A Reckless Rover (1918)

Starring:

• Sam Robinson

A Reckless Rover (1918) from Bret Wood on Vimeo.

Storyline
Chased from his apartment by a policeman, ne'er do-well Rastus Jones (Sam Robinson) finds refuge in a Chinese laundry, where he wreaks slapstick havoc and has a memorable encounter with an improperly-filled opium pipe. A Reckless Rover pays homage to the slapstick tradition by introducing its own rendition of the Keystone Cops in its grand finale. While the comedy series would suffer attacks by the Chicago Defender for perpetuating racial stereotypes (one factor in their decision to cease production), the buffoonery in the Ebony Comedies was little different from the clowning one finds in the work of their fair-complected contemporaries.