| The Hayseed | |
|---|---|
 Advertisement featuring Roscoe Arbuckle and Luke the dog | |
| Directed by | Roscoe Arbuckle |
| Written by | Jean Havez |
| Starring | Roscoe Arbuckle Buster Keaton |
| Cinematography | Elgin Lessley |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 27 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Hayseed is a 1919 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. [2]
Buster is the manager of a post office and general store in a provincial town where Fatty works as the mailman. While delivering his letters for the day, Fatty stops to see his girlfriend Fanny (Malone) on her farm. There they play a game of hide-and-seek. While Fanny searches for Fatty he falls asleep; meanwhile, the town's constable arrives at the house and begins flirting with her.
Later in the day Fatty is busy sending out deliveries to the townsfolk when the constable sneaks into the building and steals a letter hidden by Fatty after hearing it is insured for $300. The constable presents Fanny with a ring bought with the money gained from Fatty's insured letter but is outraged when Fatty presents her with an even more expensive one. That night at the store, which has been converted into a dance hall, Fatty and Fanny dance while Buster entertains the crowd with magic tricks. Fatty is due to sing to the crowd; however, his voice gives out, so Buster persuades him to eat some onions to strengthen his voice. The onions have the desired effect, but they also make his breath so pungent that it causes the entire audience to cry.
Next the constable tries to frame Fatty by insinuating it was he who stole the money from the insured letter. As Fatty tries to deny the charges to his friends, they all (including his dog) turn their backs on him in disgust. Fatty believes their reaction is due to their not believing him, but it is actually due to his repugnant onion breath. Keaton then informs them that it was the constable, not Fatty, who stole the money. As a scuffle ensues, Fatty sics Luke on the crooked official, and the constable runs out of town with the dog in hot pursuit. In the film's closing scene, Fatty and Fanny prepare to celebrate their relationship with a kiss, but she initially refuses to kiss him due to his lingering bad breath. He suggests that she eat some onions too in order to cancel out the effect.
Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd as well as with his nephew, Al St. John. He also mentored Charlie Chaplin, Monty Banks and Bob Hope, and brought vaudeville star Buster Keaton into the movie business. Arbuckle was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, signing a contract in 1920 with Paramount Pictures for $1,000,000 a year.
The Butcher Boy is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film written by, directed by, and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Al St. John, Buster Keaton and Alice Lake. This was the first in Arbuckle's series of films with the Comique Film Corporation, and Keaton's film debut.
Out West is a 1918 American two-reel silent comedy film, a satire on contemporary Westerns, starring Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, and Al St. John. It was the first of Arbuckle's "Comique" films to be filmed on the West Coast, the previous five having been filmed in and around New York City. The idea for the story came from Natalie Talmadge, who was later to become Keaton's first wife.
The Cook is a 1918 American two-reel silent comedy film written by, directed by, and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton and Al St. John. The movie is a slapstick comedy and focuses on goings-on at a high-end restaurant with Arbuckle as the Cook and Keaton as the Waiter.
Good Night, Nurse! is a 1918 American two-reel silent comedy film written by, and directed by, and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. Roscoe's character's wife reaches the last straw with his drinking and admits him to the No Hope Sanatorium, which promises to cure all cases of alcoholism. Hilarity ensues.
Back Stage is a 1919 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton and Al St. John.
The Round-Up is a 1920 American silent Western film starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Wallace Beery. The movie was written by Edmund Day and Tom Forman, directed by George Melford, and based on Day's play that was a huge hit for Roscoe Arbuckle's older cousin Macklyn Arbuckle and Julia Dean on the Broadway stage in 1907. It was Macklyn in the play who created the famous phrase used in advertisements of the film, nobody loves a fat man.
The Garage is a 1920 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. This was the fourteenth and last film starring the duo before Keaton set up his own studio and Arbuckle started making feature-length films. The film also stars Luke the Dog, who starred in many other short comedies with Arbuckle. The film was also known as Fire Chief.
The Bell Boy is a 1918 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle for the Comique film company.
Coney Island is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film starring, written and directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton.
The Waiters' Ball is a 1916 American silent short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Arbuckle's nephew Al St. John has a memorable role as Roscoe's rival. The film is extant.
The Rough House is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film written by, directed by, and starring both Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton. The Rough House was Keaton's first film as a director.
His Wedding Night is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film written, directed by, and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.
Oh Doctor! is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton.
A Country Hero is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. The film is considered to be lost.
Moonshine is a 1918 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. The movie is available on YouTube.
The Bank Clerk is a 1919 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The film is considered to be lost.
A Desert Hero is a 1919 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The film is considered to be lost.
Elgin Lessley was an American hand-crank cameraman of the silent film era—a period of filmmaking when virtually all special effects work had to be produced inside the camera during filming. Though Lessley worked earlier with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and later with Harry Langdon, he is best known for the groundbreaking effects he produced with Buster Keaton, who dubbed him "the human metronome" for his ability to crank consistently at any requested speed.
Luke the Dog (1913–1926) was an American Pit Bull Terrier that performed as a recurring character in American silent comedy shorts between 1914 and 1920. Some claim he was a "Staffordshire Bull terrier" or "American Staffordshire bull terrier but neither of these breeds existed until the 1930's, and this is why his name nickname was Luke the pitbull.
He was also the personal pet of actress Minta Durfee and her husband, the comedian and director Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.
