The Crackerjack (Silent) (DVD)

Tommy "Crackerjack" Perkins inherits his uncle's pickle factory in the South. He immediately revives the business with his idea for "Perkins' Stuffed Pickles." Meanwhile, an opportunistic military man plots to help revolutionaries overthrow the tiny South American government of Esquasado. He orders 5,000 pickles intending them to be filled with ammunition, but a mix-up has cheese placed inside instead. When Tommy arrives in South America with the massive pickle order, he is confused for the leader of the revolution. Now has to lead his men into battle armed with cheddar instead bullets!

When Douglas Fairbanks announced he was making a sequel to The Mark of Zorro (1920) called Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) comedian Johnny Hines rushed to make a send-up. Ironically, the resulting film, The Crackerjack, was more in line with Fairbanks' early comedies like Wild and Wooly (1915), The Matrimaniac (1916), and His Picture in the Papers (1916). The multi-talented Hines, who could give Fairbanks a run for his money in regards to athletic skill, was a popular comedic star during the silent era, but is somewhat unfairly forgotten today. His features include Burn 'Em Up Barnes (1921), Conductor 1492 (1923) and The Speed Spook (1924), all of which were directed by his brother, Charles Hines. When The Crackerjack was screened at Hollywood's Cinecon Classic Film Festival in 1968, an elderly Hines was in attendance. Hines complained loudly that they were running the film too fast - only to run back to the projectionist later to tell him that now it was moving too slow!

BONUS: It's a Bear (1924): Joe Rock and his wife Billie Rhodes have to hide all the animals in their apartment after the landlord says they have one (or six) too many. A telegram arrives announcing that Joe has inherited a fortune, provided he can take care of "Henry" - a brown bear! While Joe tries to chase "Henry" down, the landlord moves in on Billie so he can get his hands on the money! The bear in this short, nicknamed "John Brown", also appeared in Buster Keaton's The Balloonatic (1923) and Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925). Joe Rock was more successful as a producer than as an actor, his studio at one time employing Stan Laurel and the "Three Fatties" trio. His association with Stan Laurel may be why "Tiny" Sandford, a regular in Laurel and Hardy films, plays the landlord in It's a Bear.

• silent