Summary
In 'A Dippy Tar', the maritime clumsiness of the American Navy is personified in Napoleon Jinks, a sailor whose name is as grand as his situation is ridiculous. When the aristocratic Von Herring family extends a dinner invitation, Jinks expects a meal; instead, he finds himself the centerpiece of a social experiment. Von Herring, an amateur hypnotist with more ego than skill, intends to use the sailor as a puppet for his guests' amusement. While Jinks initially attempts to flee the awkwardness of the elite, a plea from the host's daughter, Molly, convinces him to play along. What follows is a deceptive performance where Jinks fakes a trance, leading to a series of escalating slapstick disasters. From prowling like a cat to nearly incinerating the estate with gasoline, Jinks maneuvers through high-society expectations with the grace of a sinking ship. The charade takes a darker, more absurd turn when Jinks is convinced he is the actual Napoleon Bonaparte, triggering a pursuit by both dogs and a needle-wielding police force convinced that physical pain is the only cure for his psychological ailment.
Synopsis
Napoleon Jinks, one of Uncle Sam's tars, receives an invitation from the exclusive Von Herring family, asking him to have dinner with them. Von Herring is an amateur hypnotist and he has invited the sailor in order to have a subject on which to practice his hypnotic powers for the amusement of his assembled guests. When Napoleon discovers this, he tries to bolt the party but Molly, Von Herring's daughter, begs him to go through with it. The sailor agrees and pretends to succumb to Von Herring's mystic powers. The hypnotist makes a few passes and Napoleon "goes to sleep." In his sleep-walking, he finds his way to the kitchen, drawn by the smell of a roasting chicken. Urged on by his hunger he is about to devour the fowl when he is discovered by Von Herring and led back to the guests. Napoleon is then successfully "hypnotized" and pretends to be an alley cat, a fireman and several other characters, getting into all kinds of embarrassing predicaments and nearly burning down the house when he throws on a blaze a pail of gasoline in mistake for water. Then Von Herring tell him he is Napoleon and the sailor act like the great warrior. But he is chased away from the house by a pack of dogs which has been called by an old maids' convention next door. Von Herring, thinking Napoleon still hypnotized, and for the police and tell them the only way to bring the sailor out of his trance is to stick him with a pin. Every cop asks the tar what his name is and then he answers "Napoleon" they jab him with a pin. They stick every sailor they meet. Finally everything is settled and Napoleon goes back to make love to Molly. Just as he is telling her his real name is Napoleon, an officer who hasn't been told of the mistake sticks him and Napoleon runs for his ship.
Review Excerpt
"Short answer: yes, but only if you have a high tolerance for the repetitive, aggressive slapstick of the mid-1920s. This film is a definitive artifact for those who enjoy the Christie Comedies era of naval humor, but it will likely frustrate modern viewers looking for a cohesive narrative or subtle character development.A Dippy Tar is for the silent film completionist and the student of early physical comedy. It is absolutely not for anyone who finds the 'man gets poked with a needle' gag more a..."
