A "goat gland specialist" was a quack who purported to treat erectile dysfunction with goat glands. In the 1920s, John R. Brinkley, a Kansas pharmacist and self-proclaimed "doctor," used the new medium of radio to make a name for himself, claiming he could cure male impotence with a goat gland transplant. His quack treatments attracted many patients, including several prominent Hollywood movie stars.
The scene where Buster Keaton lights his cigarette from the lit fuse of the anarchist's bomb is, knowingly or not, mirroring the darkest day in Harold Lloyd's life. On 24 August 1919 he was posing for gag photographs at the Witzel Studios. He thought it would be funny to light a cigarette from the fuse of a prop anarchist's bomb. Unfortunately the bomb proved to be real, it blew up and he lost his right thumb, index finger and 30% of his palm which forced him to wear a rubber prosthetic during performances ever since. In addition, he was completely blind for three months and half blind for another three.
Filmed partially on location at Jewett Estate, 1145 Arden Road, Pasadena, California.
The film was restored in 2015 through Lobster Films.
Included in "Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection" blu-ray set, released by Kino.
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