Why Wild Men Go Wild (1920) User Reviews

A strange and rather contrived comedy.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 13 August 2018]

Jimmie Harrison and Bobby Vernon are roommates. However, Jimmie's father has heard that this roommate is wild....and to try to convince Dad otherwise, he brings Bobby home for a visit...and has him sport glasses and pretend to be a bit of a wimp. However, Jimmie's sister wants a he-man for a boyfriend, so she has no interest in Bobby.

Here is where the film gets pretty dumb, There's apparently some sort of wild caveman living in the nearby woods (huh????) and the plan is to show the sister that Bobby is a he-man. The problem is that the real wild man shows up and all sorts of goofiness occurs.

Is it funny? Mildly. But the story idea is so contrived and weird that I don't especially recommend the comedy short.

A Bit Tame

[boblipton · 5/10 · 28 January 2014]

James Harrison takes Bobby Vernon home to meet his sister, Vera Steadman. Bobby is on his best behavior, but Vera prefers wild men, so when a wild man is reported stealing chickens, James disguises himself as the thief and has Bobby drive him off ... until the real one shows up in this decent but unremarkable Christie Comedy from 1919.

Christie was between distributors at the moment and releasing through States Rights, so budgets may have been a bit tight, but there's nothing but the sort of comedy which could have been predicted in full from the first couple of minutes. The pratfalls are executed competently, but without much flair, and the cinematography is a bit old-fashioned for 1919 -- lots of iris shots. There is a charming little coda, but the whole short subject works out as no more than adequate.