Series: Snub Pollard

Director: Hal Roach
Producer: Hal Roach
Photography:
Editor:

Stars: Snub Pollard, Marie Mosquini, Mark Jones, Eddie Boland
Company: Pathé Exchange
Released: 14 December 1919
Length: 1 reel
Production No.: H-11
Filming dates: October 31 - November 6, 1919
Rating: 5/10


Looking For Trouble

Available on DVD:
 

A small crowd of fans have gathered outside a boxing club as the heavyweight boxing champion "Hard Head" Haggerty (MARK JONES) walks by and knocks out a bystander who accosts him. Further down the street, the dandy (SNUB POLLARD) is talking with his girl (MARIE MOSQUINI) when a policeman (CHARLES STEVENSON) tells him to move on. Snub does so, moving a few feet which irritates the cop who then takes a swing at him, misses, and strikes the girl instead.  She hits him right back before the couple walk off.
They stop where the crowd is gathered and the champ insults Snub by ripping off his bow tie and then pinching his nose before shoving him into the cop. The policeman is about to whack Snub with his baton but a cash bribe prevents that from happening. The champion's stooge sees Snub brandishing a wad of money and talks him into fighting the champ whilst fixing it for him to win. Snub accepts the deal and is shown to a dressing room by two nasty-looking trainers who stretch, abuse and manhandle him to get ready for the fight.
Meanwhile the sheriff of Tombstone (NOAH YOUNG) comes to examine both men in order to win some money by betting on one of them. A preliminary bout takes place out in the arena as a warm-up for the main event.
That over, the two contestants are introduced: the champ - and the the chump. Confident of winning, Snub tells the champ not to worry, he won't break any bones. The bout begins and the champ launches an immediate attack on the challenger, who is still under the illusion that he is somehow supposedly going to win as promised by the stooge earlier. After suffering a pounding in the first round, Snub's girl turns her attentions towards the champion, flirting with him in the corner. The enraged Snub comes back for more punishment in the second round and is once again knocked senseless. Eighteen rounds later and Snub starts to get the upper hand, repeatedly laying out the champ, the referee and anybody else who dares to invade his space inside the ring.
Eventually Snub is declared the new boxing champion and is paid his winnings by the promoter. On top of which, the visitor from Tombstone offers Snub a deal for him to come out to the guy's ranch and have a fight with a kicking mule. It's all smiles and celebrations as Snub leaves, followed by his girl.  Outside, she looks on with delight at all the money he has, but Snub ignores her and instead takes off with the former champ's woman instead.

Trivia
Copyrighted January 2, 1920.
Also listed for December 20, 1919.
The boxing club is called East Side.
The policeman asks Snub to move on after seeing him chatting with the girl and gets aggressive when Snub moves only a few feet. No laws were broken, but the cop pursues him. Why?
Charles Stevenson plays two roles: the spectator with the hat, and the cop who assaults Snub on the street.
This was one of Mark Jones's first films. Notice during the fight he does some impressive stuntwork and flips; he was an accomplished acrobat in real life.

Snub Pollard
The dandy
Marie Mosquini
The dandy's girl
Mark Jones
"Hard Head" Haggerty
Eddie Boland
Stooge
Noah Young
Sheriff of Tombstone
Charles Stevenson
Policeman/
Spectator with hat
Sammy Brooks
The champ's second
William Gillespie
M.T. Grave, undertaker
Bob O'Conor
Man in crowd

Acknowledgements:
Steve Massa (identification of Mark Jones, Charles Stevenson, Eddie Boland)
Jesse Brisson (identification of Bob O'Connor)

The page was last updated on: 14 December 2023