Snub Pollard in The Bum's Rush

The Bum’s Rush (1927)

Directed by James Davis. Starring Snub Pollard, Mavis Clare, Otto Fries, Dick Gilbert, Max Asher, Bobby Nelson.

​​Snub Pollard was never a major star, but ever since Robert Youngson presented scenes of his minor classic “It’s a Gift” (1923) in the 1960 anthology “When Comedy Was King.” When exploring more of his work, one finds that Snub Pollard has a certain appeal over many different films. His best work was probably with Hal Roach (including some fun comedies opposite Harold Lloyd). However, this does not mean that we should be dismissive of his later silents for the Weiss Brothers.

Snub Pollard plays a meek little hobo in a camp with other hoboes, who is accosted by an escaped convict running from the police. The criminal hides under the blanket with Snub, whose foot is sticking out, so the cops clasp the ball-and-chain on Snub’s foot. The criminal switches his prison uniform for Snub’s clothes, and now the cops are after Snub. A bit later, Snub and the criminal find themselves in each other’s company when they stumble upon a hideout and find a criminal gang holding a child for ransom. They rescue the child, the criminal more interested in the $10,000 reward than the kid’s welfare.

“The Bum’s Rush” is not really one of Snub Pollard’s best films, but it is not without merit. The amusing premise seems to be a fairly standard setup in silent comedies. Buster Keaton uses a variation in his two-reeler “Convict 13” (1921) and Stan Laurel also utilized a similar premise in “Detained” (1925).

Snub is a naturally funny character so his very presence makes the film amusing. There is a funny visual bit toward the beginning of the short when Snub, clad in the too-large prison duds of the convict and holding a ball and chain, runs after a truck in an attempt to hitch a ride. There are also many amusing moments as Snub tries to elude police and hide the ball and chain. But the film’s real highlight is when the boy gets stuck outside a window on a high-rise building, and Snub must walk across a clothesline to rescue him (holding an umbrella like a circus act).

Director James Davis was a veteran of silent comedy, having helmed movies for Henry Lehrman’s L-KO productions in the late teens. Directing for the Weiss Brothers/Artclass by this time, Davis worked often with Snub Pollard (“The Bum’s Rush” is his fourth with the comedian). Davis knows how to keep the action quick, how to spotlight his star, and how to offer a succession of shots that present the visual humor effectively while maintaining a brisk pace.

So little of silent cinema exists, it is great that even this rather average movie is available and accessible. And the print I screened, from the Weiss Brothers DVD set, is absolutely beautiful – a very clean, sharp picture, obviously restored, and accompanied by a great piano score by Philip Carli.