Bangville Police (1913) User Reviews

Bang! Bang! Bangville Police is a big bang worth of fun. Still it has some cop out moments.

[ironhorse_iv · 5/10 · 26 July 2013]

While it's great to see comedy in the silent film era, this movie fails to deliver the goods promise to me on the DVD cover that feature the Keystone Cops. The Keystone Cops were fictional incompetent policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century. The movies were produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. Directed by Henry Lehrman, everybody thinks that 1913's Bangville Police was the first appearance of the Keystone Cops. The title is says, farce comedy. Indeed it had buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations, but this wasn't Keystone Cops. In truth, while most of the original actors that play the Keystone Cops are here, in no way are they, the Keystone Cops that most people remember. The actors are not in uniform, and look like hillbillies. Plus, there is little to no slapstick in the film. I miss the leaping in the air in surprise, running energetically in any direction, and taking extreme pratfalls in most Keystone Cops had. Instead, we get a precede film that markets itself as a Keystone Cops film. It's like selling a pre-Tramp Charles Chaplin's film and labeling it as a Tramp film to gain a little bit more money or attention to the film. In no way is this the film fault, but the money grabbing people who promote this film. They really milk the idea that is a Keystone Cops film. It's fault advertisement. Plus, when you really think about it, this movie isn't the first movie to feature the actors that would later be the Keystone Cops. A year earlier, in 1912, they were feature in a film call Hoffmeyer's Legacy that seems more like the Keystone Cops then this movie, as of what I heard. Too bad, Hoffmeyer's Legacy is lost due to time. Still, the movie makes me wonder if the Keystone Studios just stole the police idea from the Essanay's "Snakeville" series. Still, Bangville polices did have some funny moments. I do like the idea of miscommunication as a vehicle of humor. Talking about vehicle, I think the car was a lot funnier than the people in here. This movie was a failure to fulfill a commitment. The eight minute movie starts at a farm near Bangville, where a young daughter (Mabel Normand) see strangers in the barn. She quickly rushes to the house and calls the police. The police made out of Fred Mace, Raymond Hatton, Edgar Kennedy, Ford Sterling, and Al St. John engage in a jumbled rush across the countryside to get there in time to find that something is wrong with the picture here. I think the best thing to come out of this movie is the fact that their popularity boom after this flick. Too bad, in 1914, Sennet shifted the Keystone Cops from starring roles to background ensemble, in support of comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle. I thought they could carry a film. Still, the Keystone Cops serve as supporting players for Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, and Chaplin in the first full-length Sennett comedy feature, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), as well as in Mabel's New Hero (1913) with Normand and Arbuckle, Making a Living (1914) with Chaplin in his first screen appearance (pre-Tramp), In the Clutches of the Gang (1914) with Normand, Arbuckle, and Al St. John, and Wished on Mabel (1915) with Arbuckle and Normand, among others. Another great thing to come out of this movie is Mabel Normand. Mabel Normand just missed being another big eyed waif, she was just too damn funny for drama. This 1913 Keystone production which would inspire the Keystone Kops, shows off just how good Mabel's timing was. Mabel Normand was the first famous movie comedienne. She was great at pratfalls and mugging. Unfortunately her talents are not put to good use here. She mostly spent the time hiding in a closet, and acting cowed. By the way, if cops shoot the closet with bullets, wouldn't she be dead? Shooting at the closet should have kill the woman. How did she survive that? Anyways, Mabel Normand is also a looker! Sorry about those 1910's dresses, they cover her figure too much. Still, I couldn't like to be her boyfriend. Throughout the 1920s her name was linked with widely publicized scandals including the 1922 murder of William Desmond Taylor and the 1924 shooting of Courtland S. Dines. Ouch. I do have to note the general sloppiness of the film. The really awful fake mustaches, Mabel's hair band changes color in the course of the movie, and the Sheriffs vest buttons and unbuttons makes me wonder what happen in editing. Still, it was in the early days of cinema, so I can't criticize them too much. Like all silent film of the time, most of the original music is lost. You just have to pick a song that works with the film that not inappropriate, so you can forget about it and concentrate on the film. Overall: I wouldn't pay money for this film. It's in the public domain so you can watch it on free on Youtube or somewhere. While it's technically a Keystone Cops film since it's made by Keystone Studios and it has cops, it's really not the Keystone Cops, most fans are thinking of. So check it out if you want, milk this for all it's worth.

Bangville Police is supposedly the first Keystone Kops short with Mabel Normand providing the charms...

