Summary
In the sweltering tenements of the city, a group of underprivileged children are whisked away to a 'fresh air' camp, a rural sanctuary that promises respite but delivers a comedic gauntlet of bad luck. At the heart of this pastoral chaos is 'Big Boy,' a child caught in a developmental purgatory—too mature for the nursery, yet too small to run with the older boys. Ostracized from the group's swimming and fishing expeditions, Big Boy is relegated to the role of a makeshift babysitter, aided only by his faithful canine companion, Pal. However, the underdog transforms into an accidental innovator. Using a block of pungent Limburger cheese as bait, he manages to out-fish the entire camp by drawing the local aquatic life into a literal feeding frenzy in the middle of a dusty road. His fortunes shift further when he encounters Bonnie, a millionaire’s daughter, sparking a brief, innocent romance that is momentarily derailed by a stray circus animal and a series of slapstick misunderstandings. Open Spaces is a study in the resilience of the marginalized child, told through the frantic, physical vocabulary of the silent era.
Synopsis
The kids from the tenement district are enjoying their annual summer vacation at a "fresh air" camp in the country. There is so much hard luck in camp that if it was raining soup, there wouldn't be a spoon within a mile of the camp. "Big Boy" is at an unlucky age. He is just out of the baby stage and not big enough to be one of the boys. He is left out of all of their games and sports and whenever the gang goes fishing he is left behind. But he surprises them all by his ability to catch fish in the center of the road. They leave him in camp to watch the baby while they go swimming. "Big Boy" presses "Pal" into service and brings the baby along. "Pal" watches the baby while "Big Boy" tries to join the boys. They try to elude him but he follows them "Big Boy" decide to do some more fishing but he is short of bait. He finally gets hold of a piece of Limburger cheese with which he bait his hook. The bait is wonderfully successful for it sets all the fish crazy and "Big Boy's" basket is soon filled. Back at the camp again, "Big Boy" is appointed official "White-wings" and his job is to keep the grounds clean. With a pointed stick and a bag, he collects all the rubbish and is going along fine when he spears the prize fat boy of the camp. A wild animal breaks loose from a circus and it keeper seeks it in the woods near the boys' camp, naturally, this throws a scare into them and lead to many mad scrambles to escape imaginary beasts. Bonnie, the daughter of a millionaire visits the camp and "Big Boy" falls in love with her. The two of them have quite a romance which is spoiled when both he and the girl sit on a pair of the chauffeur's dirty glove. For a while they think the camp is threatened by the black hand. Every thing is straightened out all right and "Big Boy" is in luck once more. Bonnie smiles at him and everything is all peaches and cream.
