The Big Squawk: A Charming, Noisy Glimpse Into Early Sound Comedy 🦜

Alright, so if you're someone who thinks movies started with color and dialogue that actually sounds natural, you're probably gonna wanna skip The Big Squawk. But for anyone who gets a kick out of old-school slapstick, or just wants to see how they even made comedies when sound was still a brand new toy, this one's a pretty neat little watch.

It's not a masterpiece, no, but it’s got a certain charm. Especially if you like your laughs a bit rough around the edges.

Charley Chase, our main man here, is just trying to impress his girl. She's played by the lovely Dolores Brinkman. Simple enough, right? Except his big problem isn't a rival suitor.

It’s a parrot. A really, really loud parrot. This bird, it’s not just a prop; it’s practically another character, constantly squawking and generally making Charley's life a living, noisy nightmare. You can almost feel the sound engineers of 1929 just giddy with their new toy, like, 'Look! It SQUAWKS!' 🔊

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Big Squawk (1929) through its definitive frames.

The whole thing feels like a silent film that suddenly had sound shoved into it. Which, honestly, is kinda what it is.

Charley's usual bewildered expressions and physical comedy are still front and center. He's always this slightly desperate, slightly unlucky guy. Here, his attempts to silence this bird — or just get a moment alone with his sweetheart — are just *classic* Chase.

There’s a scene where he’s trying to discreetly deal with the bird. The way he keeps glancing around, like he’s about to rob a bank, is just perfect. His eyes, they always tell the whole story, even when the sound is doing most of the talking.

And speaking of sound, it’s… interesting. The parrot's squawks are super clear, almost *too* clear, which really hammers home the early sound-era vibe.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Big Squawk (1929) through its definitive frames.

The dialogue, when it happens, sometimes feels a little stiff. Like everyone’s still figuring out how to act with microphones lurking nearby. There's this one bit where someone says something, and it just hangs in the air a bit too long. Like they were waiting for an applause track to kick in. It makes you realize how much they were still learning.

Edgar Kennedy pops up as well, doing his usual blustery, easily annoyed thing. He’s always a welcome sight in these shorts, a great foil for Charley’s more subtle desperation. His exasperated sighs are almost audible even when they're not. I mean, the man’s face just *screams* 'I’m fed up with this nonsense!' 😤

The pacing is pretty standard for these shorts. It barrels along, then slows down for a specific gag to land. Then barrels along again. There isn't much in the way of deep character development, obviously. You don't come to a Charley Chase short for that. You come for the escalating chaos and the inevitable, slightly undignified resolution.

One moment that really stuck with me, for whatever reason, is when Charley tries to hide the parrot under a blanket. The lump under the blanket keeps moving, and the muffled squawks just make it funnier. It’s a simple visual gag, but it just works. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Is it a movie you’ll remember for ages? Probably not. But it’s a nice little peek into a specific moment in film history. It’s got laughs, it’s got Charley Chase looking put-upon, and it’s got a very, very loud bird. If you've got ten minutes and a soft spot for the beginnings of sound film, give it a shot. It’s a bit of a *squawk* of its own, really. 🐦

Bits and Bobs I Noticed:

• Charley's hair is perfectly slicked back the whole time, even when he's being thrown around. Dedication!
• The way the other actors sometimes look directly at the microphone, even though they're trying not to.
• That parrot's squawk is genuinely piercing. I wonder how many takes they needed for that.
• The set design is pretty minimal, just enough to get the job done.
• A little bit of awkward silence after some lines, almost like they were waiting for cues that weren't there.