One of the issues with loving silent movies is their unavailability. Not only are silent movies less seen on major networks, but they are often lost or available only in copies that have footage missing. Such is the case with this movie. The original credits are missing (which is not a major issue); so too are the last couple of minutes (which is).
Even so, it is substantially complete. In the first half, Marcel Perez and his leading lady (and real-life wife) Dorothy Earle are each evicted and make their way separately. In the second part, after they meet, Dorothy is given a job as a movie star based on her looks; Marcel, after demonstrating a lot of comedy bits, is hired as a property man.
The first half is laugh-out-loud funny. Marcel has set up his possessions on the street, where he lives as if in his own apartment, blocking traffic, and so the police are called. However, among his goods is a door, and whenever people approach him, they always open the door and go through it. The attitude of a shared private reality is uniquely funny. The second part is competently performed -- Perez was a great gag technician -- but far more standard comedy.
Nonetheless, I am reminded of two great Lloyd Hamilton shorts from half a dozen years later: MOVE ON and THE MOVIES. In the former, Lloyd is tossed onto the street and takes up residence; in the latter, he leaves home and goes to make his career in a Hollywood that similarly confuses reality and the screen world. There were few novel ideas in the movies, and gags were reused again and again. Nonetheless, it is always a pleasure to see them in a new combination and with a novel attitude and YOU'RE NEXT gives us both.
