COURTSHIP OF MILES SANDWICH (1923)
Article 4798 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 4-12-2015
Directed by Charley Chase
Featuring ‘Snub’ Pollard, Marie Mosquini, James Finlayson
Country: USA
What it is: Slapstick comedy
When an insistent child wants to know the meaning of Thanksgiving, his papa tells him the story of the first Thanksgiving with the pilgrims.
First, let’s get the fantastic content out of the way. Much of the movie takes place in colonial times, and it’s awash with anachronisms. I see an automobile and a telephone, to begin with, but there may be some others I’d have to research; at any rate, I suspect they’re intentionally there for comic effect. The movie itself is a lot of fun, with James Finlayson playing Miles Sandwich and ‘Snub’ Pollard as John Alldone; the latter in particular has some nice bits, such as when he destroys the kitchen table in an attempt to carve a turkey, and when he is cursed with misfortune during his attempt to write a simple letter. Some of it is inspired, some of it is obvious, and some of it is silly, but it works well enough overall that I enjoyed it thoroughly, though I do wonder if it’s really possible to nail anything into snow.
