Item: Pop and Son
Rating: 7
Author: Archivist John

Is it worth your time?

If you have ten minutes and a soft spot for grainy, loud black-and-white shorts where everyone talks a little too fast, then yes. You should watch it.

People who love vaudeville history will find it charming. People who need a plot that actually makes sense or high-def visuals will probably turn it off after thirty seconds. 👟

I found myself watching this on a Tuesday morning when I should have been doing literally anything else. It’s one of those weird little artifacts that makes you realize how much energy those old performers had to put out just to keep people from walking away.

The whole thing is basically Benny Rubin trying to be a 'cracker jack' shoe salesman. He is terrible at it.

Like, honestly, if someone tried to sell me shoes the way he does in this movie, I would probably call the police. He’s all over the place.

There is this one moment where he’s holding a shoe and he looks at it with such confusion. It’s like he’s never seen a foot in his life.

The store itself looks like it was built out of cardboard about twenty minutes before they hit the record button. It has that very specific 1920s 'flat' look where you can tell there’s just a brick wall three feet behind the actors.

I kept thinking about A Man About Town while watching this. Both have that frantic, 'we have to be funny every second' vibe that can be a bit exhausting if you aren't in the right mood.

Benny eventually gives up on the shoes—thank god—and goes out to the sidewalk. This is where the movie actually starts for me.

He starts tap dancing on the sidewalk. It is loud. It is unpolished. It feels real.

You can see the actual texture of the ground and the way the light hits the dust they’re kicking up. It’s much better than the scripted jokes in the shop.

The way his legs move is kind of hypnotic, actually. He’s got these rubbery ankles that don’t seem to have bones in them.

I noticed a guy in the background of one shot who looked genuinely confused. Like he was just a regular person in 1929 wondering why this man was screaming and dancing near a shoe display.

It reminds me of the weird energy in When the Cat's Away, where the slapstick feels a little bit dangerous. Like someone might actually get poked in the eye for real.

The audio is... well, it’s a 1929 talkie. It sounds like everyone is speaking through a tin can filled with gravel.

But that’s part of the charm, right? You have to lean in to hear the jokes, which makes the dancing feel even louder when it finally kicks in.

I did find myself wondering about the 'Son' part of the title. It feels more like 'Guy and his Boss' or just 'Benny Rubin’s Fever Dream.'

Otto Lederer is there too, playing the 'Pop' figure. He mostly just looks annoyed. I get it. I’d be annoyed too if Benny Rubin was my only employee.

It’s not as polished as something like The Fable of the Jolly Rounders. It’s much more 'street level' and messy.

There is a weird cut in the middle where it feels like a few frames are missing. Or maybe the cameraman just blinked.

I like that it doesn't try to be important. It’s just a guy, some shoes, and a sidewalk. 💃

If you’ve seen The Only Road, you know how these old films can sometimes feel heavy or overly dramatic. This is the opposite. It’s light as air and twice as thin.

The shoe boxes are stacked in a way that looks like they would fall over if someone sneezed. I spent about three minutes just waiting for the shelves to collapse. They never did. Disappointing.

Actually, the best part is just watching the costumes. The high waists and the weird hats. Everyone looked so uncomfortable back then.

Why did they wear so many layers to sell shoes? It looks sweaty.

Anyway, if you like seeing how comedy used to work before it got all cynical and meta, this is a cool time capsule. It’s short enough that if you hate it, you only lost ten minutes.

It’s certainly more entertaining than Bluebeard of the Jungle, which is a very low bar to clear, but still.

I’ll probably forget the plot by tomorrow. But I’ll remember that one specific tap move Benny does where he looks like he’s falling over but stays upright.

That’s real skill. Even if he can’t sell a pair of boots to save his life.