Romeo Turns Bandit

Caroline is supposed to hurry up, but she meets some soldiers and decide to join their party leaving her friend waiting out in the pouring rain!

Bill sets out to buy a bottle of champagne. The transaction being satisfactorily accomplished, he remembers that he does not possess a corkscrew, and consequently he request the wine merchant to remove the cork for him. This done, Bill places his finger to the mouth of the bottle and departs upon his homeward way. As may be imagined, before he has gone very far he discovers that the improvised stopper is resulting in a leakage of champagne, and, in investigating matters, he lets fly a tremendous volume into the faces of passes-by.

Despite the severity of his weekly adventures recently, little Bill is here to cheer us once more with his frolicsome escapades. We see him seated tete-a-tete with a very pretty girl, indulging in the luxury of a particularly magnificent lobster for dinner. It is, of course, quite inconceivable that Bill should do anything without its having some astonishing consequence, and the effect of the succulent crustacean is in nowise disappointing. Immediately he finishes his repast, Bill is seized with most alarming spasms, and then, apparently taking on the habits of the shellfish he devoured, commences to walk backwards out of the room. Tripping up at the top of the stairs, he falls down headforemost and then leaps backward into the street, where he seeks refuge in a waiting carriage.

Paul Berthos' doctor tells him he needs to get some exercise, and hands him some of those rubbery strings with handles. We had them around the house when I was a kid, sold by Jack Lalane and other exercise gurus. You could pull them apart, or attach them to a wall and get your whole body involved. As you might expect, Bertho attaches them to things that he should not.

Paul Bertho keeps a lion in his artist's studio, for the apparent purpose of eating his sofa, easel, canvas and hat. People come in to look at the artists work or sit for a portrait, but react to the lion.... much as I would, I imagine. Bertho seems to be mostly annoyed by it.

Funnicus is hunting, while at his home many of his friends await his return very impatiently. Suddenly he makes his appearance, his game-bag full, of newspapers. He tells his friends that he actually disdains small game, and to illustrate the story of his wondrous adventures, turns the house topsy-turvy. His wife, alarmed, advises him to go to bed and calm his excited brain. Nightmares disturb his sleep. He finds himself in Africa, traveling on camel, accompanied by many guides. He arrives at an Arab's camp and jests with the Arabian maidens who, for revenge, put out his fires in the forest the following night. The fires out, the wild beasts arrive, and he just has time to climb a tree where he is out of reach of two big lions, who wait for him at the foot of the tree. Our great Hunter courageously risks his life by descending from the tree. He tries to strangle the lion, but suddenly awakens and finds himself clutching at his wife's throat.

Over-stimulated by boxing lessons, Gavroche brings a lion home to spar with, triggering an all-out assault on public order.

Clément Mégé borrows the shotgun of a sleeping hunter and goes after big game, like ducks and a cat. Soon he gets caught up being chased by some policemen.

French comedy short

A jolly housekeeper brings new meaning to the notion of “home entertainment” with a handsome new portable phonograph that causes people, furniture, and buildings to rock and roll through the magic of stop-motion animation. (MoMA)