30 Second Review: Coney Island

Top Stars Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton
Date 1917
Category Slapstick Short

The Story
Fatty’s headed to Coney Island, hopefully without The Wife.

The Verdict
Arbuckle’s funniest film. That ain't light praise.

Best Scene
Arbuckle breaks the fourth wall with his first gag. He’s on the beach with his wife, very much wishing he were not. He keeps turning from her and she keeps pulling him back by the seat of his pants. There’s no exaggeration here, but we know what he thinks of her. And with her eyes on her magazine rather than him, all the communication is really between Arbuckle and us. He winks and laughs toward the camera, pulling us into the joke, and when the moment arrives that he can safely roll away from his foul spouse, we feel like we’re in on the whole thing.

For the full-length Silent Volume article, click HERE.