Wandering Papas (1926)

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This was one of Clyde Cook's better comedies for Hal Roach, perhaps due in part to the excellent direction of Stan Laurel, who at the time preferred working behind the camera (that would change a little later on when he teamed up with Oliver Hardy, who also has a small role here). Living up to his… More This was one of Clyde Cook's better comedies for Hal Roach, perhaps due in part to the excellent direction of Stan Laurel, who at the time preferred working behind the camera (that would change a little later on when he teamed up with Oliver Hardy, who also has a small role here). Living up to his name, Clyde is a cook, working for an engineering camp that is being threatened by a local hermit (Adolph Milar). The hermit vows to blow up the whole camp if any of its members get involved with his daughter (Sue "Bugs" O'Neill). The daughter, meanwhile, makes arrangements to run off with the bridge engineer (Tyler Brooke). Her father discovers the plan, but believes the lucky man is Cook. In attempt to do away with him, the hermit puts explosives in the pancake batter, and his plot is almost successful because the pancakes blow up in the faces of everyone served (Hardy has an especially large stack explode) and they all come after the cook. Cook, the eloping couple, and the father all wind up on the same train. The couple falls off it, and it heads towards the edge of a cliff and stops. Cook and the hermit find themselves about to go over the cliff. After a number of tense but hilarious stunts, the hermit falls into the river below, and Cook jumps in when he sees a bear. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi