Series: Paul Parrott Director: Raymond Grey Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Editor: Stars: James Parrott, Ernest Morrison, Ethel Broadhurst Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 15 January 1922 Length: 1 reel Production No.: C-34 Filming dates: October 8-18, 1921 Rating: 3/10

Loose Change

From the available footage I was able to review (approximately 4 minutes 13 seconds): A barrel of gold nuggets is rolled into the safe deposit in the bank by Sammy Brooks and Tiny Ward, whilst Paul sits in his office laughing at a comic he is reading. He is joined by his girlfriend Ethel Broadhurst who sits and laughs with him until her father, the Bank Predisent (Mark Jones), comes in and breaks it up. Paul leaves the building and sees two false-beard wearing, shady-looking guys arguing on the street corner. One of the men is shoved into the way of an oncoming streetcar but he is rescued in the nick of time by Paul. Paul hands over some money for what appears to be floor plans to the bank. In what then appears to be a separate segment of the film, four men and Sunshine Sammy enter the bank wearing bandit masks looking just a little bit obvious. When they hear the manager approaching the robbers take up their positions within the large frames of paintings against the wall to blend in with the surroundings. The manager and his daughter emerge from their office and don't notice them. Outside the bank in an alleyway, Paul uses the floor plans to start digging a tunnel before ending up in the vault (wow, that was a really quick tunnel he dug!) The manager sees him emerge through the hole in the floor and traps Paul inside the room with a bomb for company before making a quick exit. Paul somehow shows up outside where the manager bumps into him as the bomb explodes inside the bank. The five men inside escape through Paul's tunnel but turn back when they see a cop waiting for them. They think they have escaped for good when they are shown through an open door in the bank but it's a trap, as it turns out to be the back door of a police truck which then drives the crooks away. The film ends with Paul leading the girl off to get married.

Favourite bit The final scene where the wall gives way to reveal the back of the police truck.

Trivia • Copyrighted December 31, 1921. • This was the second film in the Paul Parrott series. • Approximately 4 minutes of the film was incorporated into the "Laugh-A-Minute" re-iusse under the title Paul And The Big Bank Robbery. • When Paul picks up the bearded man in the street after he is narrowly missed by the streetcar there is a car parked behind them on the other side of the road in the distance. In the close-up shot that follows that car is now absent and a building behind where it was parked now reveals a large "44" on the side of it. • The film ends with Paul grabbing the girl and leading her off to get married - just as he did at the end of "Touch All The Bases". My opinion • Some clever ideas for gags but the footage I reviewed seems out of synch in terms of storyline and made little sense.

	James Parrott Paul
	Ethel Broadhurst Bank President's daughter
	Ernest Morrison Robber
	Mark Jones Bank President
	William Gillespie Robber
	George Rowe Robber
	Wallace Howe Robber almost run over by streetcar
	Sammy Brooks Short man with gold nuggets barrel
	Tiny Ward Tall man with gold nuggets barrel

SHOT ON LOCATION (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: David Glass (help) This page was last updated on: 22 January 2023