Production Notes[]
Length: Three Reel
Producer: Robert F. McGowan
Director: Robert F. McGowan
Photography: Art Lloyd
Editor: Richard Currier
Titles: Reed Heustis
Writer: Robert F. McGowan
Released: January 24, 1928
Studio: M-G-M
Main Cast[]
- Allen Hoskins
- Harry Spear (actor)
- Jackie Condon (actor)
- Jay Smith
- Jean Darling (actress)
- Joseph Cobb
- Johnny Aber
- Mildred Kornman
- Mickey Daniels (actor)
- Robert Dean
- Robert Hutchins
Supporting Cast[]
- Charles Bachman - Officer
- Charley Lloyd - Vendor
The Short[]
Plot: Farina turns out to be superstitious as Joe Cobb decides to pull a series of practical jokes on him, one of which is a fake cap rifle that hits Farina in the face with smoke no matter where he stands. With the help of Jay R. Smith, Joe has Harry pretend to be dead after Farina brushes him with a voodoo charm, and Farina is given the task of burying him or else be haunted forever. Joe and the gang rush ahead of Farina to the cemetary to scare him with more pranks ranging from puppets, props and costumes. However, in the midst of the frights, an eclipse occurs that ends up terrifying everyone. The wind blows laundry and balloons with faces across the cemetery, heightening the terrifying effect. The grave Farina digs is struck by lightning, creating a hole to an underground mausoleum. Soon Jay and Joe are knocked into it by barn animals, and then Farina drags Harry, wrapped in a sheet, to the hole and rolls him in. Farina exacts some revenge on the gang (except Jackie, who, while trying to run away, gets his pants caught on a branch), by hitting them on their heads with a shovel as they try to climb a ladder out, but eventually is butted into the hole by the same goat that knocked Joe in. With one of the balloon faces stuck on the top of his coat, Farina scares everyone else down there until the balloon pops. The gang finally climbs out just as the eclipse ends, and a final lightning bolt sends them scurrying off into the distance.
Quotes:
- "Ah'll rub this Mumbo-Jumbo charm on yo', an' yo'll wake up dead!" - Farina
- "Not me - I ain't pattin' no dead folks in the face with a spade!" - Farina
- "I'm cold and clammy!" - Harry
Notes/Trivia:
- This short is included in the Brentwood Home Video DVD.
- The scene where Farina brushes Harry with the voodoo charm was filmed on the southwest corner of Woodbine Street and Motor Avenue in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles.[1]
Sequence[]
- Previous Short: Dog Heaven
- Next Short: Rainy Days