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6.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Wild Poses remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have twenty minutes to spare today, yes, Wild Poses is absolutely worth your time. Kids will find the cartoonish slapping funny, and vintage comedy fans will love the cameos. But if you can't stand high-pitched screaming or 1930s audio hiss, you should probably steer clear.
Honestly, I put this on just to see the famous Laurel and Hardy cameo. It happens right at the start and it is deeply unsettling. They are dressed as giant babies in a crib, fighting over a milk bottle. It is the kind of nightmare fuel that stays with you all day. 🍼
Once that fever dream ends, we get into the actual plot. Spanky’s parents are trying to force him to get a nice portrait taken. Anyone who has ever tried to make a toddler sit still for a photo will feel this deep in their bones.
The photographer, played by Franklin Pangborn, is the real star here. He is so wonderfully prissy and stressed out. Every time he sighs, you can feel his blood pressure rising. He has this amazing way of fluttering his hands when he gets annoyed.
Spanky is having none of it. He brought a water gun, and he knows exactly how to use it. Every single time Pangborn ducks under that big black camera cloth, Spanky blasts him in the face. It’s a simple gag, but the timing is just perfect.
I love how cheap the special effects look. You can clearly see the water stream coming from off-camera in one shot. It doesn't even line up with Spanky's toy gun! But that just makes it better, honestly.
The parents are incredibly annoying, which I guess is the point. The mom has this piercing voice that made my dog perk up her ears. She keeps trying to force Spanky to smile, which only makes him look like a tiny grumpy potato.
This short has a frantic, almost desperate energy. It reminds me a bit of the chaotic panic in The Man in Search of His Murderer, though with way more wet faces. Everything is moving so fast because they only have two reels of film to tell the joke.
There is a kid named Jerry in this too, who plays the "good boy" archetype. He is wearing this ridiculous velvet suit and looks like he wants to punch someone. His forced smile is actually scarier than the baby cameo.
Eventually, the dad gets involved and everything devolves into a giant wet mess. The ending feels extremely abrupt. Like, they just ran out of ideas or maybe the camera ran out of hand-cranked power. It just sort of... stops.
Still, it’s a great little slice of history. It’s got that raw, unpolished feeling that modern studio comedies completely lack. You can tell they were just making stuff up on the set and having fun.
Go watch it if you want a quick laugh. Just don't expect any deep messages. It's just a guy getting squirted in the face with cold water, and honestly, sometimes that is enough. 💦
IMDb —
1919
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