Fair and Muddy (1928) Review - Kids, Mud, and a Mean Lady

Is it worth watching this today? Only if you have a soft spot for the Our Gang crew or if you just really like seeing old-fashioned slapstick where everyone ends up covered in filth.

If you hate silent films or kids screaming silently at the camera, you should probably skip it. It's only about twenty minutes long, so it doesn't ask for much of your time anyway.

The whole thing starts in an orphanage. It looks a bit drafty and miserable, which I guess was the vibe for orphanages in 1928 movies.

We meet Amanda, who is basically a professional child-hater. She has this sharp, pointy face that just screams 'I hate fun.'

She only wants a kid because her rich uncle left a will saying she has to have one to get the cash. It’s a classic plot, really. Very simple.

The kids are led by the usual suspects like Joe Cobb and Farina. Joe Cobb has a face that is just naturally funny without him even doing anything.

There is a weird energy in the orphanage scenes. The adults all look like they haven't slept in three days.

Amanda comes in and tries to pick a kid, but the gang is thinking suspicion about her motives right away. They can tell she’s a phony.

One thing I noticed is the dog, Pal. He’s got that circle around his eye and he just follows the chaos around like he’s seen it all before.

I think the dog might be the best actor in the whole short. He doesn't overact like some of the kids do when they get surprised.

The movie really gets going when they decide to mess with Amanda. It starts small, but then the mud battle happens.

It’s not just a little bit of mud. It is a total disaster zone of wet, black goop.

You can tell the actors were actually miserable being that dirty. Some of the mud looks like it has the consistency of cold gravy.

There is a shot where a kid gets a face full of it and you can see him blink like he’s trying to keep his eyes from stinging. It’s very real.

I’ve seen other shorts like Circus Pals, but this one feels more chaotic. It’s less about 'cute' kids and more about 'destructive' kids.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Fair and Muddy (1928) through its definitive frames.

The pacing is a bit weird in the middle. There’s a lot of standing around and pointing before the mud actually starts flying.

The lady, Amanda, gets it the worst. She’s wearing this fancy outfit and by the end, she looks like a swamp monster.

It’s satisfying in a very basic way. We like to see mean people get dirty.

I wondered while watching if they used real mud or some kind of movie mix. It looks way too thick to be just dirt and water.

Some of the background kids don't even have lines or specific bits. They just stand in the back and look confused by the mess.

The ending comes up pretty fast. It doesn't really wrap up the 'bequest' plot in a satisfying way, it just sort of stops.

But that’s okay because the mud was the point. If you want a deep story, go watch Little Women or something else with more talking.

This is just pure carnage for the sake of a laugh. It reminded me a bit of the energy in Bride and Broom, though with more children and less furniture.

One kid, I think it was Wheezer, has a reaction shot that lasts way too long. He just stares at the camera for like five seconds too many.

It becomes funny because it's so awkward. You can almost hear the director off-camera telling him not to move.

The movie is fairly muddy, just like the title says. It doesn't lie to you.

I liked the physical comedy more than the title cards. The writing on the cards is a bit dry compared to the actual movement on screen.

It's a decent way to spend twenty minutes if you're bored. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.

The prints of these old shorts are usually a bit grainy. This one was no exception, which actually makes the mud look even grosser.

I’ll probably forget the plot by tomorrow. But I’ll remember that lady’s face when she got hit with the first mud ball.

It’s a solid Our Gang entry. Not the best, not the worst.