimately bring the husbands to their knees, quite literally. That image might have raised hackles on the backs of some viewers' necks in 1912, when the struggle for Women's Suffrage was provoking high emotion on both sides of the debate, even stirring fears of female dominance in the hearts of some anti-suffragists. In any event, it would appear that this good-natured comedy had no larger political point to make beyond the notion that work and play should be shared and enjoyed equally by the sexes. It's pleasant enough, but not especially memorable, reminding us why Thanhouser was best known for its dramas.