A Hash House Fraud (1915) User Reviews

Keystone Programmer

[boblipton · 6/10 · 4 November 2007]

If you've seen one, you've seen them all -- but if you've seen Chaplin or Arbuckle's versions of the slovenly restaurant, you've seen it done much better. This one depends on the Keystone staples: mugging, fraud and physical violence which of, course, have their own comedic charms. Nor can one deny that it is nice to see Louise Fazenda out of her 'country girl' makeup. Here she plays the gum-chewing cashier and is quite pretty.

Naturally, the Keystone Kops get involved and there is a fine silly chase to round off the entire effort. If you're a fan of his sort of comedy -- as I am -- you will find it nicely, if not brilliantly done. But I freely admit it's a bit raw for people who think Adam Sandler is funny.

Laughs in Stock

[HAL-57 · 5/10 · 23 April 1999]

Want to buy the Busy Bee Beanery? It's for sale and Hugh Fay is anxious to sell. Let the buyer beware, however, as the joint hasn't got any food in stock. As a matter of fact, they haven't got much of anything in stock or anywhere else. What this film has in stock though are laughs and one of the great Keystone chases. The cast are good in their respective roles, although sometimes Hugh over-acts a bit. Nevertheless, this is a fun comedy to watch.

A decent plot idea, but like so many of the Keystone films of the 1914-1915 era, it's filled with terrible over-acting and too much slapstick

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 19 November 2008]

I love silent comedies. However, after having seen perhaps as many as 500 to 1000, I have come to realize that the film made about 1920 and later were much more polished and didn't rely on pointless slapstick. Now I am NOT saying that I mind really physical humor, but so often in these early films (particular the Keystone ones), there is lots of kicking and bonking and firing guns for absolutely no reason. While audiences of the day laughed at these antics, by the 1920s, this sort of humor seemed cheap and forced and humor generally became more plot-driven and had greater depth. While I enjoy these earlier films, it's easy to have them all blend together in your mind--there are only so many times you can see someone kicked in the pants until your brain goes numb! A HASH HOUSE FRAUD is very typical of these early comedies. There are many occasions where there's physical violence but it seems abrupt and pointless--hitting and kicking for the sake of hitting and kicking. Some of this, such as the hot frying pan on the butt, is a tad funnier and more unusual--but not much.

However, after this very slow and predictable start, the film improves greatly. The owner of a restaurant is upset because he has no customers. When he sees that some prospective buyers are in the neighborhood, he offers free meals to everyone to make the place look crowded and like a veritable gold mine.

Overall, a very typical film of the age. Some decent ideas but also lots of mindless bonking and kicking. Don't expect your brain to be challenged with this one!

A Hash House Fraud is one of those repetitious silent comedies

[tavm · 3/10 · 16 February 2019]

Just watched this Keystone short on the "American Slapstick 2" DVD set. Louise Fazenda is the cashier at a restaurant and her looks attract many male customers and some of her co-workers as well. There are some good gags like her gum being stuck on one patron's cane, a cook using his heated frying pan on a boss' butt. But after a while, much of the action gets repetitious especially during a climatic chase which leads to a pier. So on that note, A Hash House Fraud is worth a look and nothing more.