Query for the old B&W film experts.

[catgate]

I am looking for the name of a black and white silent film, which I first saw on an uncles Pathe Baby 9.5 mm. projector some time in the Early '40s. I then saw it again, many years after, on TV, at a time when there was only BBC and ITV. It seems to me to be one of Mack Sennet's master pieces, but just who the main man was doing the performing I do not know.
The rough outline of the “plot” was as follows. An alarm clock wakes up “the hero” of the film, by means of a feather, attached to the bell hammer, tickling his foot. It also puts into motion a string of events including wakening up a hen to lay the hero's breakfast. The hero get up after his breakfast and all the curtains and other soft furnishings turn out to be his clothes doing double duty. Most of the actions are triggered by the hero pulling cords above the bed. The final cord causes the bed to swing upwards and backwards into the rear wall of the room and beneath it, built into the bed, is a fire place with a lovely warming fire blazing away.
He goes out of the house and stops at a garbage bin, slides the “b”, on the “Garbage”sign, to one side and it reveals “Garage”. The side of the bin opens and out comes a small single seater teardop shaped vehicle in which is a very over sized magnet.
He sits in the teardrop and point the magnet at the next passing Model T and he is whisked away “in tow”.
This was the end of my uncles film, but the film I saw on TV must have included reel two of a two reeler, because the action that followed was the classic Mack Sennet automobile mahem. He gets towed hither and thither and eventually hooks on to a “Cutie” being driven along by her straight laced father. The end point was when, after a load of chasing etc., the magnet “pulled off” the top half of fathers car, which flopped on to the road and allowed the chassis and running gear to proceed along its way unencumbered.

[Big Kev]

Does this help?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snub_Pollard

[catgate]

Does this help?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snub_Pollard

Thank you Big Kev. There is a ray of hope in there, kind sir.
It's a Gift" seems to have some of the ingredients. I shall now have to try to find it.

[catgate]

Well I found the second reel on Youtube, but no sign of the first,and best, part.
There seems to have been another film in 1924, with W C Fields, in it with the same title. Very odd. It's also very odd that they had to have W C Field when we had public lavatories.

[Tripps]

From the title, I didn't think I could conribute, but for what it's worth - I saw this film at my birthday party in the late forties. An amateur setup at home. You have a better memory than me for the detail, I just remember the guy in the little car pointing his magnet, and getting a tow. I think metal manhole covers featured as well. No idea who it was - just that we thought it was hilarious. Good luck with your quest.

[catgate]

Well ..... after a long chase I eventually found it....in its entirety.
Thanks Kev.
Well worth the effort, and it is surprising how much my memory has remembered (but in a slightly different order).
It must be one of the best of the oldies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBDpeJCPtx0

[Tizer]

Great fun Catty, I've sent the link to my father-in-law who will love it, especially at a time when he's having more health problems and needs something to brighten up his day.

[Tripps]

Yes - that's the one. All I remembered was the magnet and the man hole cover! I wonder why they made their roads so wide, when they had so few vehicles.

[catgate]

Yes - that's the one. All I remembered was the magnet and the man hole cover! I wonder why they made their roads so wide, when they had so few vehicles.

Probably to allow magneticly propelled (dragged) vehicles to swing round wildly????

[Whyperion]

Wide streets in America , always seemed wider even in the horse drawn days on the old western movies as well , was there some kind of minimum width legislation ( I suppose building + veranda + bar to tie up horse + space for parked up wagon , + space for moving wagon then repeat for opposite side of street compared to England - wide enough for one donkey with two panniers on ).

The car seems an early prototype for the Sinclair C5 ?

[Tizer]

I can remember in New Zealand in about 1980 driving through a small country town looking for somewhere to get a meal. The main street was so wide we drove down, did an easy, wide U-turn in the centre and drove up the other side. No other cars about and enough room for Eddie Stobart to U-turn a truck!