Sidewalks of New York

Dir. Zion Myers and Jules White

74 Minutes

USA

1931

Starring: Buster Keaton, Anita Page, Cliff Edwards, Frank Rowan, Norman Phillips Jr., Frank LaRue

**1/2/*****

Keaton starts to dip again after the early-talkie peak of Parlour, Bedroom and Bath (the only one not directed by Edward Sedgwick) in this mildly entertaining, but weird work that mixes the slapstick with odd sentimentality. Keaton plays a slumlord in New York City that decides to open up a gym in an effort to have the kids in the area not fall down any bad roads (and, of course, to impress the sister of one of the kids). While the kids are initially reluctant and do what they can to screw with Keaton, they eventually decide that he is an "ok" guy and try to prevent some bad guys trying to knock him off. The whole film is actually quite strange: teaming Keaton up with an "Our Gang/East Side Kids" type of crowd to a very bizarre effect, and it is not surprisingly to learn that Keaton did not want to make the picture and found it as indicative of his ever-waning control of his projects. And some sequences feel placed in in order to give Keaton something to do in a script that was not meant for him (such as the centerpiece boxing match that echoes Battling Butler). But it does maintain some interest, and does not flounder as much as the early Free and Easy and his next film The Passionate Plumber. It is more like the calm before the depressing storm that was coming.

August 21st, 2019