Had this film been made a decade earlier, I would have scored it higher. That's because this sort of semi-plot less film would have worked better during the glory days of the Mack Sennett's studio. At Keystone, slapstick was king--and lowbrow laughs like tossing mud or face cream was popular. But by 1928, humor was more sophisticated--and more story-driven.
The film begins with Ben Turpin looking for some food. He's a hobo and is resorting to trying to steal food from a baby. That 'baby' is actually four year-old midget, Billy Barty. After spending some time in the park mooching, the film changes locales--to a beauty salon. Ben's now working there and once again, there isn't a lot of plot. And, eventually it degenerates to everyone throwing globs of face cream and Ben runs out the door. Then, he's chased by folks who think he's a missing heir to a fortune. As you can see, no real theme in this one--just Ben bouncing about and a few decent gags and some very old ones as well.
My advice is after seeing this one, see some of Laurel & Hardy's silents from the same era--they are light-years apart in quality.
The film begins with Ben Turpin looking for some food. He's a hobo and is resorting to trying to steal food from a baby. That 'baby' is actually four year-old midget, Billy Barty. After spending some time in the park mooching, the film changes locales--to a beauty salon. Ben's now working there and once again, there isn't a lot of plot. And, eventually it degenerates to everyone throwing globs of face cream and Ben runs out the door. Then, he's chased by folks who think he's a missing heir to a fortune. As you can see, no real theme in this one--just Ben bouncing about and a few decent gags and some very old ones as well.
My advice is after seeing this one, see some of Laurel & Hardy's silents from the same era--they are light-years apart in quality.