''Pass the Gravy'' is a 1928 short comedy

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

directed by

Fred Guiol Fred Guiol (February 17, 1898 – May 23, 1964), pronounced "Gill," was an American film director and screenwriter. Guiol worked at the Hal Roach Studios for many years, first as a property man, later as assistant director and finally writer and ...

and supervised by

Leo McCarey Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, the most well known today being '' Duck Soup'', ''Make Way for Tomorrow'', '' The Awful T ...

. It stars

Max Davidson Max Davidson (May 23, 1875 – September 4, 1950) was a German-American film actor known for his comedic Jewish persona during the silent film era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films. Career Born i ...

Gene Morgan Gene Morgan (March 12, 1893 – August 13, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 and 1941. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, United States, and died in Santa Monica, California. Selected filmography * ''Rogu ...

Spec O'Donnell Walter "Spec" O'Donnell (April 9, 1911 – October 14, 1986) was an American film actor. Biography Born in Fresno, California, in 1911, O'Donnell appeared in more than 190 films between 1923 and 1978. He worked frequently for producer Hal R ...

Martha Sleeper Martha Sleeper (June 24, 1910 – March 25, 1983) was a film actress of the 1920s–1930s and, later, a Broadway stage actress. She studied dancing for five years with Russian ballet master, Louis H. Chalif, at his New York dancing studio. ...

, and Bert Sprotte. The movie was produced by

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter, ...

and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation. In 1998, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

and selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

Plot

Schultz is proud of his prize-winning

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

, Brigham. Davidson, who lives next door, raises flowers and has a son named Ignatz. Schultz's son has just become engaged to Davidson's daughter. Although the two fathers don't get along, their children's engagement seems like a good time to bury the hatchet. A celebration dinner is planned and Ignatz is given two dollars to go purchase a chicken. But Ignatz, wanting to keep the money for himself, takes Brigham instead. When the families gather together to eat the chicken, Ignatz realizes that he left Brigham's 1st Prize tag on the now cooked leg. Gradually, they all realize the chicken is Brigham, everyone, except the two fathers, Schultz and Davidson. Ignatz runs away. The engaged couple pantomime the truth to Davidson who after a scuffle runs away too.

Cast

- The father *

- Schultz's son *

- Ignatz *

- The daughter * Bert Sprotte - Schultz

References

External links

*''Pass the Gravy'' essa

by Steve Massa on the

website *
''Pass the Gravy''
at Silent Era *''Pass the Gravy'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 136-13

1928 films American black-and-white films 1928 comedy films Films directed by Fred Guiol Films directed by Leo McCarey Hal Roach Studios short films American silent short films United States National Film Registry films Silent American comedy films 1928 short films American comedy short films 1920s American films {{short-silent-comedy-film-stub