[tavm · 4/10 · 30 July 2007]

Bangville Police supposedly marked the debut of the Keystone Kops, named after the studio they worked for. In this one, however, they don't dress in the silly cop costumes or drive the fast-paced car that's their trademark. Anyway, Mabel Normand is a farm girl here who's begged her dad for a calf. She later sees some strange men in the barn and quickly calls the police. One answers and the chase is on. Next, Mabel slams her door just as someone is coming in. Turns out it's her mother who jumps to the conclusion robbers are in there! So while Mabel blocks her door with furniture, the mother and father try to fight their way in! This was perhaps the most amusing part of the short along with some explosions of the cop car. This was a short 7 minutes that went by so fast it's over before it's begun. The only real characterization that's developed is Mabel's who exudes charm with just her face and big eyes and seems so optimistically cheery here except, of course, when she's frightened. It's easy to see why she became a star. It's largely because of her that I'd recommended seeing this at least once and why I'm giving this a 4.

SIMPLE FUN

[darren shan · 6/10 · 10 November 1999]

Very simple, very short Keystone Kops film, about a farmgirl who causes panic when she thinks she spots a couple of burglars. Not as raucous as the wilder Kops films, and thus not as funny. An interesting relic of more primitive times, but in truth this is throwaway fodder.

A well known Keystone comedy

[funky_governor56 · 31 March 2004]

This seems to be one of the most common Keystones out there, and is usually regarded as the first appearance of the "Keystone Kops" (their actual first appearance was in 1912's Hoffmeyer's Legacy). This is a pretty good half-reel comedy with a good plot line for a 7 minute film. Mabel, the daughter of a farmer (played by Nick Cogley), asks her father if she can have a baby calf. Later, she sees two mysterious men entering the farm and thinks they are burglars. She hides in a shed and phones the police, who are led by a portly, doddering old bumpkin. When Mabel's mother tries to enter the shed, Mabel blocks the door causing the mother to think a burglar is hiding inside! The police rush to the farm to catch the supposed burglars. Mabel's parents learn it was her hiding in the barn, and the strange men were actually delivering a baby calf.

These aren't the legendary Keystone Kops most people are familiar with. They're really just a militia here; a group of country folk who carry guns and shovels and defend their small town when needed. Ford Sterling is funny as a skinny little hick who rounds up all the "cops", and Fred Mace as the police chief is the highlight of the whole film.

Overall, this is a good film that you should have no problem locating a copy of.

Crime at the countryside

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 25 January 2017]

"Bangville Police" is another black-and-white silent film from the earlier days of film as this one is also over 100 years old. it only runs for 8 minutes and if you hear the title, this is probably what an adult movie today could be named, but here "bang" really only refers to all the noise and chaos that exists in this movie. Director Henry Lehrman is probably as unknown to most today as are all the other cast members with one exception, even if they were really prolific and successful a century ago. The exception is Mabel Normand of course, who plays a young woman suspecting criminals at her farm. She locks herself in and calls the police. The other townsfolk also quickly rushes to her place and a lot of the comedy is about people mistaking others for criminals. Actually almost all of it. At eight minutes, it is okay of a story, even if not too convincing either. The only memorable aspect eventually is once again the stunningly beautiful Mabel Normand with her great aura where one cannot have doubts for a second why she was such a huge star in her early 20s already, even if this one here does not carry her name in the title. Everything else is negligible though and it's only worth seeing for the very biggest silent film fans. I give it a thumbs-down, even if the ending was admittedly kinda cute and this film did somehow have a suspense/thriller element next to the 90% comedy.

His Master's Silence

[boblipton · 7/10 · 20 March 2006]

To appreciate why this comedy is so very funny, you need to stop and think about the story: a youngster, home alone. Gangsters come and break in. Desperately the child calls on the phone for help. Parents race to save the child. No, it's not HOME ALONE, it's several of D.W. Griffith's better known shorts. In THE LONELY VILLA, it is the phone that provides the call for help, and daddy races home in an auto. In THE GIRL AND HER TRUST, she is a telegrapher, and help comes on railroads.

Yes, indeedy. THE BANGVILLE POLICE is a lampoon of a contemporary genre, just like the SCARY MOVIE franchise. And while the police force took on a life of its own, it had its origins in the works of Griffith, for whom Sennett had worked for years, and whom he called 'the Master'. Even if Griffith rarely put cows in his pictures.... at least, not as major supporting actors.

Not exactly the first Keystone Kops film

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 20 September 2006]

While this movie was made by Mack Sennett and SOME of the elements of the classic Keystone Kops are present, it doesn't look exactly like one of the Kops' movies. That's because instead of an entire police force, there are some cops dressed in normal everyday clothes and only one that really looks like a Kop. Plus, the action in the film is awfully sedate to be one of their films. Instead, it's a slower-paced film about a mistake that snowballs into big trouble. I really liked this aspect of the film--especially when women on different sides of the SAME door think that the other person is a robber coming to get them! It's cute and watchable, but if you are looking for frenetic action and chase scenes, try watching a later Keystone Kops film--the formula just isn't perfected yet in this film.

