A Hash House Fraud is a 1915 film short (16 minute) directed by

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

featuring the

Keystone Cops The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. History The idea for th ...

. A "hash house" is an early 20th century American term for a cheap eating house. The film possibly gave birth to the term

riot squad Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irrati ...

Plot

The action takes place at the Busy Bee Beanery, a small cafe where a notice asks "Don't Flirt with the Cashier". The cashier is arguing with the owner. A Chaplin-esque customer arrives, downs some sauce, and sits staring at the cashier. The cashier is chewing gum and the customer gets her to stretch it far enough that he can steal a bit to eat. Two large plates arrive but the food is too rubbery to eat. The owner calls the chef and hits him with the food when he appears at the serving hatch. The chef then traps the owners head by sliding the hatch and gets a frying pan to go round and scald the owners backside. The cashier rescues the boss. A new customer arrives and orders a frankfurter sandwich. The chef says he has none so the owner puts his finger in a glove and puts it in a bun. He shows the customer then withdraws his finger as he puts it down. The customer complains and the owner claims he ate it. The customer stomps off without paying. The cashier shows the owner the empty cash drawer. The owner goes to try to sell his business while the chef flirts with the cashier. The owner brings back enough men to fill the cafe, offering them a free meal. The cashier is told to ring up $1 each time one leaves even though they pay nothing. A prospective buyer and his wife are fooled into thinking that business is good and offer to buy the cafe. The buyer goes to the kitchen and counts out his cash. He tells the cashier she can stay and his wife starts to get annoyed. The wife takes over as cashier and the original cashier goes to the kitchen to collect her wages. However, the new buyer's wife does not let the remaining customers leave without paying. The customers explain the deal they were offered and the buyer tries to get the owner who is hiding in the kitchen. The chef defends the door with two meat cleavers. A fight breaks out in the cafe. The wife goes outside and calls over two policemen. At the same time the buyer uses a telephone to call the

in their police station. He asks for the riot squad. The two nearby police enter first. The owner and cashier escape by the kitchen door and go to the front. He tries to crank start the buyer's roadster. Once it starts the cashier jumps in and they speed off. The Keystone Cops arrive in their car and the angry crowd tell them to chase the stolen car. They give chase firing their revolvers in the air. The cars pass each other repeatedly then the roadster hits the end of the pier and owner and cashier are thrown into the sea by the inertia. The Cops the chef the buyer and his wife assemble on the pier and throw the cashier a lifeline. She is pulled out. The buyer hugs his wife and the chef hugs the cashier. The owner is not seen again.

Characters

see * Hugh Fay as the owner *

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

as the cashier * Fritz Schade as the chef * Don Barclay as Chaplinesue customer (uncredited) *

Harry Bernard Harry Bernard (January 13, 1878 – November 4, 1940) was an American actor and comedian best remembered for his appearance in numerous comedy films by Mack Sennett and Hal Roach. Harry Bernard appeared in over 150 films between 1915 and 1940, ...

as the prospective purchaser *

Billie Brockwell Lillian "Billie" Brockwell (née Voltaire; February 1, 1875 – January 30, 1949) was an early 20th-century American actress and scriptwriter. Career After performing as a chorus girl in vaudeville, Brockwell entered the film industry in 1913, ...

as the buyer's wife *

Chester Conklin Chester Cooper Conklin (January 11, 1886 – October 11, 1971) was an early American film comedian who started at Keystone Studios as one of Mack Sennett’s Keystone Cops, often paired with Mack Swain. He appeared in a series of films with Ma ...

as police chief * Harold J. Binney as first customer *

Fred Fishback Fred C. Fishback (born Moscu Fischback; January 18, 1894January 6, 1925) was a film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer of the silent era. Following the 1921 scandal surrounding Roscoe Arbuckle, in which he was involved, Fishback worked ...

as second customer *

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects ...

as third customer *

Glen Cavender Glen Cavender (September 19, 1883 – February 9, 1962) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1914 and 1949. Biography Glen Cavender was born in Tucson, Arizona, and died in Hollywood, California. He start ...

as policeman (uncredited) * Charles Lakin as policeman (uncredited)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hash House Fraud 1915 films American silent short films Silent American comedy films