Goofy Movies Number Nine: A Weird Little Time Capsule

Is it worth the watch?

If you have twenty minutes to kill and a high tolerance for 1920s slapstick logic, sure, go for it. This isn't exactly In Old Kentucky, but it’s got a weird energy that keeps you watching. If you hate old silent-style narration or bits that make absolutely zero sense, you’ll probably want to skip this one entirely.

The whole thing kicks off with these “newsreels” that are just pure chaos. I’m still trying to figure out why anyone would invent a knee attachment to make a car run worse. It’s just stupid, in the best way possible. 🚗

Teeth for golf balls?

There’s this bit where a golfer is hitting teeth instead of tees. It’s visually grotesque and entirely unexplained. It just happens. I think I watched it twice because I couldn't believe it was real.

Then we get into the main segment, “The Curse of an Aching Husband.” It’s set in Hoboken, which is always a funny place to set a melodrama. The Acidosus family is a real piece of work, honestly. The names—Otto Octavius, Anemia—are just ridiculous.

• The ostrich farmer sister, Annie, is the highlight.
• The mother arriving from the boat feels like a plot point from The Unwelcome Mother, but way more unhinged.
• The narrator sounds like he’s having a great time, even when nothing is happening.

The pacing is all over the place. One minute you’re watching a faucet flood an apartment, the next you’re watching a domestic argument in 1911. It’s like the editor just threw random scraps of film into a bucket and hoped for the best. 🤷‍♂️

Honestly, it reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in Bab's Matinee Idol, but stripped of all the charm. It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just trying to be a distraction. And for a few minutes, it works.

The ending—if you can call it that—just stops. No grand reveal, no moral lesson. Just silence. It’s kind of refreshing, actually.

Observations:

The background extras in the Hoboken scenes look like they’re waiting for a bus that never arrives. You can see one guy in the back just scratching his nose for a solid ten seconds. Why didn't they cut that? It’s perfect.

It’s a strange, dusty little relic. Don't go looking for profound meaning here, because there isn't any.