Coney Island (1917)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Writers:

(more)

Release Date:

29 October 1917 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

Roscoe tries to dump his wife so he can enjoy the beach attractions. Buster arrives with Alice who is...

Plot Keywords:

Beach | Keystone Kops | Police | Waterslide | Bath House

Cast

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle	...	Fatty
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Bordeaux	...	Sledgehammer Man / Cop (uncredited)
Jimmy Bryant	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Buster Keaton	...	Rival / Cop with Moustache (uncredited)
Alice Lake	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Alice Mann	...	Pretty Girl (uncredited)
Agnes Neilson	...	Fatty's Wife (uncredited)
Al St. John	...	Old Friend of Fatty's Wife (uncredited)

Directed by
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle		story (uncredited)

Produced by
Andy Coryell	....	associate producer: video version (2005 alternate version)
Paul E. Gierucki	....	producer: video version (2005 alternate version)
William Michael Hunt	....	producer: video version (2005 alternate version) (as William Hunt)
Bruce Lawton	....	associate producer: video version (2005 alternate version)
Brittany Valente	....	associate producer: video version (2005 alternate version)

Original Music by
Philip Carli		(2005 alternate version) (as Philip C. Carli)

Cinematography by
George Peters		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Herbert Warren		(uncredited)

Music Department
Philip Carli	....	performer: original music (2005 alternate version) (as Philip C. Carli)

Other crew
Joseph M. Schenck	....	presenter

Thanks
Dennis Atkinson	....	special thanks (2005 alternate version)

Production Companies

• Comique Film Company

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1917) (USA) (theatrical)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Mackinac Media (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Laughsmith Entertainment (2005) (USA) (all media) (2005 alternate version)

Also Known As:

Fatty at Coney Island

Runtime:

25 min (2005 alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Comique Film Company

Trivia:

One of the few films where Buster Keaton does not use his "Great Stoneface" persona.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Fatty and his girl are at the beach (first scene), a cameramen can be seen in the background in the upper right corner.

Quotes:

Fatty's wife: Who is that fat lady?
Rival: He ain't a lady, she's a man!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Great Stone Face (1968)

Fatty's Masterpiece

Coney Island (1917)

**** (out of 4)

Fatty Arbuckle travels to Coney Island where he competes with Buster Keaton for the heart of a girl, which leads to havoc. This is a wonderfully funny short that allowed Keaton to show off his grace as a physical comedian. The ice cream, fish fighting and waterslide gags are certainly the best. The laughs fizzle out towards the end but this is still hilarious.

You can view this short on The Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle set, which features four discs worth of shorts as well as some nice extras. Remastered prints and new scores make this collection of films a must have.