Scared Silly fans... August was just one of those months. A lot of stuff to deal with in the "real world" prevented me from getting a proper review written and posted. I'm hoping to make up for it in September but until then, here's another public domain two-reel short subject for your viewing pleasure.
"The Old Barn" is another short produced and directed by comedy film pioneer Mack Sennett. You may recall the early (1931) Sennet-helmed Andy Clyde talkie, "Ghost Parade" that I posted a few months back. That was an early short but this one is even earlier - going all the way back to 1929!
"The Old Barn" also features Andy Clyde, so you get another chance to see a younger Clyde playing his patented old man character (as opposed to the older Clyde of "Spook to Me," a 1945 short that I reviewed last month).
Also in the cast are Johnny Burke, Thelma Hood and a pair of ubiquitous supporting players, Daphne Pollard (of Laurel & Hardy fame) and Vernon Dent (constantly bothered, bewildered and beleaguered by the Three Stooges).
This one creaks a bit, and not just because it's about the titular old barn. The pacing is a bit off, as often happened in early talkies as directors and actors tried to find their footing in the new-fangled world of films with speech. Still, there are a few effective spooky moments and bits of comic business worth a casual glance for horror-comedy fans, so take a look:
NOTE: Due to embedding problems caused by the length of this short, I am unable to provide a direct file for your immediate viewing. However, just click here to watch "The Old Barn" on Camelot Broadcasting's Comedy Shorts Channel webpage.
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