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Jack Fat and Jim Slim at Coney Island
(1910) United States of America
B&W : One reel / 951 feet
Directed by (unknown)
Cast: John Bunny [Jack Fat], Kate Price
The Vitagraph Company of American production; distributed by The Vitagraph Company of American. / Released 2 December 1910. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Bunny’s film debut.
Comedy.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 17 December 1910, page ?] “Whew! Is it hot enough for you, Jim?” “Yes, plenty and a little bit more.” This is the beginning of a conversation between Jack and Jim as they sit on their respective fire-escapes one hot day in August. Jim is glancing over his newspaper and sees an announcement of a big day at Coney Island. He shows it to Jack, and they decide to beat it for the sands without letting their wives know anything about it. Silently they steal down the ladders, and are soon on their way. Arriving at the Island, they throw themselves into the fun, which is fast and furious. Their wives discover their absence, find the newspaper, and, seeing the flaming announcement of Coney’s allurements, guess the cause of their husbands’ sudden disappearance and determine to follow them. Seven feet six inches of attenuated man and five feet of concentrated 350 pounds of fat are enough to attract attention anywhere. Everybody rubbers, and everybody laughs themselves sick when they see the long and the short of it in bathing suits, riding around on the carousels, on the camel’s back, in the “Sugar Bowl,” “Down and Out,” the “Cake Walk,” “Bamboo Slide,” and all the rest of the stunts that will upset the dignity of anybody. To add to the fun, the gay benedicts meet a couple of sporty ladies who visit the island with a diminutive beau, whom they lose sight of in the company of Jack and Jim and who keeps tagging after them like a little poodle dog. In the midst of their fun, their wives come upon them, and a lively chase ensues, but they manage to evade them or keep a lap or two ahead of the poor women all the time. They don’t get near them until the two truants have had a large day of it and stop with their lady friends to refresh themselves at the ice cream and soda-water stand. The two wives then take them in hand and march them to their homes, where we see them the next day seated on the fire-escapes recounting their experiences and laughing over the good time they had down at the isle by the sea.
Reviews: [The Nickelodeon, 15 December 1910, page ?] Here a drama has been cooked up as an excuse for introducing Coney Island, and though the excuse is a rather lame one, the end justifies the means, and we all sit back comfortably and enjoy a visit to Coney’s strenuous amusement resorts. The fun of such places is in watching others “do it,” and here we get a maximum amount of fun for a minimum of exertion. As before intimated, the dramatic side of the film is quite conventional and not a bit convincing, but who cares? Coney Island is a sufficient raison d’étre. Consider the film a scenic, and it is mighty good. // [The Moving Picture World, 17 December 1910, page ?] The comedians Hank and Lank in different characters. This picture takes them to Coney Island, where they make the rounds. All who have tasted of the allurements of that hilarious place will recognize the difficulties which the ill-assorted pair encounter. Those who have not seen Coney Island can rest assured they are looking upon an unusually faithful reproduction.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: USA: New York: Coney Island
Listing updated: 7 August 2023.
References: Lahue-World p. 12 : Website-AFI.
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