Author Archive: Retro

Charles Randolph was bombastic and haughty, but with no real courage, and what was worse, a heavy drinker. His sister Agnes and mother were the only survivors of an old and distinguished fighting family. Agnes is high-spirited and lovable, and at the beginning of the Civil War, Charles is carried away by the enthusiasm, and urged by Agnes, procures a commission in the Confederate service and is assigned to General Lee’s staff. Members of the same regiment are Lieutenants Wheeler and Carter, both good-natured rivals for the hand of Agnes. The story opens with the departure of the boys with the regiment for General Lee’s headquarters, taking with them a large Confederate flag which Agnes has just completed. In Lee’s tent Charles is given sealed dispatched and launched on a most important mission. It is a perilous undertaking, and during the course of the journey he becomes panic-stricken with fear, and drinks heavily, hoping to [...]

An ill-fated pair of teenage lovers are destroyed by the feud between their families.

Aspiring detective Lizzie goes to Chinatown to track down some stolen papers, not realizing she’s had them in her pocket all along.

A caveman falls victim to a prehistoric prankster, but he is avenged by his pet chicken.

Little orphan Harry is separated from his childhood sweetheart. Years later, he finds she’s a bearded lady in a circus.

It’s raining heavily, but at first the young husband and wife are not concerned about it. But the husband gets soaked on the way home from work, and then finds that the butler has left all of his suits hanging outside in the rain. Next, when some friends come to visit, they find that their troubles with water are just beginning.

In this one, an episode in the Universal Studios series called “Horace in Hollywood”, Lake dates up Gertrude Messinger. While waiting for her outside a movie theater, he is handed a baby by its mother with a request to mind it while she goes offscreen. Naturally, Gertrude thinks the baby is Lake’s. So does Glen Cavender, who seems to be in about forty percent of all short comedies in this period, as a beat cop.

The grocery clerk’s sympathies are aroused by the sight of hard-working Mrs. Brown, whose shiftless husband sits around and smokes, and spends his time at the saloon. The clerk wins Mrs. Brown’s gratitude by doing the washing for her, and taking care of the chores around the house. Brown saunters out to the woods and comes upon three conspirators, who accuse him of being a spy and decide to kill him. Brown is tied to a tree stump, a charge of dynamite is placed under him, a fuse attached and lit, and Brown is saying his prayers when his little son finds him. The boy rushes home with the news, and the clerk does all in his power to prevent the rescue party reaching Brown in time. In his frantic struggles Brown frees himself and makes his escape just as the explosion takes place and the rescuers arrive. All believe him dead, and the grocery [...]