Series: Earl Mohan

Director: Fred L. Guiol
Producer: Hal Roach
Titles: H.M. Walker
Photography: Nicholas T. Barrows
Editor:

Stars: Earl Mohan, Billy Engle, William Gillespie
Company: Pathé Exchange
Released: 02 August 1925
Length: 1 reel
Production No.: D-51
Filming dates: January 16-21, 1924
Rating: 1/10


The Bouncer

Available on DVD:
 

'Knockout' Kelly (Earl Mohan) lies in the middle of the ring after losing a boxing match. When his manager (Billy Engle) comes in to protest to the referee he laughs and tells him that everybody in town has beaten him - even a one-armed man. Deciding that they need a fresh start and a new image, the pair of them head for Jimtown - an area notorious for fighting. No sooner than they arrive an all-out brawl breaks out in the street just because two men looked at one another! Kelly pastes a large flyer on a wall billing himself under the new name of "Thunder-fist Hogan". He is approached by the owner of a nightclub who offers him a bunch of money to be a bouncer for his club for an up-coming dance, so Kelly's manager accepts the deal. Just then a woman is assaulted in the street by a rough-looking guy whom Kelly beats up.
That night Kelly shows up at the club and is immediately decked by a woman waiting to go in after he tries to flirt with her. As he enters the club, several fights suddenly break out between the dancers. Kelly is ordered to intervene but comes up against a man who pulls a knife and intimidates him. Even Kelly's manager begins flirting with a guest but he has no luck when her man appears. Fights break out all over the place whilst Kelly's manager rescues a girl from a locked room (this bit is just baffling) when he exchanges clothes with her. Kelly then runs outside and picks up who he thinks is the woman and dumps her in a garbage bin whilst an angry mob chase him. After he eludes the gang, Kelly returns to the bin, picks up the girl and hurls her into the back of a cab where he promises to get married to her. He then finds out that the girl is in fact his manager. The last scene shows Kelly getting up from the floor of the cab with two black eyes after the manager has given him a pasting for being a bit over familiar!

Favourite bit
A mass brawl erupts in the street just because two men looked at one another!

Trivia
Copyrighted August 28, 1925.
Also listed for August 30, 1925.
This may have actually been released as part of the "Fite" series.
Dugan's Dance Palace is the name of the club.
My opinion
Honestly, if anybody finds Earl Mohan or any of the films in this series remotely amusing then you ought to consult a psychiatrist as soon as humanly possible. What an absolute piece of crap.

Earl Mohan
'Knockout' Kelly/
Thunder-Fist Hogan
Billy Engle
'Dinky' Dubbs
Blanche Mehaffey
The girl
Noah Young
Dance hall patron with gun
Bob Kortman
Dance-hall Dan
William Gillespie
Dance hall patron
Dick Gilbert
Dance hall patron
Chet Brandenburg
Kelly's cornerman
Ed Brandenburg
Dance hall patron
Don Maines
Timid girl's man

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

CREDITS (click image to enlarge) INTERTITLES (click image to enlarge)

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


SHOT ON LOCATION
(click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements:
Steve Massa (identification of Blanche Mehaffey)
Jim Dallape (Back Lot tour shots)
Jesse Brisson (identification of Bob Kortman, Don Maines)

This page was last updated on: 30 May 2022