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Stan and Ollie are sailors on leave following a whaling voyage, when they seek refuge at Ye Mariner's Rest, a sleazy flea-bag inn owned by tough guy Walter Long. After they sign the hotel register, they find, to their dismay, that Long is forcing one of his employees into a forced marriage. The young innocent, played by Jacqueline Wells (later Julie Bishop), tries to ward off his amorous advances, pleading with Stan and Ollie to rescue her from a fate worse than death. Naturally, the boys come to her aid, leading Long on a merry chase throughout the dining room and kitchen and ultimately pummeling the villain in the process. Outside in the street, they encounter an old friend of Ollie's (Harry Bernard), a fight promoter, who is in the process of signing pugilists to fight in the ring that evening. Tempting the boys with ample greenbacks (they left their money in their hotel room), Ollie, unbeknownst to Stan, enlists his pal to fight the champ! The prizefight sequence, which is reminiscent of Chaplin's "City Lights", is a superb example of physical knockabout, with Stan becoming the focal character for the remainder of the film, and eventually winding up the winner! Our print of Any Old Port is a gorgeous mint print, with all original titles completely restored, handsomely drawn by Roach title writer H.M. "Beanie" Walker. The picture clarity is so crisp that if one looks close enough, you can see cardboard cutouts doubling as members of the fight arena audience, which is ample proof that the Roach Studio was cutting down on hiring more extras than necessary! As a further point of interest, Any Old Port was originally intended to be another three reeler, with the opening scenes aboard ship with Captain James Finlayson and First Mate 'Tiny' Sandford (not to mention a pet ostrich) ending up on the cutting room floor. >>Top of Page | Return to Films Index
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