A great, great scene. It’s a variation of a routine he did in The Immigrant, where we come across the tramp with his back to us as he appears to be suffering from a severe bout of sea sickness. He then slowly turns toward the camera, ultimately revealing a rod and a newly caught fish. Of course, this version of the gag works even better, tied as it is to a twist in tone and character that deepens the humor.
Exceedingly good.
^^“Of course, this version of the gag works even better, tied as it is to a twist in tone and character that deepens the humor.” Yes, spot on. Also, I think a lot of folks from the original audience on would expect it to be a simple gag of him turning around with a drink. So the much more complex shaking with grief/drink mixer is what really takes it to the next level.
Comments
Matthias Galvin
on Mon 26 Jul at 05:02 AM
Couldn’t have been done better by even William Powell.
Wonderful.
Paul Johnson
on Mon 26 Jul at 08:27 AM
A great, great scene. It’s a variation of a routine he did in The Immigrant, where we come across the tramp with his back to us as he appears to be suffering from a severe bout of sea sickness. He then slowly turns toward the camera, ultimately revealing a rod and a newly caught fish. Of course, this version of the gag works even better, tied as it is to a twist in tone and character that deepens the humor.
Ben Simington
on Mon 26 Jul at 03:06 PM
Exceedingly good.
^^“Of course, this version of the gag works even better, tied as it is to a twist in tone and character that deepens the humor.” Yes, spot on. Also, I think a lot of folks from the original audience on would expect it to be a simple gag of him turning around with a drink. So the much more complex shaking with grief/drink mixer is what really takes it to the next level.
Liz Helfgott
on Mon 26 Jul at 05:01 PM
LOVED it!
Ellis Vener
on Wed 28 Jul at 01:10 AM
oddly enough we have that exact picture frame the photo of his wife is in. My dad’s portrait from when he was a kid is in it.
Paul Duane
on Wed 28 Jul at 09:31 PM
I thought it was going to be the patented Lon Chaney shaking with laughter/tears gag. Wonderful stuff.