I recently discovered a 1920 Roach comedy called
Money to Burn. This film, which lasts under 9 minutes, is a succession of stock gags and routines. Take, for example, this routine in which Snub Pollard hides under a trash can to avoid getting bitten by a dog.
Harold Lloyd cleverly expanded the routine in
Among Those Present (1921).
It is well-constructed scenes like this one that gave Lloyd his elevated status in the comedy field. But a
Money to Burn scene that caught my attention even more is a variation on the "bridal chase" routine. It is usually a horde of prospective brides that chase after the comedian, but this time Pollard is chased by an anti-masher police unit composed entirely of women.
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