Earliest Existing Keystone Kop Movie

[springfieldrental · 6/10 · 26 April 2021]

The earliest existing Keystone Kops movie is April 1913's "The Bangville Police." The Kops made their first tentative introduction a year before in "Hoffmeyer's Legacy," but because it's a lost film, movie historians don't consider the movie as their introduction to cinema. Even in "The Bangville Police," the hapless group of pratfallers weren't identified as the Keystone Kops (or known as Cops in the early going). They appear as a deputized group of clumsy chumps responding to farm girl Mabel Normand's plea over the phone to police chief Fred Mace to save her from a couple of burglars roaming about.

The Keystone Kops, an idea originating from Keystone Studio's main comedian Hank Mann's suggestion, appeared in 12 movies, mostly in support roles to the studio's later bigger stars, such as Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle.

In "The Bangville Police," Fred Mace takes center stage as the leader of the Kops. Once reaching stardom as the Keystone police chief, Mace became itchy and left the studio for other acting and film producing endeavors. However, none panned out and he returned to Keystone in 1917, only to get vastly diminished roles. He bemoaned his fate, and in a New York City hotel room, Mace died of a massive stroke on February 21, 1917, at age 39.

In their screen lifetime, Keystone Kops consisted of a revolving troupe of actors supported by some mainstays, including Edgar Kennedy. He had quite a career as a well-known character actor later in his life, appearing with the Marx Brothers and Laurel & Hardy among others.

calf, half and laugh

[lee_eisenberg · 6/10 · 17 April 2016]

The movie that made the Keystone Cops famous focuses on a simple misunderstanding that causes a complete goof-up. This wasn't the first movie starring the crowd, but it turned them into stars. Producing was Mack Sennett, now known for launching Charlie Chaplin's career (Dan Aykroyd played him in Richard Attenborough's "Chaplin), while the cast included Mabel Normand, Hank Mann (a Storm Trooper in "The Great Dictator") and Edgar Kennedy (the lemonade vendor in "Duck Soup").

"Bangville Police" is both a fun time, and a look at the early years of cinema. I suspect that they had fun filming it. I hope to see the rest of the Keystone Cops movies in the future.

OH BEAUTIFUL MABEL!

[HAL-57 · 7 May 1999]

Not to worry, pretty Mabel, the Bangville Police are on the job! Actually, they resemble the peasant militia in appearances and armaments. However, they always get their man!

In this film we see part of the early stage of evolution of the Keystone Cops, which proceeded from rural bungling to big city ineptitude.

Although Mabel stands out in acting, the rest of the cast is just fine. The story, however, is bare bones, but that doesn't detract from the film. It is a lot of fun to watch.

As an afterthought here, I should say that Mabel Normand is beautifully photographed. I can understand why she was so popular with artists and photographers of her day.

Decent Comedy With A Cast Worth Watching

[Snow Leopard · 22 May 2002]

As a comedy, this isn't too bad, and the cast also provides some other good reasons to watch. There isn't much of a story, with what plot there is serving merely as a device for Mabel Normand to demonstrate her charm and for the Keystone Kops to demonstrate their own brand of humor. Mabel is as winsome as ever, and won't disappoint any of her fans. This early, rural rendition of the Kops is rather different from the more familiar form they would take later, but their style is recognizable, and the comedy is all right, some of it routine but with some good moments.

muted Keystone Kops

[didi-5 · 14 December 2003]

Mabel Normand recruits the mad Kops to get rid of strangers in her barn; this is a very short piece (around 7 minutes) which isn't as frenetic as some of the others in the series. Normand has a fair bit of emoting to do and the Kops get their chase, but overall it feels like there is something missing.

Pretty Good Comedy for Its Time

[Tornado_Sam · 13 July 2017]

I had never heard of the Keystone Cops (sometimes spelled "Kops") or Mabel Normand, but then most of the films I've seen are usually below 1910, so I don't have as much experience with the modern cinema. However I've had a taste of D.W. Griffith's work, as well as having seen Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last!" and in my opinion this Keystone comedy was well done. It is considered the first Keystone Cops movie, but this rumor proves false: A year earlier, in 1912 there was actually a Keystone movie called "Hoffmeyer's Legacy" which I haven't seen.

The film takes place on a farm. A little girl wants a calf, little realizing that she's about to get what she wants. However when she sees the men in the barn delivering the calf she thinks they're robbers and barricades the door. Confusion ensues. Overall this comedy was good and is mildly amusing to watch. I'd recommend it. An enjoyable 8 minutes.

Keystone Comedy at its Best!

[CHARLIE-89 · 6 February 1999]

THE BANGVILLE POLICE is Keystone comedy at its best. It is a hilarious comedy short, involving a huge chase across the countryside with the Keystone Kops, led by Fred Mace and Ford Sterling.