If Buster Keaton's first talking picture was Parlor, Bedroom and Bath instead of Free and Easy, I don't think his career would have ended the way it did. In Free and Easy, he was clearly not used to talking and nervously stumbled across his lines with less-than-stellar timing, almost as if English weren't his first language and he didn't really know when his cues were. Within a year, he miraculously learned English; there was nothing whatsoever wrong with his timing in Parlor, Bedroom and Bath. He understood his character, said his lines exactly the way they should be said, and added to the humor of the film. This is a good quality comedy, not just something you'll watch and pretend to enjoy for Buster's sake.
The story starts off like a modern version of The Taming of the Shrew: younger sister Sally Eilers can't get married until her older sister Dorothy Christy gets married first. Dorothy is a maneater and no one will get near her-until Buster falls in love at first sight, as he so often does. Dorothy won't have anything to do with him unless he's a real man, so Sally's fiancé Reginald Denny helps everyone out. If Buster can pass himself off as a ladies' man, Dorothy will marry him. It's easier said than done, though. When Reginald asks if Buster's had any experience with women, he answers, "Well, I used to sell vacuum cleaners."
Shakespeare's plot disappears shortly afterwards, but it's an adorable setup all the same. Reginald's devotion to the cause is sweet, but Buster's lack of romantic finesse is side-splittingly funny. After many failed attempts, Reginald comes up with a foolproof scenario: if Dorothy catches Buster in the act, she'll know he's a Casanova. "You're going to have a love affair tonight," he announces. Buster frowns. "Aw, I'm real nervous. Can it be tomorrow night?"
It's worth noting that Parlor, Bedroom and Bath was based off C.W. Bell and Mark Swan's hit Broadway play. The screenplay is wordy, and Buster still keeps up! There's a perfect balance of verbal wit and slapstick humor, though, including the second act's lengthy seduction. Remember in It's a Wonderful Life when Donna Reed says, "He's making violent love to me," and as a modern audience member, you didn't really know what that meant? Well, if you watch Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, you will. Buster usually has a kiss or two in his movies, but he's never been given this many love scenes before. The kisses are so long, so frequent, and so physical, that sometimes Buster and the girl in his arms wind up horizontally entwined on the couch or the floor. This movie contains the "violent lovemaking" of yesteryear. It's hilarious. You need to watch it, for Buster, for the pre-code sex humor, or to find out what violent lovemaking is.
The story starts off like a modern version of The Taming of the Shrew: younger sister Sally Eilers can't get married until her older sister Dorothy Christy gets married first. Dorothy is a maneater and no one will get near her-until Buster falls in love at first sight, as he so often does. Dorothy won't have anything to do with him unless he's a real man, so Sally's fiancé Reginald Denny helps everyone out. If Buster can pass himself off as a ladies' man, Dorothy will marry him. It's easier said than done, though. When Reginald asks if Buster's had any experience with women, he answers, "Well, I used to sell vacuum cleaners."
Shakespeare's plot disappears shortly afterwards, but it's an adorable setup all the same. Reginald's devotion to the cause is sweet, but Buster's lack of romantic finesse is side-splittingly funny. After many failed attempts, Reginald comes up with a foolproof scenario: if Dorothy catches Buster in the act, she'll know he's a Casanova. "You're going to have a love affair tonight," he announces. Buster frowns. "Aw, I'm real nervous. Can it be tomorrow night?"
It's worth noting that Parlor, Bedroom and Bath was based off C.W. Bell and Mark Swan's hit Broadway play. The screenplay is wordy, and Buster still keeps up! There's a perfect balance of verbal wit and slapstick humor, though, including the second act's lengthy seduction. Remember in It's a Wonderful Life when Donna Reed says, "He's making violent love to me," and as a modern audience member, you didn't really know what that meant? Well, if you watch Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, you will. Buster usually has a kiss or two in his movies, but he's never been given this many love scenes before. The kisses are so long, so frequent, and so physical, that sometimes Buster and the girl in his arms wind up horizontally entwined on the couch or the floor. This movie contains the "violent lovemaking" of yesteryear. It's hilarious. You need to watch it, for Buster, for the pre-code sex humor, or to find out what violent lovemaking is.