"Just Rambling Along" is a very slight but thoroughly entertaining little one-reeler. Stan Laurel, very early in his career and his association with the Hal Roach, plays a poor trickster who steals money from a child in order to have lunch with a pretty woman. Stan's character is nothing like the fully-formed and comically brilliant "Stanley" he would later play, but he does demonstrate an ability to create a character and create humor from character within the space of a ten-minute film. In fact, it's this drawing of comedy from a blend of character, situation, and inspired gag, even in its nascent form, that gives even this breezy little short the hallmark of Stan Laurel.
The sequence in which a troupe of men follow Stan's new girlfriend into the cafeteria is not too amusing and a bit of a waste of time, but happily the short's most extended sequence is its best: Stan's brilliant business of sneaking food on the lunch line while pretending to reject every dish.
This film is a fascinating curio for showing the young Stan Laurel at the very start of his film career. It's almost a wonder it survived, but I'm very glad it did.
The moral of the story for Stan: if you see a wallet lying on the ground, don't point it out to the kid sitting on the sidewalk.
The sequence in which a troupe of men follow Stan's new girlfriend into the cafeteria is not too amusing and a bit of a waste of time, but happily the short's most extended sequence is its best: Stan's brilliant business of sneaking food on the lunch line while pretending to reject every dish.
This film is a fascinating curio for showing the young Stan Laurel at the very start of his film career. It's almost a wonder it survived, but I'm very glad it did.
The moral of the story for Stan: if you see a wallet lying on the ground, don't point it out to the kid sitting on the sidewalk.