Boob, The

Farm boy Peter Good's best gal runs off with a bootlegger. So the hapless boob goes running after them and straight into culture-clash farce that pits his hick heroism (patterned after the actions of granite-jawed cowpokes seen on local Bijou screens) against the wiles of slick-haired gangsters and gin-soaked jazz babies. William A. Wellman, the Hollywood great whose many credits include Wings, The Public Enemy, and The Story of G.I. Joe, directs this rollicking silent comedy highlighted by surprising visual touches. Young Joan Crawford plays a tough, glamorous revenue agent who helps Peter save the day.

• crime