Series: Snub Pollard Director: Charley Chase Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Editor: Stars: Snub Pollard, Marie Mosquini, Noah Young, George Rowe, Charley Chase Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 28 May 1922 Length: 1 reel Production No.: H-108 Filming dates: February 7-10, 1922 Rating: 4/10

In The Movies

From the 3 minutes of footage available for review: Snub gets into the theatre to see a his own movie, "Should Husbands Marry?" but the experience isn't exactly the most comfortable for him. George Rowe is on hand as the theatre usher who uses a rope to tie around Snub as he slides down to the bottom of the steep slope to the front row. But when Snub cannot see the screen for it being above his head he has to go back up the slope with the aide of another patron who uses the rope as a pulley. Snub then retreats to an upper balcony where he continues to watch the rest of the movie on the big screen. Snub then returns to the ground floor and takes up a seat next to Noah Young who is watching the movie with a woman and a baby. The baby is passed between them until Snub ends up holding it. Eventually the operator in the theatre gets tired of winding the film for the audience and starts falling asleep. As he does the action on the screen with Charley Chase and a fellow actor fighting each other in front of a woman and her baby also begins to slow down, corresponding with his tiring movements. Snub storms into the operator's office and wakes him up. Suddenly the fight on the screen comes to life and speeds up to a ridiculous pace. Snub returns to his seat to see out the remainder of the movie...

Favourite bit How to design a theatre that nobody (except the packed house in this scene) would want to frequent.

Trivia • Copyrighted May 17, 1922. • Approximately 3 minutes 20 seconds of the film was used in the Robert Youngson compilation, Days Of Thrills And Laughter. • The billboard seen outside the theatre is for the movie "Should Husbands Marry?" - a Shameless Players Film Company production with a scenario by Snub Pollard. Hal Roach made two films with the opening words "Should Husbands...." - Be Watched? (Charley Chase, 1925), and Pay? (All Stars, 1926) My opinion • A clever use of positioning on the camera to highlight Snub's viewing perspective of the film he is watching. When is low down and looking up at the screen in the theatre, the film shows the actors from underneath, and when he is in an elevated position in the theatre looking down at the screen, the film shows the actors from above. Also, the scene where the operator slows down the cranking of the movie in the theatre and how the on-screen action slows down with it. Very clever.

	Snub Pollard Snub, the scenario writer
	Marie Mosquini Snub's wife
	Noah Young Theatre patron
	George Rowe Theatre usher
	Jack O'Brien Film operator
	Sammy Brooks Theatre patron
	Charley Chase On-screen actor

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

This page was last updated on: 28 May 2019