Series: Skinny Director: Producer: Hal Roach Titles: Photography: Editor: Stars: Dee Lampton Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 25 March 1917 Length: split reel Production No.: B-5 Filming dates: August 7-15, September 4-6, 1916 Rating: 1/10

Skinny Gets A Goat

The "rural free express" (a car) comes hurtling down the track and knocks an unsuspecting guy into the air before crashing into a farm and ejecting one of its passengers onto the dirt. In the fast-paced chaos that follows, Skinny backs the car into the side of a building and spills its cargo and the remaining passenger. Inside the post office it's complete mayhem with Skinny wheelbarrowing his way through everybody and two love rivals fighting over the owner (Margaret Joslin). When she intervenes in their dispute, the two rivals make up and shake hands and all seems well. A new cashier (Gertrude Short) arrives on a train and is led inside by the owner. The two rivals both plead for the owner's hand in marriage and she tells them she will marry the one who brings her the most useful present. Skinny sneaks in behind the counter and flirts with the new cashier and even kisses her before he is ejected for inappropriate behaviour. The two rivals bring a pig and a goat back to offer the owner but they begin arguing over whose present is better. The animals escape (somehow) and everybody gives chase down the rail tracks... oh, with a train heading straight towards them. They jump out of its way just in time but as the train passes, a passenger grabs the goat from the track. Skinny runs (or rather wobbles) after it as the other group grab the pig (I'm not making this up.) Skinny grabs the back of the train and drags it to a stop (yes, seriously). However, the first couple of carriages continue with the villain still on it. Skinny runs in front of the train (yes, from all the way back there this 300lb actor outruns the train and then proceeds to run in front of it) and brings it to a stop with his bare hands. The pursuing group kick the sh*t out of the villain and Skinny rides off on the train (backwards) with the cashier. The end - thank god.

Favourite bit Picking a "favourite bit" out of this film is just impossible! Erm.... Skinny stopping the train. Yeah, that'll do.

Trivia • This was the sixth (of nine) film in the series and is the only film from the series known to exist. • The opening scene with the car knocking over a man on the side of the track does actually make contact with him (if you slow the film down you can see how accurate the connection is). • The sign above the fire says "Don't spit on the stove pipe". • One intertitle card reads, "My present is better than your's". This is an error in grammar, as the word yours shouldn't have an apostrophe in it. • In a shocking scene, a goat almost gets splattered by the oncoming train. Had Dee Lampton not grabbed it in time, he would have been eating it for his dinner! • In one scene the train passes the Southland depot. I believe this is in San Diego, California. My opinion • 'Awful' doesn't quite cover it!

	Dee Lampton Skinny
	Gertrude Short New cashier
	Harry Todd Love rival
	Margaret Joslin Post mistress
	Billy Fay Baggage man
	Fred C. Newmeyer Rube

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

INTERTITLES (click image to enlarge)

SHOT ON LOCATION (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Tommie Hicks (print and identification of Harry Todd) Dave Glass (print) Jesse Brisson (identification of Gertrude Short, Fred Newmeyer, Billy Fay) This page was last updated on: 16 October 2021