If You Don't Want to Fight, Join the Marines

Clyde Cook was reputedly one of the best fall takers in silent movies and he managed to parlay this into a couple of starring short comedy series, including one at Roach, and into a sound career that included a major role in John Ford's THE LOST PATROL. Yet his comedies, although competent, were so standard, that they don't survive in good shape, despite being made by Roach and, in this case, Schenck. Even this one, originally shown as a two-reeler, survives only in a one-reel cut-down and in one copy held by Ben Model.... until Ben transferred it and eight other equally rare movies to DVD as ACCIDENTALLY PRESERVED.

This is another competently made movie. Clyde is married to overpowering Blanche Payson, so to escape her, he joins the Marines, where he is under the command of overpowering Joe Roberts. Along the way he performs some gag sequences very well, including the one in which he paints himself into a corner.

It's an amusing short comedy and I was interested in watching it while I was watching it. However, now that it's finished, I have no impulse to seek out other Clyde Cook comedies. You may like it much better, or one of the other shorts on ACCIDENTALLY PRESERVED. It's worth a try.

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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