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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Insurance remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have about nine minutes to kill and you don't mind jokes that were probably old when the Great Depression started, then yeah, it's worth a look. People who love classic vaudeville or just want to see why Eddie Cantor was a superstar will dig it. But if you can't stand theatrical, high-energy yelling and puns that make you want to face-palm, you'll probably hate this. 🛑
I stumbled onto this while looking for something short to watch before bed. It's weird how much energy Eddie Cantor has. He walks into the room like he just drank five espressos. He plays Sidney, a guy trying to get life insurance, and Charles C. Wilson is the doctor who has to put up with him. Wilson looks like a man who has seen too much and just wants to go home. Honestly, I felt for the guy.
The whole thing is basically a filmed stage sketch. There's no real cinematography to speak of. The camera just kind of sits there and watches them. It reminded me a bit of the vibe in Trying to Get Along, where the comedy feels very live and unpolished. You can almost hear the ghost of a theater audience laughing in the background, even though there isn't one.
Cantor's eyes are the main event here. They call him 'Banjo Eyes' and for good reason. At one point, he looks at the camera and his pupils are so wide it's actually a little bit scary. 👁️ It’s a specific kind of physical comedy that we don’t really see anymore. It isn't subtle. At all. He’s constantly moving, twitching, and reacting to things that aren't even happening.
The puns are... well, they are puns. The doctor asks him if he has any 'insurance' and Sidney starts talking about his family. It’s that kind of humor. Some of it is so bad it actually becomes funny again. There is a bit about a family member who died that is surprisingly dark for a comedy short from 1930. I didn't expect the script to go there, but it keeps you on your toes.
One moment I really liked was when the doctor tried to use the stethoscope. Cantor keeps talking and moving around so the doctor can't get a reading. It’s a simple gag, but the timing is perfect. It feels like they’ve done this routine a thousand times on stage. It's much tighter than some of the westerns from the same era, like Shadows of the West, which can feel a bit sluggish.
The sound quality is crunchy. That’s the only way to describe it. Since this was made right at the start of the 'talkies' era, the audio has that constant hiss. It adds to the charm, I think. It feels like you’re listening to a dusty old record you found in an attic. It’s definitely more coherent than A Close Shave from around the same time, which is saying something.
I noticed that Charles C. Wilson is really good at being the straight man. He doesn't try to be funny. He just acts very serious, which makes Cantor look even more insane. Most of the time, the doctor is just staring at him with this expression of pure exhaustion. I think we've all been that doctor at some point in our lives when dealing with a friend who won't stop making jokes.
Is it a masterpiece? No. It’s a distraction. It’s the kind of thing they used to show before the main movie to get people in a good mood. It doesn't have the heavy drama you find in No Man's Land. It’s just a guy being silly in a doctor's office for ten minutes. And sometimes, that's all you really need.
There’s a part where Cantor starts singing a little bit. It’s brief, but you can see the musical theater roots coming through. He has this way of phrasing words that feels very rhythmic. Even when he’s just talking, it feels like he’s about to break into a song. It’s a bit exhausting to watch if you aren't in the right mood, though.
If you're interested in how comedy has changed, or hasn't changed, give it a watch. It’s fascinating to see what made people howl with laughter ninety years ago. It’s not as polished as modern stand-up, but there’s a raw energy to it that's missing from a lot of stuff today. Just don't expect it to change your life. It's just Insurance.
IMDb 6.4
1918
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