Hook, Line And Sinker

Series: Snub Pollard

Director: Charles Parrott

Producer: Hal Roach

Titles: H.M. Walker

Photography:

Editor:

Stars: Snub Pollard, Marie Mosquini, James Finlayson

Company: Pathé Exchange

Released: 12 November 1922

Length: 2 reels

Production No.: B-8

Filming dates: August 1-24, 1922

Rating: 5/10

Hook, Line And Sinker

Snub is part of the F.S.F.L.P.M. (Friendly Society for Fishermen of Little Puddle-in-the-Mud) and takes up his place on the dock to do some fishing alongside several others. He finds his spot by kicking another guy into the sea! Along comes Snub's rival, Augustus Takall (James Finlayson) who sabotages Snub's basket so that every time Snub catches a fish and puts it in the basket the fish will fall through the hole in the bottom. Snub rushes to show the judge of the contest - the father of his fiancee, but the father is unimpressed. Not content with trying to ruin Snub's chances of winning the top prize, his rival continues to sabotage every effort of Snub's.
After ditching Snub's prize fish back into the sea, he then hooks Snub's pants to his fishing line, causing Snub to lose them when he casts off. This causes three shocked women to dive into the sea before Snub summons a lifeguard to jump in and save them. He then takes the lifeguard's trousers in the process. Another fisherman (Mark Jones) comes up with an ingenious idea of getting fish. He syphons a hose into the sea and suctions the fish through it and into his bucket (see favourite bit). Snub's rival continues to thwart his success by engaging another fisherman to deliver an enormous fish to Snub on the pier which Snub then presents to the judge only to find it is in fact two fish wrapped in a towel. A tall fisherman demonstrates his technique in using a hand-made contraption with multiple hooks and pulls out lots of fish from the sea as Snub watches.

He gives Snub a magnet which Snub uses to fish out a crate from the sea which has his prize fish in but when the fish escapes, Snub dives into the sea to get it back! Snub retrieves the fish and manages to fend off another attack by his rival. The top prize is about to be awarded to Mark Jones when Snub runs in with his fish and is asked to put it on the scales. When he does, it goes through the floor! They quickly call for a cameraman to take Snub's photograph with the monster-sized fish but the photographer gets into all kinds of trouble and falls into the sea. When he composes himself he instructs Snub to step back so he can get his photo but then Snub falls into the sea too. Later, it is announced that whomever wins the contest will get the honour of christening a new ship. It's looking like Snub will win until Augustus again interferes and sends Snub flying through the air when he losens a screw underneath the chair he is sitting on.
Snub is about to make a speech on the deck when lots of fish begin trickling down the inside of his trousers. Augustus prepares a bottle of nitro glycerine and presents it to Snub as a goodwill gesture, telling him that it is champagne. Snub thanks him and makes his speech as Augustus runs away quickly. Snub goes to hit the bottle against the ship but the ship launches into the sea. As the cameraman makes his second splash off the deck into the sea, Snub jumps onto a speedboat and catches up with the ship. As he makes another attempt to hit the bottle it explodes and takes with it most of Snub's clothes! In his final moment of despair he wraps the anchor and its chain around his neck and throws himself into the sea.

Snub Pollard and Mark Jones in Hook, Line And Sinker (1922)

Favourite bit
Mark Jones uses a fascinating method of syphoning fish through a hose from the sea into his bucket. Crafty but effective!

Trivia
• Copyrighted December 1, 1922.
• Thought to be the first appearance in a Hal Roach-produced film for James Finlayson.

My opinion
• James Finlayson absolutely runs with this film and makes his mark being the most annoying he can possibly be. He thwarts Snub Pollard at every opportunity and is utterly devilish!

	Snub Pollard Snub, fisherman
	Marie Mosquini Stella, Snub's fiancee
	James Finlayson Augustus Takall, Snub's rival
	Wallace Howe The girl's father
	Mark Jones Rival fisherman
	Jack Hill Band member
	Sammy Brooks Band member

POSTER
(click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON THE BACK LOT
(click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON LOCATION
(click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO_wzpQ8JWs (The Silent Man: projecting into the past) [YouTube]

This page was last updated on: 08 September 2019