''The Hobo'' is a 1917 American silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

featuring Billy West and

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

. It is a shameless copy of

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

's 1915 film

The Tramp The Tramp (''Charlot'' in several languages), also known as the Little Tramp, was English actor Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character and an icon in world cinema during the era of silent film. ''The Tramp'' is also the title of ...

with West copying Chaplin's tramp outfit down to the last detail.

Plot

Harold sits in a diner eating a huge stack of pancakes. Outside a hobo hides on a platform under a railway freight car. He sits by the track and has a picnic as an astonished brakeman looks on. The hobo spies some pies and vaults a fence. A dog chases him and he bumps into Dolly. She drops her handkerchief and he follows her to the ticket office of the station to return it. She goes into the office and surprises her father. The hobo knocks on the hatch and the girl appears. He hooks her neck with his walking stick and pulls her head through the hole. Back in the diner Harold has finished the pancakes and starts work on eating a whole

sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most of them do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated ...

. He spots the hobo trying to kiss Dolly, who is his girlfriend. He throws the cake but misses the hobo. It goes through the hatch and hits Mr Fox in the face. Everyone ends up fighting in the office. Mr Fox leaves with his daughter and leaves the hobo in charge. Harold sticks his head through the hatch and the hobo closes it, trapping his head. He then starts to paint his face. Harold returns to the diner and starts fighting with the cook. The cook goes to the hatch. The cook takes over in the ticket office and the hobo puts on an apron and goes to the diner. A train comes in and a dozen men and women arrive together each looking to eat quickly. The hobo starts making pancakes. He accidentally puts hot pepper on the pancakes, but gives them to Harold who swallows them in one bite before his throat starts to burn. A food fight begins but the train whistle goes and all except Harold and the hobo leave. The hobo goes back to the ticket office. A

black-face Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

couple arrive: a small man (

Bud Ross Aaron Crawford "Bud" Ross (November 8, 1868 – March 19, 1932) was an American actor, comedian, and screenwriter. Career Ross began his career in the 1880s, performing in musical comedies and vaudeville. He made his screen debut in the silent ...

) and his huge wife. The wife takes three cute negro children out of a "handle with care" trunk. More and more children then appear, ten in all. Finally a huge black-face boy comes out. The smaller children dance in a circle around the mother and big boy. The hobo tries to work out the price of the tickets. He gives the mother a watermelon and the family sit outside and eat it. we jump to the police headquarters where a car has been reported stolen with a $50 reward. A well-dressed man goes into the station with his wife and offers the hobo his auto in exchange for two train tickets. He gives them a string of tickets and they go to the waiting area. But he misses the last train. Meanwhile Harold has a new roadster. The hobo goes to inspect his own new car but thinks it is the roadster and gets in. He picks up Dolly. Harold reports his car stolen. The hobo returns to the ticket office where the well dressed man is trying to get into the safe. The man hides. The hobo gets into the safe and takes out fuel for the stove, then shuts the safe and leaves. He drives off with Dolly. At police HQ we are told that the first stolen car belonged to the police chief. He flags down a

charabanc A charabanc or "char-à-banc" (often pronounced "sharra-bang" in colloquial British English) is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It has "ben ...

and they pick up Harold and give chase. The hobo and Dolly go to a restaurant. The police spot the stolen roadster outside the restaurant and go in. The well-dressed man spots the roadster and tries to steal it. Everyone comes out of the restaurant and he is arrested. The police chief gives the hobo a large pile of money (even though it is Harold's car retrieved). Harold has to drive Dolly and the hobo home. Dolly apologises to Harold. The hobo puts all the new-found cash in her hand. He leaves them and gets on the train to his next destination.

Cast

* Billy West as The Hobo *

as Harold (as Babe Hardy) * Leo White as Mr. Fox *

as himself * Virginia Clark as Dolly Fox * Harry Naughton as the brakeman * Tom Wood as the black-face wife

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''The Hobo'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors required a cut where the man blew his nose in a cuspidor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobo, The 1917 films 1917 comedy films 1917 short films American silent short films Silent American comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom Articles containing video clips American comedy short films 1910s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links