Helter Skelter

Malcolm Sebastian was a child actor who made a string of movies back in the 1920s. One of these, "Helter Skelter" exists today but only in a truncated form. Reel one is missing and only the second one remains. What we miss in reel one is that Malcolm and his mother are poor--so poor that they are forced to sell their dog! However, a crook makes off with the dog without paying. Reel two begins with Malcolm getting his dog back and then trying to find someone else to buy it. Unfortunately for a rich, snooty lady, the boy and dog arrive at her home....and the dog makes a huge mess. Again and again, the white dog ends up in one of the fireplaces and runs amok spreading soot everywhere! It's about the messiest film I can recall having seen and it's all very funny until the dog runs away and is hit by a car!! So, the film goes from being very funny to being rather depressing...though the ending remedies this a bit!

So is it any good? Yes....and it really makes you wish that reel #1 still exists, though you CAN see just the second and still enjoy yourself.

Malcolm Sebastian was getting pretty long in the tooth when he made this -- he was six and showing his age -- and it's pretty much the last of his silent starring roles. He is largely relegated to a supporting role and the gags and acting honors go to his dog. Director Charles Lamont pretty much rings all the changes on the dog gags, and the animal is a cute, Airedale looking mutt. More than good enough, especially considering Lamont -- who would go on to discover Shirley Temple and work for Abbott & Costello -- was expert at this sort of kiddie comedy.

The only known copy is a saved-in-the-nick-of-time Kodascope cutdown found by Ben Model and posted to his Youtube site with a new score that makes it moves like a Fox silent comedy. Go take a look.