Butter Fingers (1925) is Mack Sennett at his best

Butter Fingers (1925)

Directed by Del Lord. Cast: Billy Bevan, Madeline Hurlock, Ruth Taylor, Andy Clyde, Kewpie Morgan, Barney Hellum, Leo Sulky. Produced by Mack Sennett.

The more one explores the silent comedy productions of Mack Sennett, the more one appreciates the brilliant comic mind he had. And this appreciation is extended to include the many wonderful comedians he had in his employ. Of course we can single out the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Harry Langdon, Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle, and others who went on to greater heights. But a cast like the one in “Butter Fingers” -- featuring such top drawer Sennett stalwarts as Billy Bevan, Madeline Hurlock, Andy Clyde, and Kewpie Morgan – is every bit as impressive. “Butter Fingers” is one of the funniest Sennett comedies from his Pathé period with this great cast of talented comics and a lot of clever slapstick.

Billy Bevan is a star baseball pitcher who is engaged to the team owner’s daughter. When a rival team owner makes a $5000 bet on the big game with the owner of Billy’s team, attempts are made to thwart Billy’s success on the diamond. When Billy is caught in the bathtub of the rival owner’s wife, he is blackmailed into losing the game. However, when Billy’s girl discovers a telegram indicating the blackmail scheme, she rushes to the game to show Billy, who thereafter plays his best, winning the game.

Most of the highlights occur during the climatic baseball game. A ball lands on the edge of the outfield fence and rolls along forcing Billy to chase it. Another is about to fly over the fence, so Billy climbs atop, falls backwards, springs off a board into the air, and catches the ball. At one point his dog runs out, catches a fly ball and hands it to him. Such gags are non-stop during this sequence.

The chase sequence when Billy’s girl hurries to the diamond, Billy’s dog running alongside, and the rival owner’s wife in pursuit, is a good example of director Del Lord’s talent with such sequences. The rapid motion, expertly framed tracking shots, and quick edits make the scene as exciting as it is funny. A particularly fun bit has the dog hopping on a horse, pulling the mane with its teeth, and riding the rest of the way.

Team owner Andy Clyde’s reaction shots as star pitcher Billy gives up run after run are hilarious. Clyde, of course, enjoyed a long and productive career well into the television era, remaining active until his death in 1967.

Kewpie Morgan is once again an effective comic heavy as the rival team owner. Both Ruth Taylor and Madeline Hurlock, as the rival’s wife, are attractive and formidable as comic actresses.

And I don’t know how anyone can resist a title card that states, “She became a blonde from sitting so long in the bleachers.”

There isn’t a wasted second in “Butter Fingers,” and it is a perfect example of some of the fun one can find while exploring the bypaths of silent movie comedy.