Privacy Robson. Honestly, I would watch a three-hour epic just about a guy with that name.
This is a short from 1929, so you have to go in knowing the sound is going to be *crunchy* and the acting is going to be loud.
If you are a fan of early film history or you want to see a very young Spencer Williams before he became a household name, this is a cool find.
If you hate old-fashioned 'battle of the sexes' comedy where everyone is just yelling, you might want to skip it. 🤷♂️
The whole thing starts because Privacy is getting bossed around by his wife.
Enter Florian Slappey, the kind of friend who always has a 'great idea' that is actually a total disaster.
Florian tells him the only way to win is to start divorce proceedings and pretend he has a new lady on the side.
Oh, and the most important part? He has to refuse to eat anything she cooks.
There is this one scene at the dinner table where Privacy looks at his plate like it is filled with *poison*.
It is that very specific, broad style of acting where you can see the thoughts moving across his face like a slow-motion train.
It reminded me a bit of the domestic chaos in
That's My Wife, but maybe a bit more grounded since it stays in the house.
The camera barely moves at all.
It feels like the crew just set up a tripod in the corner of a room and told the actors to try not to trip over the rugs.
Sometimes a character's arm gets cut off by the edge of the frame, which just makes it feel more like a real, messy moment in time.
I kept thinking about
Is Divorce a Failure? while watching Privacy try to look tough.
He is clearly terrified of his wife, even when he is trying to act like the big boss.
There is a phone call scene that goes on for a while where he is pretending to talk to his 'new girlfriend'.
His fake conversation is so awkward that it actually becomes the funniest part of the whole movie.
You can tell the actors were probably having a lot of fun with the dialogue, even if the audio recording makes it sound like they are talking through a tin can.
Spencer Williams has this energy that just jumps off the screen, even back then.
He has a way of leaning into a room that makes him the center of attention immediately.
The costumes are surprisingly sharp for a little short like this.
Everyone is wearing these heavy-looking suits and *fantastic* hats.
I wonder if people in 1929 actually took this kind of marriage advice seriously or if they knew Florian was a clown.
It is definitely less frantic than something like
Heebee Jeebees, but it has that same early-talkie vibe where people just want to hear themselves talk.
Sometimes they talk over each other and it just turns into a wall of noise.
The ending is pretty much exactly what you expect, which is fine.
It is a twenty-minute time capsule that doesn't try to be anything more than a quick laugh.
I liked it, mostly because it feels so unpolished compared to the big studio stuff from the same year.
It feels like a group of people just putting on a play in a living room and forgetting the camera was there.
Check it out if you have a soft spot for the Christie Film Company stuff or if you just want to see some great 1920s furniture. 🎞️
