Most of the films made on nitrate stock during the 1920s are either gone or in pieces due to the way that nitrate film stock degrades. The film is prone to melting, turning to powder or even exploding over time....and so this would explain why the best copy I could find of "Don't Rock the Boat" is only a portion of the original film. The beginning and ending, sadly, are missing and hopefully one day they'll discover these missing pieces.
This short stars Snub Pollard and also has Sunshine Sammy Morrison there in support. It begins on a ship that is rocking ridiculously fast (a problem they often had with comedies about ships in storms during the era....a you can see in some of Chaplin's and Keaton's films). Soon the boat sinks and the pair land on a nearby island filled with white folks whose skin was dyed for the film. Not much else happens.
This is a hard film to rate, as it's only a portion and what we have left isn't very funny. Only for the most devout Pollard fans...both of them.
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