boblipton
Jean Durand directed a lot of comedy shorts for Gaumont. He also directed quite a few western shorts for them, so here's one in which he did both. Berthe Dagmar (who dresses in evening dress and is attended by a cohort men in formal wear) out visiting her uncle's ranch (he dresses like a banker on his way to the office in the morning), where she encounter Arizona Bill, played by Joe Hamman -- he dresses like a movie cowboy. Uncle disapproves. Will the plot play out as expected?I found that everyone acted in a manner that I can only describe as very French, even though they are supposed to be Americans. Was this a deliberate comic choice? Did Durand shrug his shoulders (a la Francais, naturellement!) and decide no one would notice? I thought it very funny either way.