Ham and Bud will never be given the accolades that Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, or even Clark & McCullough have garnered. Their comedy is from a much different time, before the coming of Hal Roach and a more "sophisticated" form of slapstick. And while they may lack subtlety, and their laugh-making power has somewhat diminished, I find their films quite enjoyable, much more than contemporary Keystone comedies of the same era. "Midnight at the Old Mill" has some nice "Guignol" touches with mysterious doctors in black and Ham having to play a corpse at one moment. In a rather fancy touch, the original nitrate release prints have the outdoor scenes (at the Old Mill) tinted a dark blue. So it seems that Kalem thought a bit more of this outing than some other Ham & Bud films to go to the added expense of tinting. 8mm prints of this film were made available by Blackhawk Films many years ago, and occasionally show up on eBay, which is where I found mine!
3 Reviews
A rather heartless film.
planktonrules25 January 2022
In the 1910s, Lloyd Hamilton and the very diminutive Bud Duncan were paired in a series of shorts under the name 'Ham & Bud'. While I've only seen a few of them, they really were rather poor films...mostly because unlike successful comedy duos, the pair didn't seem very likable nor did they seem to like each other in the films. And, reportedly, off camera, they couldn't stand each other as well.
"Midnight at the Old Mill" is a particularly heartless short by the team. Ham is hired to work for some mad doctors intent on a little vivisection...on people! But when Bud realizes he's supposed to be the recipient of this 'research' he substitutes Ham...presumably to get his head removed instead!
If any of this sounds funny, well, it isn't. Add to that a man in blackface and you have a film that is stupefyingly unfunny. While not their worst film, it's close.
"Midnight at the Old Mill" is a particularly heartless short by the team. Ham is hired to work for some mad doctors intent on a little vivisection...on people! But when Bud realizes he's supposed to be the recipient of this 'research' he substitutes Ham...presumably to get his head removed instead!
If any of this sounds funny, well, it isn't. Add to that a man in blackface and you have a film that is stupefyingly unfunny. While not their worst film, it's close.
Putrefying With Ham And Bud
boblipton24 September 2020
So, the doctor sends his daughter Ethel Teare to get a big, strong gardener, and she gets Ham. Bud comes along too, and when Ham heaves a brick at Bud, he misses, and knocks out Ethel. Later on, the doctor sends Ham to the 'Old Mill' at midnight to pick up a bundle, which turns out to be Bud. They switch places.
Lloyd Hamilton and Bud Duncan formed a comedy team from bout 1916-1918. After that, they separated because their company went broke and they hated each other almost as much as I hate them. They played two disgusting low-lives who wandered into a situation, heaved a few bricks, and left. This was supposed to be funny. It wasn't. Eventually, Hamilton developed into one of the most inventive short-form comcis of the 1920s and died from drinking in the 1930s. Duncan kept on working for thirty years for reasons no one seems to understand.
None of this makes sense, just like this movie.
Lloyd Hamilton and Bud Duncan formed a comedy team from bout 1916-1918. After that, they separated because their company went broke and they hated each other almost as much as I hate them. They played two disgusting low-lives who wandered into a situation, heaved a few bricks, and left. This was supposed to be funny. It wasn't. Eventually, Hamilton developed into one of the most inventive short-form comcis of the 1920s and died from drinking in the 1930s. Duncan kept on working for thirty years for reasons no one seems to understand.
None of this makes sense, just like this movie.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
