Lloyd Hamilton is an all but forgotten comedian from silent films who made quite a few films during his relatively short life. Today, only a handful of his 250+ films exist, as the ravages of time on nitrate film stock have certainly taken their toll. It's interesting to see that this comedy short is now available in two different DVD sets--Ham: The Lost Magic of Lloyd Hamilton as well as in Volume 2 of American Slapstick.
Here in Jonah Jones, Lloyd is a guy with girl trouble. On one hand, he has a chunky girlfriend who is quite jealous and on the other there is a pretty lady who Lloyd comes to her aid--enraging his girl. Aside from this broad plot, there isn't much consistent plot in the film--with many episodic bits. Some are very funny (such as the cute car that you just have to see to believe) and some just fall flat. Part of this is because it's obvious pieces of the film are missing--such as when Lloyd's hat gets stuck to his head. It just abruptly occurs and you are confused how this occurred. There are also some very funny but cruel fat jokes that might make you laugh or cringe--you be the judge. Overall it's a very mixed bag and Hamilton definitely made better.
