The Bell Boy

Arbuckle doesn't do it for me and Keaton isn't given much room to shine. I think what distinguishes this from the great Keaton and Chaplin shorts is that the characters here never engender sympathy, they're simply vehicles for gags. There are a few good ones, and there's nothing terrible, but for a half hour short it's pretty barren.

There are some good set pieces in this one but as a whole, this just didn't come together.

Fatty Arbuckle, the man of a thousand bad bits. The whole barber thing is miserable, but I enjoyed the bank sequence. Of course Buster does some great stunts and Al St. John gets in an all-timer (the flip into the chair).

has the distinction of being the arbuckle movie that made me realize not everything he does sucks. st. john is the funniest of the bunch, which is interesting because he never really made a name for himself.

Arbuckle and Keaton in comic duo mode, Arbuckle as Rasputin's barber, and a chaotic and stunt-heavy ending. It does feel a bit like a few different short ideas stitched together to fill a half hour, but it's a fun picture.

Arbuckle, Keaton and St. John at their best shenanigans. This was the funniest of their shorts and expertly showed off their physicality. Good laughs. Even though Fatty is less funny and physical than the other two, he still amuses me (when he's not womanizing) and I give him nods for his direction. Prime moments were Al's tumble into the chair and Buster's vaulting through the bank.

The ending is kind of genius and makes up for a lot of its other flaws.

This might be my favorite of the Arbuckle-Keaton shorts, at least the "hotel" component. But sometimes it seems like they're just aiming for a quick gag by falling down. Best moment: Keaton cleaning the phone booth window.

The Bell Boy estreava há 105 anos nos EUA. A bem da verdade ainda bem que o Keaton se livrou do Fatty. Box OP Buster Keaton.

Some nice stunts and gags, some old boring slapstick. As I watch these shorts chronologically, Al St. John is becoming more and more noticeable. Too bad he never had a big break as Keaton did.