Summary
In the bustling, fictitious town of Philyburg, Lloyd, a hapless every‑man, teams up with his sprightly canine companion, Buddy, to exterminate an invasive swarm of flies threatening the city’s much‑anticipated toboggan contest and the inauguration of a grand new fountain. Their rival, the blustery Hamilton, and his equally mischievous dog, mirror their efforts, deploying an arsenal of slapstick contraptions that turn the streets into a chaotic battlefield of buzzing insects and improvised weaponry. The narrative pivots when Buddy, in hot pursuit of a wayward frog, plunges into the municipal reservoir, flinging sludge into the pristine water supply. As the fountain’s ceremonial jets sputter brackish liquid over the gathered crowd, the townsfolk’s ire coalesces around Lloyd and Buddy, culminating in their forcible eviction. A looming freight train becomes their salvation, whisking them away to a rattling car where four inebriated hobos, a barrel of whiskey, and a flock of loose chickens converge. Within this rolling micro‑universe, Buddy’s boundless energy and Lloyd’s reluctant ingenuity fuse into a relentless cascade of physical comedy, underscoring the film’s thematic juxtaposition of order versus chaos, community versus outcast, and the absurdity of civic pride gone awry.
Synopsis
Comedy with Lloyd and his dog, Buddy, who are trying to rid Philyburg of a swarm of flies prior to the city's annual toboggan contest and unveiling of an outdoor fountain. Hamilton and his dog pal, use various means to kill flies in humorous ways. But in chasing a frog, Buddy ends up in the city's reservoir with mud flying everywhere and polluting Philyburg's fresh water supply. As the fountain is turned on at its dedication, the city residents are sprayed with brackish water. Blame is pointed squarely at Buddy and he and Lloyd are evicted from Philyburg. A forthcoming freight train provides the pair with their means of escaping the hostile citizenry. The second half of the film finds Lloyd and Buddy now aboard a freight car with four hobos who've been consuming whiskey. The combination of whiskey, Buddy, and some loose chicks provide the slapstick comedy as our anti-heroes adapt to their railroad car environment.
Review Excerpt
"
F.O.B. (1925) Review – A Slapstick Odyssey
A Swarm of Laughter: Plot Dissection
The premise of F.O.B. unfurls like a circus poster gone rogue: a small town besieged by flies, a toboggan contest that promises communal jubilation, and a fountain whose inaugural splash is destined to become an inadvertent baptism of humiliation. Lloyd (Louis Morrison) and his four‑legged sidekick, Buddy, assume the mantle of reluctant saviors, their mission complicated by the equally obstinate Hamilton (Willi..."
