Acting
The distressing plight of a young man who, dissatisfied with the food his wife serves him, eats horse meat, develops various equine mannerisms, and eventually lands in the hospital.
Over-stimulated by boxing lessons, Gavroche brings a lion home to spar with, triggering an all-out assault on public order.
In search of something toothsome, two hungry lions escape and enter the house of Billy Lux. He endeavors to escape them, but they are hungry. Even when he hides in a suit of armor the lions still endeavor to get at him. This constitutes the first occasion upon record upon which lions have shown partiality for "tinned" meat; They are prevented from "Getting the distinguished William in their midst" by the arrival of their keeper.
Bill is wandering along the street vainly endeavoring to attract the attention of a lady, when he is brought to a halt by a large notice, "Bal Masque." The lady enters and Bill follows, but he is rudely ejected, as only persons in fancy dress costume are admitted. So Bill hies to a second hand costumer, who fits him up.
When Patouillard meets another woman at a street cafe, his jealous wife dresses up as a man in a suit and beard to spy on him.
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.
To fool his uncle, he has his friends dress up as sculptures in his studio.
Gavroche tries to become an umbrella salesman. He follows a man to his house in attempt to sell his first umbrella. However, the umbrella is too wide to fit through the doorway. Instead, he devises a plan to reach the man's balcony above. Setting some rags on fire, he uses the hot air produced to make his umbrella fly. Gavroche crashes through a window, and into the room where the man and his wife are talking, Finally, he make his last attempt at selling the umbrella.
Funnicus has made a futile endeavor all day to be cheerful, but conditions will not permit. Seeking forgetfulness, he took his despondent way towards Luna Park, and started to "do" the place thoroughly. An overplump dame was giving tense ear to the whispered warnings of a Gypsy sooth-sayer. An opportunity. Funnicus crossed the swarthy female's palm with much silver, and promptly slipped into her wrappings and place. The overplump dame was then regaled with a series of disclosures concerning her future affairs of the heart which brought Funnicus an unexpected clump on the ear. Funnicus, to mete out counterpunishment to the saucy lady, proceeded to chase her over the zig-gag stairways, windy passages, electric railways, sea wave track, automobile armchairs, etc. At last, to escape retaliation, he borrowed an attendant's costume and the Tzigane bandmaster's baton, one, two, three. The syncopated sounds begin their infectious course and everybody finds himself tripping the light fantastic.
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.
The wife of Patouillard begs him for new clothes according to the latest fashion in the newspapers. So they go out for some shopping. Afterwards she is going out in her new dress, which is so tight that she can hardly walk in it. She changes the skirt for a pair of trousers, but finds herself being laughed at, and when the trousers get wet at the seaside, Patouillard finally puts her in a jute bag and makes her hop back home.
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.
Gavroche lives by his wit, so when he reads an ad, which tells that a rich American girl will marry the man who can cause her to experience the greatest thrill or sensation, he puts his mental ingenuity working, and he conceives a plan to win. He calls at her address and sees two suitors try and fail. He then goes to a menagerie, where he buys two lions. With these he returns and enters the office where the contract is to be signed if he should prove the victor. All flee before Gavroche and his lions, all but the heiress, who flies into his arms begging protection. Thus it is that he caused her the greatest emotion or thrill and she gladly names him victor and husband-to-be.
Paul Bertho sees a beautiful woman entering a carriage and is struck dumb with love -- which, considering this is a silent movie, is no impediment. Her husband, however, is definitely an obstacle in this split-reel Patouillard comedy.
Bill and his little bear are employed to track burglars. They succeed in tracking them to a river where bruin spends a lively quarter of an hour fishing them out one by one. The bear quite enjoys his unexpected bath, and succeeds in obtaining free board and lodging tor several little burglars.
Paul Berthos can use some money, so he gets a job as a news boy; you know, those kids who would stand about street corners in old movies, brandishing a newspaper, shouting "Wuxtry! Wuxtry!" and waiting for a car to run them over.
Bill is dead broke, and his hard-hearted creditors gather round like carrion crows. In vain he tries his wily arts and blandishments upon them. It is quite evident that he will either have to go to America and there get married or go to work. Bill sallies forth in search of employment or a rich widow, not particularly which in his despair, and chances upon a stray bear. Bruin decides to go into partnership with William and they soon scare away all the creditors. The way Bruin handles the creditors causes much wholesome fun and cannot fail to appeal to young and old.
Gavroche and his date have a rowdy night out.
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.
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.
