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5.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Gasoloons remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
You should watch Gasoloons if you have twenty minutes to kill and you find the idea of incompetent people failing at basic manual labor funny. If you can't stand old-timey slapstick or the sound of scratchy 1930s audio, you are going to hate every second of this.
It’s a 1936 short film, so it doesn't overstay its welcome. It gets right to the point: a car full of people who probably shouldn't be in charge of a goldfish decide to buy a gas station.
The whole thing stars Edgar Kennedy. If you know who he is, you know exactly what you’re getting. He’s the king of the slow burn.
He does this thing where he rubs his hand over his face when he’s getting mad. It happens a lot here. Honestly, it’s the best part of the movie.
The passengers, including Dickie Jones and Dot Farley, are just driving along. They stop for gas. They see the sign. They buy it.
Who does that? Nobody. But in the world of 1930s shorts, it’s a perfectly normal way to start a plot.
The station itself looks like it’s held together by spit and prayers. The gas pumps look like they were made in someone's garage out of old tin cans. ⛽
I love how the 'For Sale' sign is just hanging there, almost like the movie is daring the characters to be stupid enough to grab it.
Once they take over, the movie just becomes a series of disasters. It’s basically 'How many ways can we mess up a simple transaction?'
The pacing is a bit weird. Some jokes go on way too long, while other moments feel like they cut away before the punchline actually lands.
There is a bit with a customer where everything that can go wrong does. It reminded me a lot of the chaotic energy you see in One Run Elmer.
The way they handle the gas hoses is genuinely stressful. You keep waiting for the whole set to catch fire. 🔥
Jack Rice and Florence Lake are in this too. They play their usual types, which is fine, but Edgar really carries the heavy lifting.
There’s this one shot where Edgar is looking at a piece of equipment and he just looks so defeated. It’s not even a joke, it’s just a man who realizes he’s made a massive mistake.
I think I saw a fly land on one of the actors' hats during a close-up. They didn't even edit it out. I love stuff like that.
The dialogue is pretty simple. John Grey wrote it, and you can tell he just wanted to get to the next physical gag as fast as possible.
Comedy is subjective, obviously. But watching these people try to be professional while being total idiots is a classic trope for a reason.
It’s not as 'dark' as something like The Dark Hour, which is a totally different vibe, but it has its own kind of stress.
The movie gets noticeably better once the first customer shows up. Before that, it’s just a lot of talking about buying the place which is kind of boring.
One thing that’s weird is the background characters. Some of them just stand there like they forgot their lines.
The ending feels like they ran out of money or time. It just sort of... stops. No big resolution, just the end.
I guess that’s how these shorts worked back then. You get your laughs and you get out.
If you're into film history, seeing Dickie Jones so young is pretty cool. He was the voice of Pinocchio later on, you know?
Anyway, Gasoloons isn't a masterpiece. It’s just a messy, loud, slightly annoying but charming little film.
It’s the kind of thing you watch when you’re eating lunch and don't want to think too hard. 🥪
The physical comedy is definitely the draw here. When they start messing with the air pumps and the oil, it gets pretty good.
It’s better than some of the other fluff from that era, like maybe Boy Crazy, mostly because Edgar Kennedy is just so watchable.
So yeah. Watch it for the 'slow burn.' Stay for the terrible 1930s gas station safety standards.
It’s short. It’s silly. It’s fine. 🚗💨
IMDb 2.4
1925
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