The Butcher Boy

Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton (in his first-ever film role) square off and ruin a humble neighborhood grocery in this early 20th century silent comedy. Arbuckle works the meat counter, carelessly flinging knives and beef slabs around the room whilst wooing the shopkeep's daughter, and Keaton tests his cinematic sea legs as a wiry customer with a pail needing molasses. The story couldn't be more rudimentary - it's just a troupe of well-versed vaudevillians, riffing on an idea - but the marquee names have strong chemistry right off the bat and that carries it a long way. The second reel, set in a girls-only boarding school with the big man disguised by a frilly dress, is more manic but less reliably entertaining. Legend has it that Keaton nailed all his scenes on the very first take, unheard-of at the time, which got his foot in the door and earned him repeat roles in several future Arbuckle comedies. Curious in a historical sense, still good for a number of light laughs, but the storytelling is limited and the picture quality (even in the restored edition) is pretty rough.